Storytelling can be a very Effective Tool for Communication at Work

Being able to tell a good story is a massive bonus for anyone in business.

This is because stories are one of the most powerful forms of communication. They can get through to someone and have an impact when other communications do not.

An order for a supervisor, or instructions from a salesperson are far less likely to be forgotten when delivered in a story.

Course Content

This course is divided into eight lessons as follows:

1. Scope and Nature of Storytelling

• Introduction to Storytelling
• Storytelling at Work
• Difference Between Storytelling and Story Writing
• Applications of Storytelling at Work
• Using Storytelling in Commercial Situations

2. Character Development

• Introduction to Characters
• The Characters in Our Business Story
• Brand Ambassadors and Influencers
• Our Customers in the Story
• Developing Your Characters

3. Plot Development

• Introduction to Understanding Plots
• The Audience
• Conflict
• The Seven Basic Plots
• Seven-Point Plot Structure
• I and We

4. Themes

• Introduction to Themes
• Universal Themes
• Identifying a Theme
• Themes and Brand Messaging
• Common Story Themes
• Developing a Theme

5. Styles

• Introduction to Styles
• Selecting a Narrator
• Selecting a Tense
• Presentation - Oral, Written or Visual
• Your Storytelling Style

6. Literary Devices

• Introductions to Devices Used to Transmit a Story
• Similes and Metaphors
• Personification
• Symbolism
• Colloquialism
• Archetypes
• Rhetorical Questions
• Chekhov’s Gun
• Other Literary Devices

7. Building Dramatic Tension

• Introduction to Tension
• Craft
• Character and Internal Tension
• Trust and Rapport

8. Delivery and Engaging with Your Audience and Final Project

• In-Person Delivery
• Telling Our Verbal Story
• Tips on Storytelling

Course Duration - 100 hours

Learn to Craft and Deliver Stories for Better Business

Medical scans (MRIs) show that the human brain lights up when it engages with story. We see engagement for the senses, for spatial awareness – and for empathy. Empathy is our capacity to feel with. It is distinct from sympathy, the capacity to feel for. Empathy can be described as the ability to walk in someone else’s shoes. To imagine how they may be feeling in a given situation.  For many of us, stories actually create a shift in our neurochemistry, causing the letdown of oxytocin. Sometimes known as the “feel good” or “love” hormone, oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that increases our positive connections with those around us. New parents often experience a rush of oxytocin on meeting their child for the first time. Snuggling with a beloved pet can cause a rush of oxytocin. And so, can a well-told story.

Another key feature of stories is their sequencing. Humans are hard-wired to search out narrative structures. We intrinsically understand story structure, which helps us locate important information, figure out what we need, and then apply it. Even without being told, we understand that the beginning of a story will give us context (where it’s taking place, people present), that the middle will give us the major event or problem, and that the end will tell us how everything turned out. We know this so well, that the expression “just skip to the end!” is a fairly common short cut for “I just want to know if you solved the problem/how it all turned out.”