Up your game for your presentations, your marketing
or even just being cool in the bar
Sort out the science of storytelling…
and be able use stories, not just tell them, in a one day live workshop from the founder of StoryMaking.
Why does storytelling matter?
Scientists (and politicians and advertisers!) have known for a very long time that we can’t change people’s minds with facts. We makes our choices because of how we feel and then justify that choice with facts. It’s called motivational reasoning and we all do it. It’s normal.
And stories are your best way to influence people in their motivational reasoning.
Or to put it another way, sharing stories shapes outcomes more than describing data.
Which means that if you want to change things, you need to start sharing stories – the right stories, the right way.
What will you learn?
Storytelling is all the rage at the moment, but just telling stories is about as sensible as closing your eyes in an archery competition. You might hit the target, but the chances aren’t in your favour.
I’ve done a lot of cool things, but I’m a research scientist at heart (a PhD in medical geography and 24 years as a research scientist) so everything I do is rooted in research. I can’t promise you an archery bullseye every time, but I can certainly increase your chances of hitting the target, by exploring with you the science of telling stories.
We’ll look at how to:
- “size” your stories to tell to have different effects
- find the right size stories
- save the stories and know which ones to tell
- pick the hero for your story
- target your stories for different audiences
- tell your stories (live and online) to have the most impact (and the least stress).
In short, everything you need to set yourself up as an expert storyteller. No! Scratch that… as a story-user.
Who’s leading the StoryMaking session?
There’s a bunch of detail here if you want it, so all I’ll I say here is that I spent two and a half decades as a research scientist. What that means for you is that I don’t do the fluffy “this is what worked for me” stuff. I do stuff which is more like “The research says this works for most people most of the time by X%… so try this first”…
… but I’ve also been paid as:
- a lighting designer for dance companies
- a trainer
- a fire-eater
- an actor
- a playwright
- a professional speaker
- an author.
I should point out that I’ve not done all of these at the same time!
FAQs
If there’s something you need to know that I’ve not included – simon [at] presentationgenius [dot] info“>just ask!
Are there any extras and freebies?
Yes! Everyone who comes to a live StoryMaking Session gets a free copy of the StoryMaking – the book (see it on Amazon here). You’ll also get an short A4 workbook to use during the session, so that all you need to bring is a pen 😉
You also get access to Simon’s (over the top) StoryMaking Library system on Notion. (Note that this sells separately as part of his 69Stories challenge at £169)
What's the story with refreshments and food?
You’ll get as much tea and coffee as you can drink. We’ve also got something nice for when you arrive.
Rather than try and guess what everyone wants to each for lunch, we’ve arranged for the venue’s cafe to hold a table for us all – you can buy your own stuff at the cafe (it’s pretty good, honestly!) and we can all eat together in the best of both worlds.
What if I don't like it? What if I change my mind before the event?
If you don’t like it, I’ll be mortified!
But of course you can have your money back. All I ask is that you tell me what didn’t work for you so that I can figure things out, even better!
Cancellations aren’t fair to anyone else who wanted to come to a StoryMaking Session Live, so our policy is that you can have a refund up to a month before the event, but after that it’s up to you to find someone to swap with to give everyone a fair chance. We’ll help to find a replacement if we can but we make no promises.
I've got an additional need - are the session and venue suitable?
Honestly, the answer is “probably” but it would be presumptuous of me to think that I’ve covered everything. If you’re in any doubt at all, just ask me. I’ve covered as much of this as I can but there’s always the chance I’ve not thought of something. I’ll not take offence if you want to check up!
What I can promise you though, is that the venue is as accessible as possible and I’ll do my absolute best to make sure the training is too!
Will it be filmed or recorded in some way?
No.
This is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this is mainly a teaching workshop. There’s lots to cover, so there won’t be much time to do anything worth recording. You’ll be doing practical exercises but they don’t look good on camera 😉
Secondly, you’ll probably behave differently if there are cameras and things involved. No one opens up as much and we aren’t as honest. This isn’t in any way a ‘self-disclosure’ workshop, but it’s still a good idea for us to be able to say what we’re thinking without the feeling of a camera down our necks.
Where will StoryMaking Live be held?
We’re working at Seven Stories! It’s the National Centre for Children’s Stories. Not because stories are for children but because its a lovely cool venue.
The venue is just outside the city centre of Newcastle in the north of England. To get there from Central Station (for trains), it’s a short trip on the Metro. The nearest stations are Byker or Manors but your best bet is probably the Q3 bus that runs throughout the city centre and stops very close to the venue.
Seven Stories is proud of how accessible it is but if you’ve got any questions, just ask! (Email heroes [at] storymaking [dot] business)
Understand the science of storytelling…