Make Your Data and Research Actionable

As storytelling and public speaking experts, we show you how to improve dramatically your impact as a presenter, trainer, educator, expert, and leader. We help you re-frame your approach to developing presentations and public speaking. This re-framing starts with an engaging and compelling story. Our Data Storytelling program encourages a different way of thinking.

Why? Because data has no voice. No context. No ability to persuade. Only you do. You are the voice. Therefore, data should never be the focus of your presentation. Rather, data should provide the foundation for your presentation.

The Chief Storyteller ® makes your data and research actionable.

Learn how to use and apply the Great Stories Framework TM. Learn how to engage stakeholders and customers with powerful data stories educate, influence, and persuade. Throughout your engagement, we will use real-world scenarios you help define.

Your Data Storytelling program shows you exactly how to develop a story-centered presentation. A presentation supported by compelling visuals and data. A presentation you will confidently deliver. A presentation you will build faster and more confidently. And a presentation that will inspire action.

Everything in your Data Storytelling program is designed to be practical and applicable to your organization’s mission, services, and products.

Ira Koretsky, The Chief Storyteller ®, collaborates with your sales leadership and learning teams to customize the best content for your Data Storytelling program.

He has been mentoring, coaching, teaching, training, and consulting to accelerate your data storytelling success since 2002. In more than a dozen countries (success stories, testimonials, customers). In more than 35 cities. With more than 578 customers. Also, he is an adjunct professor, teaching public speaking, communication, data storytelling, and workplace storytelling at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Ira knows how to make your learning environment fun, safe, and experiential. He performed improvisational comedy for more than 10 years with ComedySportz and delivered more than 500 keynotes and workshops internationally.

The Chief Storyteller ® collaborates with your leadership and training teams to customize the best content for your Data Storytelling program.

HOW THIS PAGE IS ORGANIZED

Below, please find five sections:

  1. Solve Your Biggest Data Communication Challenges
  2. Data Storytelling Program Overview
  3. On-Going Training
  4. Coaching
  5. Data Storytelling Benefits

1  SOLVE YOUR BIGGEST DATA COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

Transform Expert Opinions into Actionable Insights

All too often, we see data scientists, quants, engineers, economists, Ph.D.s, etc. spend their valuable time and money making accurate charts. With this accuracy, comes unnecessary complexity, challenging visuals, and lengthy explanations. Together, they reduce the presenter’s effectiveness… your effectiveness.

We want you to focus on the story and message, not the data visualization. As such, we define Data Storytelling as:

“Your ability to communicate complex information in a clear and compelling manner to your stakeholders using a deliberate combination of data, visuals, and stories.”

Keeping in mind this definition, Ira helps you solve a variety of data visualization, data storytelling, and communication challenges. The main challenges Ira sees include:

CHALLENGE KEY DATA STORYTELLING QUESTIONS TO ASK
Be Interesting to Audiences
 Do your main message and supporting messages resonate with your stakeholders and key decision makers?
Pass the “Grandma Test”
 Can your audience understand each visual in three seconds or less? Do they seem (regularly) confused by any of your visuals?
Accelerate Decision-Making Can decisions be made quickly and accurately based on your data, findings, and recommendations?
Access Leadership
 Do your stories / presentations / research open doors to decision-makers, opinion leaders, and thought leaders?
Tell the Right Stories
 Are you testing different stories to communicate powerful, call-to-action messages?
Select the Right Visual Are you testing different visuals to communicate your message? Do your visuals immediately convey your intended message?
Inspire, Faster Are you using stories effectively to inspire action?

Narratives that cause us to pay attention and also involve us emotionally are the stories that move us to action – Professor Paul Zak, Neuroeconomist, University of Pennsylvania

2  DATA STORYTELLING OVERVIEW

Great sales stories invite us in. Great stories connect us with shared experiences. And a great sales storyteller, transforms these shared experiences into ideas and the ideas into action. Your Data Storytelling program is based on real-world scenarios you help define. Everything is designed to be practical and applicable.

EXPERIENTIAL, HANDS-ON DATA STORYTELLING PROGRAM

The Chief Storyteller ®  delivers a customized, experiential program. With collaborative planning meetings and pre-interviews with your teams, we will meet your organization’s goals and participant’s needs, while being sensitive to your brand culture and brand voice.

We blend on-site and virtual training, webinars, in-person coaching, and video coaching.

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS

Training materials include:

  • Presentation. PDF of all presentations
  • Tip Guides.  Examples include a) 10 Tips on How to Write Inspiring, Message-Driven Stories and b) Grab their Attention: More than 150 Suggestions for Opening and Closing Your Presentation
  • Articles. Examples include  a) Great Leaders are Great Storytellers and b) Great Sales Professionals Know How to Put their Words to Work
  • Tools & Worksheets. Examples include a) 8 Must-Have Stories and b) The Great Stories Evaluation Form
  • Smart Exercises.  We provide suggested written, verbal, and video exercises to do individually and in groups
  • Homework Assignments.  We recommend videos to watch, articles to read, and Smart Exercises to practice individually and in small groups

DATA STORYTELLING PROGRAM DURATION

Typical programs are 3, 6, and 12 months in duration.

During each month, Ira trains your team based on real-world scenarios and coaches your participants. Ira then assigns homework, both for individuals and small groups. Learning & Development materials complement the training and coaching.

Your program blends Training (on-site and virtual) and Coaching (on-site and virtual). Following the planned engagement (3, 6, or 12 months), customers often retain Ira on a monthly basis for continued mentoring and coaching.

