The Storytelling Hero E-Book

Stewart Bewley

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 151

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

"Full of practical steps that everyone can use to become a compelling storyteller." --Steve Pierce, Deputy Managing Director and Chief HR Oficer, Hitachi, Europe "Raw and actionable, but with a dreamer's heart, 'The Storytelling Hero' helps even the most reluctant presenter find their voice, while Stew Bewley weaves through his own story to help us think carefully about message and motivation, humanity and heroes." --Aimee Riordan, Senior Communications Manager and reader, writer, storyteller at Microsoft Make your next speech one to remember With expert guidance from veteran public speaking coach Stewart Bewley, you'll discover how to gain the confidence needed to become a phenomenal public speaker. Using simple tools and techniques you can apply every time you speak to a group or an individual, The Storytelling Hero will show you how to: * Eliminate self-limiting beliefs that hold you back * Find the confidence you need to command a room * Establish a memorable and impressive presence * Improve your cadence, rhythm and style * Connect with your next audience Transform your ability to communicate your ideas, capture attention, and make a positive impression. The Storytelling Hero shows you how to hold an audience in the palm of your hand, one actionable step at a time.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Praise for

The Storytelling Hero:

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Note

ACT I: THE BEGINNING

SCENE 1: STORYTELLING. IT'S A POWERFUL THING

My Story

Notes

SCENE 2: SPEAKING IN SHORT SENTENCES

Present Tense

SCENE 3: ENTER THE GREMLIN

The Storytelling Heroes

ACT II: LEAPING OFF THE CLIFF

SCENE 1: REWRITING THE SCRIPT

‘I Am’

SCENE 2: USING YOUR BODY AND YOUR VOICE

Breathing

Voice

SCENE 3: PICTURE, HEADLINE, DETAIL

Picture

Headline

Detail

The Graduation

Notes

ACT III: APPROACHING THE DRAGON'S LAIR

SCENE 1: LISTEN OUT

The Superpower of Listening

SCENE 2: CHANNELLING YOUR ADRENALINE

1. Look the Stallion in the Eye

2. Make Ridiculous Rules

3. Create New Rules

Note

SCENE 3: APPROACHING THE DRAGON: CREATING YOUR HERO'S JOURNEY STORY

Your Hero's Journey

ACT IV: THE ROAD BACK

SCENE 1: BECOMING BRILLIANT AT TELLING YOUR STORY

Advanced Posture Exercises

Note

SCENE 2: TELLING MORE STORIES

Note

SCENE 3: PRESENTING IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

ACT V: RESURRECTION

SCENE 1: THE HERO'S JOURNEY WITH A TWIST: CALLING YOUR AUDIENCE TO ACTION

The Trucking Wise Mentor

SCENE 2: ROCKET FUEL EXERCISES: BRINGING ENERGY TO YOUR PRESENTATIONS

From Kids' Presenter to Whisperer to New Normal

Portals, Pictures and the Curse of Knowledge

SCENE 3: THE SILVER SCREEN: SHOWING UP ON CAMERA

Practice Makes Permanent

Note

SCENE 4: THE CLOSING SCENE: REFLECTING ON YOUR STORYTELLING SKILLS

The New Standard

You're Ready

Epilogue: Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do with my arms?

How do I stop people from talking?

People say I am too quiet. How do I fix that?

This bit of my presentation is boring. How do I fix that?

I keep forgetting what I'm saying. How do I fix that?

How do I stop my hands from shaking or my face from sweating?

How do I handle awkward silences?

What if someone blocks me when I ask a question?

I hate the person in front of me and disagree with what they are saying

How do I shoot a video at home?

How do I handle a Q&A?

I think I am presenting like a newsreader. Can you fix that?

I hate networking but I need to do it. Any tips?

How do I host an online meeting room?

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Index

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover Page

Praise for The Storytelling Hero:

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Epilogue: Frequently Asked Questions

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Index

Wiley End User License Agreement

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Praise for The Storytelling Hero:

‘As an experienced speaker, I thought I knew it all. But this book gave me a whole new set of tools to amplify my voice and my message. With a mixture of practical tips, relatable case studies, and his own hard‐won wisdom, Stewart Bewley has written a book that everyone who speaks in front of an audience of any size – from 10 to 10,000 – must read!’

