Storytelling

Strategies and Courses for Professionals

Be Story Strong

Let’s position you to persuade. Whether you want to enhance storytelling and communication skills within your team or across functions, I have a set of tried-and-true crash courses.

The courses are refreshing, provocative, and can be combined into professional development retreats across teams. Contact me and we’ll co-configure the best combination for your people.

Frame info faster

The 3-30-3 rule/ 
Hook an audience in 3 seconds.

  • Communications + Positioning

  • 60 min session

  • 100

  • You need to be succinct and persuasive (everyone!)

  • You’ll uncover the spaces where you can tap the fastest, stickiest approach to get someone's attention. You'll revamp how to introduce yourself in class. Takeaway tool: A personalized introduction template and scenarios to apply the rule in print and out loud.

Strategic outlining/ 
Make your play quick and airtight.

  • Strategy +

    Communications

  • 60 min session

  • 200

  • You need to position a pitch/request and you're competing for attention (anyone who sells or leads an initiative).

  • See the right steps to make your content audience-centric and succinct. Takeaway tools: You'll leave with a reusable framework.

Decision configurations/ 
For speed, inclusion, and buy-in.

  • Strategy +

    Positioning

  • 60 min session

  • 300

  • You’re a leader who wants to stop wasting time and persuade the right people to make moves once and for all (those who must make high-stakes decisions).

  • You’ll map who should own which parts of a decision process across six options. You’ll know from now on how to calibrate the right amount of inclusion, buy-in, and how to do it at the right speed. Takeaway tool: You’ll have the configuration map to reuse anytime and you'll do an exercise to get a real-life decision unstuck.

Position your brand

Story sourcing/ 
Uncover where your stories hide.

  • Storytelling +

    Branding

  • 60 min session

  • 200

  • You must identify success stories on brand and don’t know how to find them in the wild (anyone who fundraises, sells, or recruits).

  • Explore the position, values, and differentiators of your organization. Then use them to source stories on brand and ignore the rest. You'll identify at least one hidden on-brand story by the end of class. Takeaway tools: A criteria guide and a list of all the sources to yield stories your team had been missing.

4-part success stories/
Build an on-brand business story bank.

  • Storytelling +

    Positioning

  • -Positioning discussions with leaders to confirm format for your specific needs.

    - 45 min session to train team on format

    -optional and recommended follow up reviews and feedback on their drafts.

  • 200

  • You must compile success stories on brand (anyone who represents your brand externally).

  • You’ll be able to spotlight the essential parts of your success stories in a consistent 4-part format, so your team can produce more stories faster without fluff. Takeaway tools: Format and training guide.

Story sequencing strategy/
Craft multiple stories from a single win.

  • Storytelling +

    Positioning

  • 90 min session + 1:1 guidance

  • 300

  • You need to turn a large-scale, multi-faceted success into multiple stories for a variety of audiences (anyone who leads an effort that is complex and has many outcomes).

  • Learn the essential components of a business-driven story, so you can make a modular frame of the obstacles, stakes, and relationships, etc. to persuade your specific client, customer, or candidate. You'll identify the essential modules of your biggest success, so you can convert them into story form. The sequence becomes the backbone for several stories about the same thing tailored to the audiences you need to persuade. Takeaway tools: A sequencing worksheet with samples + your own sequence completed in the 1:1 session.

Look good + Sound good

Savvy speaker tips/ 
Activate the best speaker in yourself.

  • Communications + Positioning

  • 60 min session

  • 100

  • You want to stop being nervous about public speaking and represent your work on your terms (anyone prepping for public speaking).

  • Have fun hearing stories and examples of what works and doesn't about prepping, audience interaction, volume, etc. when the lights are on you. Takeaway tools: A poster of top tips to keep on hand.

Deck design for communicators/ 
Persuade more with less.

  • Strategy +

    Communications

  • 90 min skill session + 60 min show & share share team critique session

  • 200

  • You want to be more strategic about which format you use to persuade and what your audiences will watch, hear, and read (anyone using PowerPoint as a default comms format).

  • Learn how to use words, data, numbers, images, and white space to supplement your other sources of content (including yourself speaking) so you stop competing with your decks. Takeaway tools: A sheet of top tips from session 1 and revisions to your own deck strategy after session 2.

8-line story frame/
Streamline your personal stories.

  • Storytelling + Communications

  • 90 min session

  • 100

  • You need to consolidate too many details into something succinct and meaningful (anyone who leads, sells, recruits, or advocates for a cause).

  • Analyze a story together to identify the essential components (protagonist, objective, obstacle, etc.) and learn to convert them into a story about your career/projects. You'll craft a story of your own in class. Takeaway tools: Worksheets with the 8-line frame, examples and your own story draft.

Crash course prices are determined by headcount and degree of customization.

Most courses can be offered online or in-person.

Custom retreat and training packages are available.

Ghostwriting and speechwriting services can be added at any time.