For Adiba Nelson, her TEDx Tucson talk opened doors of opportunity. As a result of her TED talk, she became the subject of a documentary for PBS that won an Emmy Award. She signed a book deal to write her memoir. She was invited to share her story with speaking engagements nationwide, and it empowered her to believe in herself at a completely new level. In this episode you’ll hear how she navigated the TED talk process from submitting a proposal, to auditioning, and on through to her...

How do you get into a creative zone – on demand? Is it possible to train your brain to be creative? Dave Liber is a Dallas Morning News columnist who writes two columns a week on deadline. He also writes books, plays, and delivers keynote speeches. He has trained his brain to be creative on demand. His TEDx Talk, The Power of Storytelling to Change the World, has been viewed over 270,000 times. His approach to storytelling and creativity is refreshingly honest and insightful. In this episode...

You don’t need story mastery to be effective. You just need to tell your story. Carla Rocha teaches communication and storytelling skills in Lisbon, Portugal. She helps people to become more authentic in their communications to team members and clients. One of the techniques she uses is to have people share personal stories. She urges her students to start small with a personal story where they overcame a difficult situation or obstacle. For her corporate clients, it’s not about story craft...

Do the Story Theater techniques and principles taught in this podcast make sense to you, but you’re scared to implement them?  Are you worried about what people will think?  Do you want to be more theatrical, emotional, and powerful with your stories, but think you would be uncomfortable? How do you break the pattern of self-consciousness when speaking and telling a story? In this episode Doug will help you find your power and show you how to bring that power forward when you tell a story or...

Lisa McInnes-Smith focuses her stories on what she wants people to think, feel, and do. She’s delivered over 7000 keynote speeches and uses her stories to build the foundation for the lessons she wants to teach. She says, “The audience remembers how you make them feel, and once you’re in people’s hearts, you stay there.” Stories ensure that your message sticks. They also grow your speaking business. Your stories make you memorable. Using brilliantly crafted stories is how you can make a...

Mark Sanborn says, “Few of us can be famous, but every one of us can be great.” He is an international bestselling author and an award-winning leadership keynote speaker. Mark challenges us to be extraordinary and to turn everyday actions into extraordinary results. He is also a master at turning everyday moments into extraordinary stories. In this episode, you’ll hear how Mark crafted a simple story about a mail carrier named Fred, and over time, used that story as a springboard to build a...

How did a geeky kid, who was an average student and college dropout, become one of the most successful movie makers of all time? How did Steven Spielberg become Steven Spielberg? You’ll be surprised to know the answer to that question. A Game Changer story reveals the backstory of a famous person with the goal of teaching a valuable lesson about success. How did they do it? What choices did they make? What obstacles did they overcome? Game Changer stories add a nice bit of variety to any...

Star Hansen’s TEDx Talk has been viewed 255,000 times. Listen and learn how she came up with her Idea Worth Spreading and how she nailed her talk. She shares the intimate truth about what it was like for her to overcome her nerves, focus on her purpose and rise to the occasion. A TED Talk is unlike any other speaking experience. It forces you to get clear about your WHY, what you have to say and how to craft your message into a condensed format. A TED Talk can also be a springboard to...

Are you ready? It is your turn to tell a story. In this podcast, I share the details of a storytelling contest. If your story is chosen, you win two hours of free coaching with me, and you’ll be invited to be a guest on this podcast. The topic of your story entry is change. Where and when have you made a significant change in your life? In this episode you’ll hear how to craft and record a 5-7 minute story, and how to submit it for the contest. Contact: [email protected]  

It’s not as simple as thinking, there are two types of stories: business stories and personal stories. When you understand how to use various story types, you’ll be liberated to develop all kinds of strategic and relevant stories. The more you know, the higher you’ll go. To help you identify relevant stories, I’m inviting you to go on a story safari with me. This list of twelve story types will trigger all kinds of story possibilities. In part two of the twelve story types, you’ll learn...

It’s not as simple as thinking, there are two types of stories: business stories and personal stories. When you understand how to use various story types, you’ll be liberated to develop all kinds of strategic and relevant stories. The more you know, the higher you’ll go. To help you identify relevant stories, I’m inviting you to go on a story safari with me. This list of twelve story types will trigger all kinds of story possibilities. In part one of the twelve story types, you’ll learn...

There is an invisible space that exists between you and your audience. To succeed, you need to build a bridge of connection and invite them to cross over to your side of the bridge. You need to be so engaging, congruent, and connected to your power, that they find you and your stories irresistible. Rather than reaching out to connect with them, they reach out to connect with you. But what happens when your insecurity invades that space and widens the gap? In this episode, you’ll learn how to...

