The Power to Persuade – The Magic of Story

This program can also be titled: Lead, Engage & Persuade with Storytelling, or a title to match your conference theme.

Logic explains. Stories persuade. It’s not that a logical presentation doesn’t contain the right information. It’s that information presented in a logical and linear format often fails to engage the listener and make an emotional connection. If you don’t make an emotional connection, your facts and data will fall on deaf ears.

Everyone has facts and data to back up their position. But none of your competition has your stories. Stories connect with stakeholders, customers and employees as no other form of communication can.

When you learn how to be better storyteller, your ability to influence, persuade and sell increases exponentially, immediately. The time to get started is now.

“This is the best presentation on storytelling that I have attended in my career.” – Healthcare CEO

Storytelling in Business is Serious Business

Keynotes or Training: In Doug’s inspiring, instructional and high-energy programs, you will experience the power of storytelling to engage, inspire and lead more effectively.

  • Use a simple formula to find compelling and relevant stories from everyday life
  • Learn how to embed data and technical information inside a story
  • Make your presentations more interesting, engaging and effective
  • Discover how to create context for the content to follow
  • Learn how to make your message stick with a Phrase That Pays
  • Gain confidence in your ability to use storytelling for a competitive advantage

Storytelling Keynote SpeakerLet’s Collaborate to Create Success
1. Initial phone or Zoom conversation:

  • Determine if we are a good fit
  • Check date(s) for Doug’s availability
  • Determine if our fee and your budget are a match

2. Next steps:

  • We agree on terms and submit a contract
  • Schedule one or two Zoom meetings to customize the keynote or workshop
  • Include any/all stakeholders responsible for the meeting’s success

3. Promotion of your meeting or conference:

  • If applicable, Doug can provide a short promotional video for his keynote or training
  • Promo video will include a “Call to Action” to register or attend the meeting
  • If applicable, Doug can provide a customized article or blog post

4. Customization:

  • Doug will customize the program and, if applicable, design the PowerPoint deck accordingly
  • PowerPoint slides will be sent to the AV team ahead of time, if requested

5. Day before the meeting or conference:

  • Doug flies to meeting city the day prior to the event
  • Doug is available to meet with meeting coordinators
  • Doug attends networking functions, if requested
  • Doug previews the meeting room, if possible

6. Day of the meeting or conference:

  • Doug shows up on time, ready to “rock and roll”
  • Doug meets with AV team for technical PPT and sound checks
  • Doug mingles with attendees and is available for VIP introductions
  • Doug delivers a high-energy, instructional keynote or training that ends on schedule

7. Follow-through and cohort groups:

  • Doug can be contracted to provide follow-up consulting
  • Doug can provide guidelines for cohort groups to carry forward the implementation of the storytelling methodology

“Please tell Doug how glad we were to benefit from his knowledge! I never doubted him when he told me that our folks would be talking about the principles of storytelling throughout the rest of the day, but I did doubt how much. I stand corrected! They were still talking about it in the bar at 11 pm last night!” – Roxann Mayros, CEO, VisionServe Alliance

Storytelling Keynote SpeakerInstructional Keynotes and Training
Doug’s keynotes and training are both instructive and entertaining. He brings a performer’s instinct for humor and fun, as well as a teacher’s need to provide step-by-step instruction.

You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll grow. That’s a winning combination!

“Doug Stevenson gave an informative and entertaining keynote on storytelling for sales at our 2017 Global Sales Kick-Off. We know storytelling will help us close more sales and Doug’s methodology is what we needed to get us started. Doug was a big hit for us and he’ll be a big hit for you.” – Patrick Stuver, Co-Founder, Everbridge

Corporate Storytelling Expert, Doug Stevenson

Doug Stevenson is one of the country’s most sought-after experts on corporate storytelling. He is the creator of The Story Theater Method for strategic storytelling in business, and has shared his storytelling methodology from Boston to Bogota, San Francisco to Singapore, and Las Vegas to London.

He has spoken to groups as small as 25 and as large as 2,500. From boardrooms to ballrooms, retreat centers to convention centers, Doug has been “bringing it” since 1996.

Storytelling Keynote Speaker, Trainer and Executive Coach

Let Doug customize a storytelling keynote, training or breakout session for your organization. He’ll incorporate your message and theme into his program and create a customized story especially for your event.

Download PDF flyer for this program.

Storytelling Breakout Session

People learn by doing. In this breakout session, Doug will perform a story, then debrief it, revealing how deliberate crafting transformed it from an ordinary story to one that is engaging and makes a relevant point to the audience he is speaking to.

Using a workbook, Doug will teach people how to find and develop their own relevant stories. He will also coach volunteers to demonstrate that anyone can implement these techniques to improve a story’s impact, and become more engaging and confident. He will teach you how to use stories to stimulate emotional triggers, and activate the listener’s imagination for greater retention of important data and information.

This session can be customized for leadership, marketing, sales, fundraising or executive power and presence.

You’ll learn to:

  • Identify and choose stories that make the point you need to make
  • Craft stories using The Nine Steps of Story Structure
  • Captivate attention by delivering stories in an engaging way
  • Make your point stick with a Phrase That Pays
  • Find the “emotional hook” that makes the story compelling

A small sampling of Doug’s storytelling in business clients include: Amgen, AbbVie, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Caterpillar, Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola, ConAgra Foods, Deloitte, Genentech, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Oracle, Rockwell Collins, SAP, Wells Fargo, USAA, US Bank, Verizon, and hundreds of associations and non-profits.

Contact us now to check Doug’s availability!