Speaking at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 2015

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Great content tells a story. It has a beginning that grabs the reader, a middle that keeps them intrigued, and an ending that's memorable. And storytelling can be applied to all content. Or as the novelist Stephen Pressfield put it: “That’s a novel, that’s a play, that’s a movie, that’s a joke, that’s a military campaign. It’s also your TED talk, your sales pitch, your Master’s thesis, and the 890-page true saga of your great-great-grandmother’s life.”

 

Does your work require you to write blogs, web content, reports or other types of copy? If so, you can make the outcomes far more effective (and the process much more satisfying) by applying the tricks and tools of great storytelling. And with the help of many other great writers (authors, screenwriters, poets etc), I’ve created a course that helps you do just that.

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As soon as I became a journalist at the age of 22, I became a storyteller – I just didn't realise it at the time. But as I developed the skllls of an experienced writer, I became increasingly interested in the structure of stories and the emotional impact that effective ones have on our minds. After a while, I had collated so much information and insights from creative writers that I began speaking regularly on the subject at industry conferences in Scotland and London. I was even invited to Brussels to address 150 Belgian banking executives –  tough crowd but I think I won them over in the end.

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In 2015, I also organised a day-long event for 100 marketing and communications guests at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. Called The Storytellers, I invited five experts to take part: psychologist Nathalie Nahai, theatre director Simon Sharkey, comedian Fiona Herbert, magician Kevin Quantum and poet David Campbell (plus myself and other members of the White Light Media team). It was an inspirational day with brilliant insights from all the speakers and very positive feedback.

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