If you want to be happy, healthy, and prosperous in the present, it’s important to make peace with your past. In this episode, you’ll learn how to shift your focus from negative to positive when recalling a painful past experience. Doug Stevenson - Keynote, TED Talk and Story Coach Contact: [email protected] Tucson, Arizona

John Register is a master storyteller because he takes the art and craft of storytelling seriously. John sustained a life-changing leg injury that ended his Olympic track and field dream, and subsequently has tweaked, polished, written, and rewritten his story over time. He has transformed it into a brilliant piece of theater. He moves on the stage like an actor in a play. He creates characters and scenes that draw the listener into the action. Nothing is left to chance. Every word, action,...

Navin Thukkaram went to Harvard, worked on Wall Street and in private equity firms, and is an expert in the realm of angel investing. He compares The Story Theater Method to an advanced operating system for storytelling in business. He has upgraded his speaking and storytelling skills, resulting in successful keynotes at tech conferences around the world. Navin believes that when you invest in a long-term coaching relationship to upgrade your communication skills, the ROI can be...

Before Jim Davidson became a professional speaker, he was an environmental geologist and avid mountain climber. Nothing in his scientific background prepared him to become a motivational speaker, but he had a powerful story about a near-death experience while climbing on Mount Rainier, and people kept asking him to tell that story. Over time, he learned to up his game by focusing on his storytelling and stage skills. He watched other speakers, polished his story, and learned how to market...

Eileen McDargh was a teacher.  She is now a professional speaker with an uncanny ability to weave a web of transformational magic with her stories. Although she never studied acting, when she tells a story, she becomes the story. She acts out the characters and conversations. Eileen believes you must place the story in the context of the audience for it to work effectively. She finds her stories by being open to inspiration from the world around her at any given moment. Eileen will inspire...

A Crucible is defined as a severe test. Crucible stories are stories of great loss, hardship, or pain. W. Mitchell was burned over 60% of his body in a motorcycle accident, and then was paralyzed in a plane crash. His keynote is based on the stories of his recovery and overcoming adversity. Some keynotes are basically one story after another, with each story making a relevant point. In this episode, W. Mitchell shares how he got started in the speaking business and how, over time, his...

If you believe in yourself and that you have something of value to offer, you need to know how to promote yourself. “Buyers” won’t say yes, if they don’t know you are asking. And how do you get to YES, when people keep telling you NO? The ability to promote yourself, to persevere even in the face of rejection, is an essential skill on the road to success. In this episode, you’ll hear five strategies for getting from where you are to where you want to be through courageously creative...

In 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War, Leann Thieman, a nurse in Iowa, volunteered to fly to Vietnam to rescue 300 orphan babies as the bombs were falling on Saigon. The story of that harrowing experience became the springboard for her to become a professional speaker. When someone agreed to pay her $100 to tell her story, she began her speaking career.  She now charges $15,000 per speech. In this interview, Leann shares with Doug the incremental steps she took in the first couple...

Have you ever watched a professional speaker and thought, I can do that? But HOW? How do you get paid to speak? You’ll find some of the answers in this podcast episode. If you have a story to tell that makes a relevant point or teaches a powerful lesson, you can become a professional speaker. You can make a difference and make a lot of money at the same time. This is episode one in the professional speaker series. In the following episodes, you’ll learn valuable lessons and gain insightful...

Pattern stories are fun to craft and even more fun to tell. They’re like a good Whodunit mystery novel where the plot unfolds over time. They are constructed with a series of mini-stories or segments that illustrate how the same problem keeps happening over and over, while the person or organization experiencing the problem fails to learn the lesson. In the end, the pattern is recognized, and the lesson learned. If you’ve ever made the same mistake multiple times or experienced a similar...

It’s not always appropriate to tell a story. Different stories work in different situations and sometimes, you shouldn’t tell a story at all. If the story doesn’t fit, you must omit. For your free no obligation 20-minute coaching call, contact [email protected] www.storytellling-in-business.com  

In this episode, Doug coaches Dave on the Phrase That Pays for one of his stories. Dave shares how he uses stories in his training courses and how The Story Theater Method has helped him to be more deliberate with his stories. He also says that the stories that he tells improve the bottom- line revenues for his company. There is a strong emphasis on The Phrase That Pays in this episode. Learn more about the Phrase That Pays and how to make the point of your story stick in Episode 5. What’s...