• Gain practical application insights by leveraging case study interviews with a variety of professional backgrounds and industries ranging from academia to advertising to graphic design to politics to law and beyond!
• Key elements of a story including defining, ethos, examples, lists, anecdotes, hypotheticals, illustrations, humor and images.
• Basics of voice and physicality such as how to warm up prior to public speaking, practicing breath, vocal and physical variety at networking events.
• How to get yourself out there to practice storytelling in interviews, pitches and group settings.
• Ways to use storytelling in day-to-day office environments via powerpoint presentations, team meetings and how to get stories out of others.
• Verified learners gain access to bonus content including facilitation guides and extended activities.

Week One

In week one, we will discuss the different aspects of the body that make up our voices and check in with ourselves to discover our vocal ranges. We will explore the implications of changes in tempo, gesture, volume, pitch, timbre, and silence, and observe how different locations change the style of a presentation. At the end of the week, enjoy an interview with Jean Andzulis, whose acting background influences the way she approaches her work as Director of Special Projects at Boomerang Water.

Week Two

This week, we will focus on the elements of a story. What are ethos, logos, and pathos, and which is most important? How do you organize a story to maintain interest? Throughout the week, Moth Grand Slam champion Will Clegg will offer his insights into telling a compelling, emotional story.

Week Three

Now that you have the building blocks of a story, how do you want to use them? This week, we encourage you to begin telling your own stories, varying the lengths and focuses so you can adapt your stories to various situations, including pitches, networking, and job interviews. Maribel Lara, Senior VP and Head of Consulting at The Sasha Group, shares her expertise on how to effectively frame and pitch an idea.

Week Four

In this final week, we'll pull everything together into a final capstone presentation. Build a slide deck, find your style, rehearse and share your work. John Corso-Esquivel, Associate Professor of Art at Davidson College, shares his slide deck on how to present a slide deck.

"I really appreciate the course because it gives clear explanations of what storytelling is, with plenty of examples and additional material if we want to go further in the topic, and exercises to practice it.

For me one of the great points was understanding that I can apply storytelling to my professional life (job interviews, pitch for a project, presentations), I can include emotions, awaken curiosity, and therefore get the people to be more interested and willing to listen genuinely.__"

Chiara Momo
Material Engineer