Jeremy Neuner, Founder and CEO, NextSpace, TEDx Speaker, Startup Program Manager, Google

‘This is a “must read” for anyone who wants to be a better presenter. I started reading it and couldn't stop – it is full of practical steps that everyone can use to transform their approach, build their confidence and become a compelling storyteller.’

Steve Pierce, Deputy Managing Director and Chief HR Officer, Hitachi Europe

‘Storytelling is the magic ingredient that makes you stand out when bringing your message across. If you are looking for a guide that combines theory with hands‐on exercises, this is the perfect companion!’

Christian Schmeichel, SVP and Chief Future of Work Officer, SAP

‘Your story makes or breaks your success. I have seen this in the last 25 years in startups, large corporations and with myself. I have been lucky to witness the amazing impact of Stewart's work both with startups and with myself over the last five years. It is exciting to have him bottled in a book. This book will help you mint your story and break the invisible barriers that are strong and real.’

Francisco Lorca, Founder & CEO, EthosData, Board Director, MoneyGram International (NAS:MGI)

‘As someone who is not a natural public speaker but has to present for a living, and who'd love to tell better stories, this short and practical book is a game changer. I feel coached.’

Audrey Tambudzai, TEDx Speaker/Contributor, CSW65 & 66 UN Women UK Delegate, Strategy Consultant at Anthesis Group

‘I have known Stewart for almost a decade and seen him coach many, many startups (including a fair few I have invested in). As a venture capitalist, all I ever want to hear is the founder behind the jargon, and Stewart has an uncanny ability to unlock their story. Now he has written down all his secrets into a really practical guide that could help you unlock that next funding round, get that promotion or simply unlock your inner voice.’

Jon Bradford, Dynamo Ventures

‘In a world of often compelling but rarely practical business books, Stewart's The Storytelling Hero achieves both. It's compelling in the way he weaves his own personal stories and examples with those of the clients he has coached over the years. And it's highly practical because every chapter – or act – includes practical tips, tools and exercises that put the theory or principle into practice. From knowing and tackling your gremlins to standing tall and using your voice, mastering the art of storytelling to taming your adrenaline and overcoming your fears, this book is crammed full of entertaining and – from my own personal experience – effective ways to make any presenter better. Whether you're preparing to present something for the first time or you're a seasoned TED Talker, there will be something in Stewart's guide for you. It won't be long before The Storytelling Hero is a well‐worn, liberally dog‐eared staple on my bookshelf, to be sure.’

Nigel Miller, Chief People Officer EMEA, Edelman

‘The advice in this book transformed my life and helped me realise I had a story people actually wanted to hear. I have now told that story over and over to many rooms full of people. The simple, broken story Stewart helped me release led to me starting a national mental health charity that is growing daily – all because I stopped apologising for my voice and slayed a few dragons. This book is a gem for all with a story to tell – and that means everyone. It is inspirational but also extremely practical. I am so glad Stewart has made this great journey available to so many. Get it, read it, do it… And along with me, I hope your story will make a difference to many – as you stop simply talking and learn to really speak!’

Ruth Rice, Founder and National Director, Renew Wellbeing

‘Stewart is a master at getting anyone to unlock their voices. It isn't magic (even though sometimes you feel it is). There is a deliberate process and I am so grateful that he has laid out his secret sauce in this book. It is never as good as the real thing – so after you have read it, book him!’

Christer Holloman, Author of How Banks Innovate, Entrepreneur in Residence, HSBC

‘I have worked with Stewart for over ten years now, and he is, without doubt, the best pitch and storytelling coach there is. His new book The Storytelling Hero is a brilliant – and super practical – guide to the art of storytelling and how you can defeat your demons to unleash the storytelling hero within.’

