Storytelling That Sticks for Business and Life

There is an invisible space that exists between you and your audience. To succeed, you need to build a bridge of connection and invite them to cross over to your side of the bridge. You need to be so engaging, congruent, and connected to your power, that they find you and your stories irresistible. Rather than reaching out to connect with them, they reach out to connect with you. But what happens...

If you want to be happy, healthy, and prosperous in the present, it's important to make peace with your past. In this episode, you'll learn how to shift your focus from negative to positive when recalling a painful past experience. Doug Stevenson - Keynote, TED Talk and Story Coach Contact: doug@dougstevenson.com Tucson, Arizona

John Register is a master storyteller because he takes the art and craft of storytelling seriously. John sustained a life-changing leg injury that ended his Olympic track and field dream, and subsequently has tweaked, polished, written, and rewritten his story over time. He has transformed it into a brilliant piece of theater. He moves on the stage like an actor in a play. He creates characters an...

Before Jim Davidson became a professional speaker, he was an environmental geologist and avid mountain climber. Nothing in his scientific background prepared him to become a motivational speaker, but he had a powerful story about a near-death experience while climbing on Mount Rainier, and people kept asking him to tell that story. Over time, he learned to up his game by focusing on his storytelli...

Eileen McDargh was a teacher.   She is now a professional speaker with an uncanny ability to weave a web of transformational magic with her stories. Although she never studied acting, when she tells a story, she becomes the story. She acts out the characters and conversations. Eileen believes you must place the story in the context of the audience for it to work effectively. She finds her stories...

A Crucible is defined as a severe test. Crucible stories are stories of great loss, hardship, or pain. W. Mitchell was burned over 60% of his body in a motorcycle accident, and then was paralyzed in a plane crash. His keynote is based on the stories of his recovery and overcoming adversity. Some keynotes are basically one story after another, with each story making a relevant point. In this episod...

If you believe in yourself and that you have something of value to offer, you need to know how to promote yourself. "Buyers" won't say yes, if they don't know you are asking. And how do you get to YES, when people keep telling you NO? The ability to promote yourself, to persevere even in the face of rejection, is an essential skill on the road to success. In this episode, you'll hear five strategi...

In 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War, Leann Thieman, a nurse in Iowa, volunteered to fly to Vietnam to rescue 300 orphan babies as the bombs were falling on Saigon. The story of that harrowing experience became the springboard for her to become a professional speaker. When someone agreed to pay her $100 to tell her story, she began her speaking career.   She now charges $15,000 per spe...

Have you ever watched a professional speaker and thought, I can do that? But HOW? How do you get paid to speak? You'll find some of the answers in this podcast episode. If you have a story to tell that makes a relevant point or teaches a powerful lesson, you can become a professional speaker. You can make a difference and make a lot of money at the same time. This is episode one in the professiona...

Pattern stories are fun to craft and even more fun to tell. They're like a good Whodunit mystery novel where the plot unfolds over time. They are constructed with a series of mini-stories or segments that illustrate how the same problem keeps happening over and over, while the person or organization experiencing the problem fails to learn the lesson. In the end, the pattern is recognized, and the...

It's not always appropriate to tell a story. Different stories work in different situations and sometimes, you shouldn't tell a story at all. If the story doesn't fit, you must omit. For your free no obligation 20-minute coaching call, contact  deborah@dougstevenson.com www.storytellling-in-business.com  

In this episode, Doug coaches Dave on the Phrase That Pays for one of his stories. Dave shares how he uses stories in his training courses and how The Story Theater Method has helped him to be more deliberate with his stories. He also says that the stories that he tells improve the bottom- line revenues for his company. There is a strong emphasis on The Phrase That Pays in this episode. Learn more...

TED talks opened the door to short speeches, and now, 20-minute speeches are here to stay. Conference planners are scheduling more speakers with shorter time slots. In my experience, designing a short speech is more challenging than crafting a long one. What stays in? What do you cut? I've got you covered. Follow these ten steps and you'll look like a pro. To get 30% off on the downloadable versio...

Dr. Alyx Porter Umphrey is the first black female Neuro Oncologist in the United States. Her personal story of success in the face of adversity is a story that inspires others to donate to Elevate Med, a non-profit dedicated to supporting black and brown medical students with scholarships, mentoring and leadership training. In this episode you'll learn how your story, and the story of those who be...

As a speaker and storyteller, getting a laugh is pretty important. It's not enough to get lucky with an ad-lib, you need to know how to get a laugh on demand. That requires an understanding of the dynamics of comedy. In this episode, you'll discover the three elements that are necessary to get predictable laughs.  After listening to this episode, go to You Tube and search for the videos listed bel...

While there is no one right answer to this question, there are guidelines that will help you decide how long your story should be. Consider the situation, the time allotted for your presentation and adjust accordingly. You'll find that there are times when a five-minute story is too long, and other times when a five-minute story is too short. The more emotional a story is, the more time it will ta...

Your storytelling superpowers are all the things that make you different from everyone else. They are your heart and soul and emotion, your quirky sense of humor and sparkling personality. Your superpowers come across in the way you present yourself as much as what you present. They are the most intimate and outrageous parts of you that you are willing to reveal to an audience. Add to those superp...

Sometimes is takes more than simply telling a story. Sometimes the story requires Radical Honesty to convey the truth being shared. Listen as Conrad Woody shared his story of rising from shyness and insecurity to becoming a managing partner and top talent advisor and C-Suite and Board Leadership Strategist. His journey to self-empowerment and finding his purpose as a black man rising to the top in...

Pete Hinojosa was tasked with developing a leadership development curriculum and helping Insperity expand from 40 to 100 offices. No small task. In order to achieve these impressive results, Insperity now has 98 offices, he had to hit the road and present his vision to stakeholders who had the power to say yes or no. Pete uses personal stories in his keynotes, trainings and business presentations...

Thayer Willis grew up rich. She was born into a wealthy family and became, in her own words, an entitled brat. Her story is one of self-revelation and transformation. When she hit rock bottom, she knew she needed to do something to turn things around. In this episode you'll hear how she summoned the courage to confront her pain and find her way to a meaningful life. Her origin story became the cat...

Geeks, nerds and engineers spend much of their time sitting in front of a computer working on technical projects that most people around them need but don't understand. The challenge for many engineers is to communicate their ideas, products and processes to non-engineers. Learn how a self-described geeky nerd and her team learned how to use storytelling to close more sales and make technical trai...

Is there an actor hiding out inside you waiting to be cast in the role of a lifetime? In this episode, you'll learn how to release your inner actor and use some simple acting techniques to make your story memorable, marketable and compelling. Your story is the play and you're the leading actor or actress. It's show time. Curtain up! Here's a preview of what you'll learn in this episode… How to por...

Good leadership is easy to spot. You know it when you see and experience it. It's the same with bad or toxic leadership. You've probably worked for both kinds of leader. I've worked for both and I've also had the opportunity to speak at conference where I've interacted with CEOs and presidents, VPs and sales managers. That's where I have been able to find my leadership stories. Listen and learn as...

In this episode you'll learn the inside story of the TED and TEDx Talk process. It's not as simple as having something you want to talk about that YOU think is original and important. What are the criteria TED Talk producers consider when choosing a speaker and a topic?  Does your sex, age, ethnicity or background play a part in being chosen? Once you're chosen, what happens next? How much time ar...

The foundation of every story is a journey, a quest, an adventure. It's the action or activity of your story. It can be something big and dangerous or mundane and ordinary. With craft and development leading to a powerful lesson or point, your journey can illuminate my journey. When you take me along with you on your journey by telling me your story, I find the meaning I need to navigate my journe...