Storytelling Coach

TAKE YOUR STORYTELLING TO A NEW LEVEL

Hello. My name is Ira Koretsky (bio). I am the founder and CEO of The Chief Storyteller^® and I have been in the world of storytelling since I was in high school debate. Three years after starting forensics (that’s what it was called back then), I was a New York State debate champion finalist. There were just 26 of us from the entire state. A life-long foundational lesson came from our debate coach and our storytelling coach, Mr. Height. He stressed… and made us appreciate… the power of effective stories and appreciate the power of effective delivery. They went hand-in-hand. Lessons from Mr. Height, along with countless others over my career, along with plenty of bumps and bruises earned on my own, have made me a much better storyteller and a much better communicator. And for you, a better storytelling coach.

Some 30 years later, I have been coaching, mentoring, training, teaching, and consulting on business storytelling in 14 countries (testimonials, customers, success stories). From my days speaking publicly on behalf of the US Army as a healthcare IT Public Affairs Officer and Chief Information Officer, to consulting on billion dollar technology programs to the Federal government, to being in leadership roles in marketing and product management, to teaching eager sophomores at the University of Maryland Business School, to performing improvisational comedy for 10 years with ComedySportz, to present day, I have been a business storyteller at heart and storytelling coach in practice.

BECOME THE STORYTELLER AUDIENCES WANT TO HEAR

I designed the Storytelling Coach Learning Modules for trainers, speakers, and professionals alike. The modules help you become the type of storyteller you want to be. AND become the type of storyteller audiences want to hear.

Become the type of storyteller you want to be. AND become the type of storyteller audiences want to hear

There are over 20 Storytelling Coach modules. The modules cover business storytelling, A to Z. Here are some example Storytelling Coach Modules:

A DIFFERENT KIND OF STORYTELLING COACH

I’m a different kind of storytelling coach. More like a 1-on-1 consultant. I blend the best of my experience and expertise from being a consultant (marketing and communication), speaker, trainer, and adjunct professor.

I am an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, where I earned my MBA. My course, Enterprise Communications, teaches public speaking, communication, and business storytelling to about 70 honors students. The student final is a five minute, TED-Style Talk. Each student picks his/her own topic, develops engaging presentation visuals, crafts a compelling narrative told through the eyes of a personal story, and teaches us something new, as all good TED and TEDx speakers do.

Depending upon what we are working on, sometimes I am your coach, sometimes your consultant, and sometimes your professional trainer. The professional trainer comes into play when you need to build, hone, or maintain various communication skills. I draw from over 100 written and verbal Smart Exercises^TM developed by The Chief Storyteller^® team.

FLEXIBLE & CUSTOMIZED COACHING

I continually develop and refine our Smart Exercises^TM, tools, and frameworks. And I continually refine our storytelling coach engagement approach. Since starting The Chief Storyteller^® in 2002, I have found co-creating your engagement structure for our meetings works best. The structure is based on your goals, milestones, timetable, and availability.

ACHIEVE YOUR STORYTELLING GOALS

As your storytelling coach, what are your goals?

• To be a more inspiring leader?
• Better motivator of people and teams?
• Better public speaker or trainer?
• More confident communicator?
• More effective with your board?
• A faster deal-closer?
• Persuasive storyteller with data?
• Or ???

I will help you achieve your goals.

Sometimes we will brainstorm and strategize, sometimes we will revise, sometimes we will practice, sometimes we will collaborate, sometimes you’ll do some exercises, sometimes you’ll share your activities and the results. Meetings are a combination of in-person if you are in the greater Washington, DC area and Zoom video.

Whatever we do, my approach as your Storytelling Coach, is to ensure you achieve your personal and professional goals, in your own authentic way.

Achieve your personal and professional goals, in your own authentic way

WORKPLACE STORY EXAMPLES

Here are several personal story examples designed specifically to be shared in the workplace:

• Don’t Be The Idiot in the Red Convertible – Rohan
• Space Mountain Didn’t Kill Me – Mary
• Cherish Your 1, 2, 3 – King
• Don’t Stay in Bed – Greg

Ask about our “Better Presentations Review Service,” where we provide constructive feedback to you based on a video you provide. We do this for presentations and stories (learn more).

COACHING SUCCESS STORIES / PAST PERFORMANCE