Ben Mumby‐Croft, Director of Entrepreneurship, Imperial College London

The Storytelling Hero

Speaking for Powerful Communication

Stewart Bewley

This edition first published 2023

Copyright © 2022 by Stewart Bewley. All rights reserved.

Edition History

Copyright © 2022 by Amplify Presentations Limited.

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The right of Stewart Bewley to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available:

ISBN 9780857089540 (paperback)

ISBN 9780857089656 (ePDF)

ISBN 9780857089663 (ePub)

Cover Art & Design: Paul McCarthy

For Liz, Nate and Jessie: I love you more than words can ever say.

Prologue

I founded Amplify back in April 2011 because of my friend Mia. I had been acting for years, but when Mia asked me to help her speak in public I didn't know if I could. I asked her to show me her speech so she opened her mouth, swallowed some air… and nothing came out. She had truly lost her voice, and her confidence. I didn't really know what to do. Was the approach that I used for presenting on stage as an actor applicable here? It was all I had, so we gave it a go.

I began to introduce Mia to the techniques that have proven so powerfully effective for me over the years – techniques that you will discover over the following pages. I got her standing tall, breathing correctly and connecting her voice. Twenty minutes later I had a different woman standing in front of me, speaking with confidence and commanding the space with a transformed story!

She went on a profound journey.

And it was transformative for me too. Over the past decade, this journey has led to me coaching 14,000 people in 65 different countries to become champions at public speaking. The aim of this book is to guide you along this same path to becoming a true storytelling hero.

I first met Kumi back in 2013. She was in her mid‐twenties and working for a global financial institution full of strong‐willed men. She didn't feel her voice was relevant, but she wanted it to be. After a few coaching sessions, she went from being a shy and polite Japanese woman whose story was easy to forget, to a strong and feisty business woman. In her last session, she told me two things.

She had received a phone call from her boss in New York saying, ‘Kumi, people are talking about you!’ This had never happened before. She had dared to share her opinion on all the calls with her seniors

and

to project her voice.

She had disagreed with her New York line manager on the phone a few days later and changed the manager's mind. This was also a first!

I believe in transformation – I witnessed it with Mia and Kumi. I believe in coaching people into confidence, exposing the bad habits and giving them tools to learn great habits to unlock their voices. If you can unlock your voice you can unlock your stories and you can learn to speak with power.

We all know what makes a great story and it plays out in Hollywood movies again and again: a hero goes on a mission to achieve seemingly impossible goals, slaying literal or metaphorical dragons along the way. Inevitably, they need a wise mentor to help them succeed (often in the form of Morgan Freeman, it seems). What we don't always realise is that to become a great storyteller we need to slay our own dragons first – dragons like fear and adrenaline. And we all need a wise mentor to help us do that.

Throughout this book, that's the role I will play in your journey – if you're up for it!

That is what I do for a day job and I love nothing more than seeing people unlock their voices and hearing their stories get told. We all have a story inside of us. As we travel through the pages of this book together, I will lead you not on a Hollywood Hero's Journey1 but on your own Hero's Journey. You will be invited to leave the old familiar territory of average storytelling to achieve goals that seemed out of reach, to discover your inner strengths, to slay the dragon of fear, to channel adrenaline and to emerge from the battle as a true storytelling hero!

If it all sounds a bit dramatic, that's because it is.

I have split this book into five acts, according to the Hero's Journey:

Act I

– The Beginning

Act II

– Leaping Off the Cliff

Act III

– Approaching the Dragon's Lair

Act IV

– The Road Back

Act V

– Resurrection

I will guide you through each of these acts, both when it feels easy and when it gets hard. Consider me a Sherpa, dedicated to the task of getting you to the summit of Mount Everest.

We can do it. We will do it! And along the way, you will meet others who have travelled this road before you – clients I have coached through their own Hero's Journey. Their stories are in here so that you can see how they reached their heroic status. It may just be the key you need to unlock your own voice.

By the end of this book you will have taken your brand new skill of storytelling and applied it to your specific context: the business presentation that looms on the horizon, the promotion you are pitching for, the proposal you are about to make.