Do you watch TED talks and wonder what the secret is to giving such compelling presentations?

Join our one-day intensive workshop on November 15, 2024

Pitching and presenting isn’t about the slides; it’s about the storytelling. Storytelling is an essential skill for leadership and success today. This 1-day intensive workshop is designed to help entrepreneurs, investors, and executives to improve their pitching, presenting, and leading skills.

Participants will emerge from the workshop with a set of frameworks that will help them understand the components of successful storytelling, how storytelling can be adapted and tailored for different audiences, and how to engage and inspire others through the development of their own tone and style.

Workshop Leaders: The workshop will be led by Bret Waters, Bruno Mano, and Jeff Cabili. Bret is a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor who teaches at Stanford. Bruno is a professor at Link School of Business in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Jeff is a world-renown expert on pitches, storytelling, and nonverbal communication who also teaches at Stanford.

Agenda:

Cost of the full day includes fully-catered meals as well as the workshop, exercises, and networking.

• 8:30am: Breakfast, Coffee, Networking
  Spend some time getting to know the other participants while enjoying a full breakfast.
• 9:00am: Welcome Remarks – Bret Waters.
  Welcome, introductions, and objectives for the day.
• 9:30am: Elements of Storytelling – Bret Waters and Bruno Mano.
  When we say “storytelling skills”, what does that mean, exactly? What makes for a good story? We’ll watch some short videos, discuss how we react to them, and begin to develop the elements of successful storytelling.
• 10:30am: Morning Break and Group Exercise (with food and drink).
  Break into groups. Introduce yourself to your group by telling a 2-minute story about your life and what led you here. Get to know each other, and your individual goals for the day.
• 11:30am The Science of Storytelling – Bruno Mano.
  Recent research gives us new insights into the neuroscience behind how our brain processes communication. We’ll look at the key questions our brains ask, how these drive our response and action, and the key neurotransmitters involved (e.g., dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins). We’ll connect the new science with old wisdom, including Aristotle’s Rhetoric: Ethos, Pathos, Logos.
• 12:30pm Lunch (fully-catered, vegetarian options available).
  Lunch will be served. This is a chance to discuss the morning’s learnings with the other participants, and how you will apply them in the afternoon.
• 1:30pm: Storytelling in Business – Bruno Mano
  So how can we put these concepts to work in our professional lives? We’ll talk about developing a framework for creating compelling messages, crafting sales pitches and persuasive emails, and pitch decks for entrepreneurs and investors. We’ll also talk about how today many opportunities to present happen over Zoom, and how to optimize speaking via video.
• 2:30pm – The Investor Perspective
  Entrepreneurs talk a lot about pitch decks and everyone wants to develop a magic pitch deck that unlocks a mountain of money. But what do investors actually care about?
• 3:00 pm: Nonverbal Communication – Jeff Calibi
  How does nonverbal communication play into storytelling? The wrong message can be established if the body language conveyed does not match the verbal message. Understanding nonverbal communication is the secret sauce of great storytelling.
• 5pm: Afternoon Break and Group Exercise (with food and drink).
  Break into groups. Deliver a 2-minute story to your group (could be a pitch, could be a rant, could be persuasion on a point of view). Get feedback on how you have incorporated some of the day’s learnings.
• 6pm: Capstone – Bret Waters and Bruno Mano.
  Bringing the day’s learnings and experiences together. Key takeaways, learnings, and reflections. Some specific assignments on how you can continue to develop and use these skills.
• 6:30pm – Drinks and Networking
  We will uncork some good wines and other beverages and end the day with some final social time. Feel free to invite your spouse/partner.