LinkedIn 
EmailPresenting Data with Confidence and Clarity
- Traditional Classroom: 1-day
- Virtual Instructor-led: Two 3-3.5 hour sessions; Three 2-hour sessions
Storytelling is central to human existence. We tell stories to make sense of our lives, to share information, to connect across time and space. Stories can influence, caution, excite, and inspire. They can also change attitudes and catalyze action. This highly interactive workshop will explore the use of storytelling in a business environment, interweaving neuroscience research, real-world examples, and — of course! — stories. The goal of this course is to enable you to strategically create and share impactful stories that will move your audience to action.
Target Audience
This course is targeted toward anyone who wants to leverage dramatic structure and key elements of storytelling to:
- Deepen the connection with their audience
- Amplify the impact of their message
- Catalyze action
Learning Objectives
- Articulate why stories are uniquely positioned to change attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
- Explain key findings from neuroscience regarding how our brains respond to stories.
- Craft a concise and engaging data story that drives your audience to action.
- Create a goal statement for a presentation or business story to focus and sharpen its impact.
- Perform audience analysis to design a relevant and powerful call to action.
- Incorporate critical story elements to enhance the impact of a message.
- Deliver a short presentation or business story to an audience.
Pre-Course Work
To prepare for this course, we ask you to select a topic to work on that you will actually be presenting in the near future. This preparation will help you get more out of the session while preparing you for your upcoming presentation.
We also ask that you watch this short video before the session and be prepared to share your thoughts: “Talk Nerdy to Me” by Melissa Marshall (4 min. 34 sec.)
Course Outline
Session 1
Opening Activities
- Workshop Goal and Objectives
- Opening Activities
The Neuroscience of Storytelling
- Why Do We Tell Stories?
- Making Meaning Through Narrative
- The Neuroscience of Stories
Data Analysis and Visualization
- Exploratory vs. Explanatory Data
- Crafting Your Data Story
- Activity: Create a Short Data Story
Organizing and Structuring a Presentation
- Exploring Your “Master Story”
- Setting Your Business Goal
- Activity: Identify Your Master Story and Business Goal
- Organizing Your Content
- Set Your Goal
- Analyze Your Audience
- Identify Three Main Points
- Create Supports
- Structure You Presentation—Open, Body, Close
Session 2
Supporting and Reinforcing Your Message
- Five Components of an Effective Opening
- Write and Present Your Opening
- Close with a Clear Call to Action
- Write Your Closing
Enhancing Your Delivery
- Guidelines for Using Visuals
- Using Questions to Engage Listeners
- The Power of the Pause
- Verbal and Paraverbal Elements
Sharing Your Stories
- Refine Your Presentation
- Presentation Practice
Summary and Next Steps
MDV1481b-6 Course Code
For more information on this topic, as well as how Corporate Education Group can help power your organization’s performance, contact us via email or call 1.800.288.7246 (US only) or +1.978.649.8200. You can also use our Information Request Form!
