Practical Strategic Storytelling
Irresistible ideas, one story at a time.
A workshop for pitching ideas, explaining complex problems, and changing hearts and minds.
Previously enjoyed by teams at...
Need to pitch an idea to clients or colleagues?
Most people resort to sharing the facts, without a story holding it together.
Practical Strategic Storytelling makes it easy to turn the facts into a clear, engaging story. Learn easy methods that change hearts and minds: no PhD in storytelling needed.
Practical Strategic Storytelling teaches you how to...
Find stories that engage and persuade
Identify the key signals in the noise of facts
Make change seem possible, not scary
Use memorable language that others repeat
Who is this for?
Knowledge workers who have struggled to gain buy-in from their boss in any organisation
I’ll teach you how to inspire action with your ideas, not indifference.
Agencies and founders who pitch
If you've got a deal or investment to win, I'll teach you how to wake up your audience with an engaging, impactful story.
Leaders who set direction
If you need to get a large group of people working in the same direction, I’ll teach you how to craft memorable language that others repeat.
Why I created this workshop
I’m Ben Sauer: a leader, coach, author, and international speaker.
I’ve taught people communication skills worldwide for organisations like O’Reilly and NASA, from Tokyo to Helsinki. My workshops are consistently rated 10/10.
I’ve spent twenty years crafting compelling stories for organisations looking to change the world. I noticed that the product and design teams I was leading struggled to articulate their work, so I wrote a book about it: Death by Screens.
You can read my book and learn a lot, but there's nothing like putting it into practise. Let me show you the secrets of strategic storytelling in person.
How it works on the day
Brief
Teams are given a strategic story to tell
Gather
Learn persuasive story ingredients from me
Outline
Combine them into a well-structured story
The key lessons you learn
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Attention-grabbers
Find a way of introducing your theme to the audience so that they can’t help but sit-up and listen. If you don't give them a reason to listen to you... why should they?
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Hard-hitting headlines
Success is when people repeat your ideas back to you. But you don't need to be a journalist: just use helpful patterns to generate unforgettable headlines.
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Mindful metaphors
To introduce an unfamiliar idea, use a frame of reference that people already understand. To find it, look around. You are surrounded by inspiration, you just need to learn how to use it.
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Story structure
Every part of a story must follow the last one with good reason, to keep your audience engaged. But picking a template structure is only 20% of the work. 80% is working out how to glue it all together - come learn practical ways to do that.
What people say about it
“This workshop completely wowed the team at Monzo! The team loved it.”
Heldiney Pereira, Lead Designer, Monzo Bank
“Confirmed 10/10! Our highest rated workshop.”
Philipp Sackl-O’Neill, Organiser, PUSH conference
"Even the folks who find it hard to speak up about their work were inspired. Very practical; we learned, then put it into practice. Great for team building - highly recommended!”
Öznur Özkurt, Director, Genomics England
“By the end I could couldn’t stop thinking about how to reframe what I was working on. I started using the tools right away.”
Janina Peissig, Designer
“An absolute masterclass in effective communication and storytelling. Real, practical advice on how to reframe the way I present. I was mad at Ben for how ridiculously useful it was!”
Suraj Soren, Product Specialist
“Such an engaging and insightful workshop - and all around fun!”
Chad Jennings, CPO, Amboss
“I still reference some of the storytelling techniques we learned in your workshop with Clearleft well over a year ago. Safe to say it was a memorable session!”
Carly Farrer, UX Designer
“Everybody is still talking about it. You really gave me some new perspectives to work with; it's made me a better communicator!”
Robert Boomert, Researcher
Recommended by the team at...
“Ben’s workshop and his book have given our team tools we can use to nail our communication with both our colleagues and customers!”
Beth Brettingham, Senior Design Manager, Monzo
FAQ
Do people need to present in this workshop?
No. This workshop does not teach performance - it's about the content. What you'll learn in this workshop is format agnostic - you can use the lessons in many mediums - film, reports, on slack - but most often when presenting. You'll be asked to share what you learned in crafting a strategic story with your team, but you won't be asked to get up and tell one.
Can I trial this workshop for my team?
Yes. I run one-hour taster sessions remotely, to give you a sense of what you'll be learning - please get in touch.
Is the workshop remote or in-person?
Either. For teams I run this workshop in-person in one day, and for remote working, across two half-days.
Which industries will this work for?
Although my experience is primarily working in technology, as a consultant I've crafted great stories within agencies and consultancies, non-profits, broadcasters, healthcare, finance, and many more. The lessons are quite universal. For example: a senior manager in the NHS used my lessons so effectively, that she's now presenting to the UK government.
Is this workshop just for designers or people working in tech?
No. Anyone who is sharing ideas, pitching, or trying to change hearts and minds will learn something useful. If the workshop is for a particular discipline or a team team (e.g. leaders, consultants, product, designers, researchers) - I customise parts of the day for them.
Can you help with communication problems unique to my organisation?
Yes. In my workshops for teams, I learn about your organisation beforehand, and customise some of the day to address your unique challenges.
What do I walk away with?
Attendees get a copy of my book, and slides from the day.
What's needed for the team workshop?
A space with A/V, and workshop style seating, generally for teams of three. Some pens, paper, and sticky notes are used, but I generally bring whatever's needed.