Practical Strategic Storytelling

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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 signals in the noise of facts

Make change seem possible, not scary

Use language that others repeat

Who is this for?

Knowledge workers who have struggled to gain buy-in

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 practice. 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

Attention-grabbers

Find a way of introducing your theme so that your audience can't help but sit up and listen. If you don't give them a reason to pay attention, why should they?
Hard-hitting headlines

Success is when people repeat your ideas back to you. You don't need to be a journalist – just use simple techniques to generate unforgettable headlines.
Mindful metaphors

To introduce an unfamiliar idea, use a frame of reference that people already understand. You're surrounded by inspiration – you just need to learn how to see and use it.
Story structure

Every part of a story must follow the last with good reason, to keep your audience engaged. A structural template is only 20% of the work; 80% is in how you glue it all together. Come learn practical ways to do that.

What people say

"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

"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

"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

"Confirmed 10/10! Our highest rated workshop."

—Philipp Sackl-O'Neill

Organiser, PUSH conference

"By the end I couldn't stop thinking about how to reframe what I was working on. I started using the tools right away."

—Janina Peissig

Designer

"Such an engaging and insightful workshop – and all around fun!"

—Chad Jennings

CPO, Amboss

"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

"This workshop completely wowed the design team at Monzo! The team loved it."

—Heldiney Pereira

Lead Designer, Monzo Bank

Read Monzo's case study

For individuals

No workshops in the calendar at present.

For teams

To book a free trial, let's meet, or...

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 here is format-agnostic: you can use these lessons in many mediums—film, reports, Slack, and most often when presenting. You'll be asked to share what you learned about 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, or remotely over two half-days.

Which industries will this work for?

Although my experience is primarily in technology, as a consultant I've crafted great stories across agencies and consultancies, non-profits, broadcasters, healthcare, finance, and more. The lessons are quite universal. For example, a senior manager in the NHS used these 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's sharing ideas, pitching, or trying to change hearts and minds will learn something useful. If the workshop is for a particular discipline or team (e.g., leaders, consultants, product, designers, researchers), I customise parts of the day just 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 tailor part 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, workshop-style seating (generally for teams of three), plus pens, paper, and sticky notes. I usually bring whatever else is needed.