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June 19, 2019
I was starting to panic and I didn’t understand why. I got more and more nervous and upset as the day progressed. But why? The story I was going to tell at a local comedy club was one I’d been telling for over 15 years.
This is the the story of how telling a story healed a deep and painful emotional wound.
Back in 2012 I participated in a local evening of storytelling called The Story Project. The theme for the evening was Actors, and because I was a professional actor for 16 years in Chicago and Hollywood, I was invited to tell a story. (more…)
Posted in Corporate Storytelling Training,Leadership Development Training,Speaking Workshops,Storytelling in Business
Tags: Arizona, best storytelling in business training, Communication Skills, Corporate Storytelling, Doug Stevenson, Inspirational Leadership, Kelly Swanson, Kindra Hall, Leadership Development Program, Leadership Training, Made to Stick, Phoenix, Story Structure, Story Theater, Storytelling in business, storytelling keynote speaker, Storytelling Skills, Storytelling Workshop, Tucson
June 15, 2019
There are all kinds of stories: long and short, dramatic and comedic, business and personal. Some stories are big dramatic stories with strong emotions and powerful lessons. Others are smaller stories that simply illustrate a lesson learned from a moment in time.
While all stories are not equal, all stories can be appropriate, relevant, and powerful if they fit the situation and address a business issue or topic. A story is an essential communication tool, regardless of whether it is big or small, long or short, or dramatic or comedic.
If you want to be a compelling and engaging communicator, you must choose the right story that makes the right point for the right situation. If the story doesn’t fit, don’t use it.
It’s All About the Fit (more…)
Posted in Corporate Storytelling Training,Leadership Development Training,Speaking Workshops,Storytelling in Business,Uncategorized
May 31, 2019
By Doug Stevenson, CSP
©2019 All Rights Reserved
When you go shopping at a shopping center or mall, there are a couple of large brand name stores that are called Anchors. These stores are strategically positioned at prime locations in the mall or shopping center. Positioned between these anchors are the smaller stores and restaurants. The anchor stores spend the most on advertising and attract the crowds.
From early on in my speaking career, I designed my speeches around two very popular anchor stories. One was my Streaking Story about going streaking as part of a acting class / theater exercise and getting arrested naked. The other was my Airport Story about deciding to travel to an after-dinner keynote speech on the same day as the speech, and almost being late to deliver my keynote. These were the anchor stories of my speeches.
Story Strategy One: Using Anchor Stories (more…)
Posted in Corporate Storytelling Training,Leadership Development Training,Storytelling in Business
Tags: Corporate Storytelling, corporate storytelling trainer, Doug Stevenson, Inspirational Leadership, Leadership Training, speech, story, Story Structure, Storytelling in business, storytelling keynote speaker, training