The Great Stories Framework

Your engagement follows our Great Stories Framework TM.  This framework is based on more than 15 years of experience working across more than 35 industries, and in nearly a dozen countries. We customize the engagement to your organization, your culture, your teams, and your goals.

storytelling with data process, 5 steps, 1 know your audience; 2 promise a better tomorrow; 3 storyboard presentation; 4 develop narrative & visuals; 5 inspire action

YOUR STORY LIBRARY – ACTIONABLE STORIES FOR EVERY SITUATION

Your customized Data Storytelling program teaches you how to craft values-based stories that connect and inspire action, for every situation.

Using the Great Stories Framework TM, your team develops stories for every situation your team faces. Stories are personalized and customized in your Story Library.

Ira works with each participant to identify, develop, practice, and revise his/her stories for impact and long-term effectiveness. In a safe learning environment, your participants learn what stories work best for her/him on her/his experiences, personality, and leadership style.

You will learn how to use and apply the Great Stories Framework TM, to develop your powerful workplace stories to use in: Board meetings; Budget meetings; Review and status meetings; Educational topics; Academic and science presentations; Leadership meetings; All-hands meetings and town halls; Internal communication; and Conference presentations.

cover of workbook for storytelling with data program, executive presenting at table, black and white, with numbers to copy the style of paint by numbers

Sample Data Storytelling workbook

storytelling with data exercise, writing stories for his/her presentation

Data Storytelling exercise

storytelling with data exercise, executives discussing his ideas on stories, data, and visuals

Developing their Story

3  ON-GOING TRAINING

CUSTOMIZED TO YOUR GOALS

The Chief Storyteller ® collaborates with your leadership and training teams to customize the best content for your Data Storytelling program. Programs are typically 3, 6, and 12 months in duration.

Programs start with group training, from one to three days. Then, we customize future data with storytelling and public speaking modules, which include on-site training, webinars for small teams and the entire group, and personalized one-on-one coaching both in person and via Zoom video.

Based on the coaching sessions with Ira and feedback from your participants and your teams, Ira recommends tweaks and changes to maximize learning and impact. Your Data Storytelling program includes a variety of learning materials including workbooks, access to a library of more than 100 Smart Exercises TM, tip guides, tools and worksheets, story examples, videos, and articles.

MORE THAN 30 LEARNING MODULES

More than 30 Data Storytelling modules are available. The modules cover sales storytelling, A to Z, and related public speaking topics. Example modules:

  • Story Mapping
  • 8 must-have story types
  • StoryThink TM
  • Prototyping
  • Storytelling for impact
  • Messaging on-the-fly
  • Data Storytelling
  • Handing Q&A with stories
  • The Great Stories Framework TM Fundamentals
  • Better Tomorrow Message TM
  • Repetition figures of speech
  • Attention-getting opening

4  HANDS-ON COACHING

Ira Koretsky, The Chief Storyteller ®, provides BOTH advice (strategy) and hands-on (tactics) coaching in a variety of skill- and confidence-building categories. Read our coaching success stories here.

Sometimes he is your coach… offering advice and making suggestions.

Sometimes he is your consultant… providing specific how-to’s on addressing situations, practicing, and developing narratives, stories, and visuals.

Sometimes he is your “professional trainer…” suggesting exercises and activities to help you build, hone, and maintain your skills.

For every situation, Ira will advise and equip you with the skills and tools to be successful, in your own authentic way. Ira inspires you to “think deliberately” about how
you educate, influence, and persuade your audiences. Develop and share stories your stories in a friendly and safe learning lab environment. Ira is patient and sensitive to cultural influences and personal communication styles.

He blends the best of his experiences and expertise from being a successful CEO, consultant, professional speaker, trainer, coach, and adjunct professor. As for the latter, Ira is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, where he earned his MBA. He teaches public speaking, communication, data  storytelling, and business storytelling to about 70 honors students each year. The student final is a five-minute, TED-Style Talk.

5  DATA STORYTELLING BENEFITS

For more than 50 years, research shows sharing stories and experiences have a greater impact on audiences than simply presenting statistics and facts. Stories make you more interesting. Stories make you more memorable. Stories make you more persuasive. Stories influence and accelerate change.

Build Your Capacity for Storytelling

Specifically:

  • Increase effectiveness with better communication
  • Accelerate buy-in and shift mindsets
  • Improve confidence in public speaking
  • Be a StoryThinker. Train your brain to think of stories as solutions to problems
  • Reshape personal experiences into powerful, high-impact business stories
  • Improve confidence in delivering your messages to any audience
  • Influence decision-makers, faster
  • Build your Story Library with story templates for any situation
  • Learn how to use your voice and body to be a more effective communicator
  • Understand how to define a story’s key message, that will resonate with your audience every time
  • Accelerate trust with your authentic and personal data stories

Effective Stories Are Key to Your Success

Research study after research study shows the human brain is wired for stories (Cognitive Psychology, Robert J. Sternberg, Karin Sternberg). Studies demonstrate stories have a greater impact on us humans (our audiences), than statistics, facts, and figures (Harvard Business Review, The Storytelling Animal). Our Data Storytelling ensures your:

  • Stories make your ideas more interesting
  • Stories make your data come alive
  • Stories make your presentations (more) fun
  • Stories enable you to connect to prospects and customers faster
  • Stories inspire prospects to action
  • Stories accelerate trust
  • Stories make data more persuasive
  • Stories have a lasting impact

Photography Source:  © Copyright 2020, The Chief Storyteller ®, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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