by Barbara McNichol

In today’s competitive arena, entrepreneurs and leaders of organizations can’t rely on only conveying facts and figures to call people to action.

People need to feel moved to act. They have to get the message deep in their bones why you or your organization merits investing precious resources.

Giving a strong emotional appeal strengthens your chances to rise above the crowd. This is true whether you’re speaking to a single person or a roomful, whether you’re writing website copy, press releases, articles, or pitch letters.

But how can you do it effectively?

I offer a half-day workshop with professional speaker Andrea Beaulieu. Titled “Get Your Story Straight: Tell Your Story Powerfully on the Stage and on the Page,” this programshows you how to tell your story with skill, persuasiveness, and confidence.

Participants explore ways to personalize their story to share from the heart—both on the stage and on the page. They learn to honea fresh new way to tell their stories with persuasion and ultimately improve their results.

• Clarify, organize, and refine your message with a specific focus.
• Balance factual content with the drama of storytelling.
• Learn editing tricks to adapt the story told on stage for the page.
• Ensure your written story retains its effectiveness.
• Inject emotional connections and theatrical techniques into your stories to engage audiences .
• Leverage what you’ve created for multiple uses: website, email, articles, marketing materials, and more.

This “on the Stage/on the Page” program is offered to organizations and individual participants on request. Contact me with your questions.

Summary of Content

1. Story Development for the Stage and the Page

• Determine the main point and key messages of the selected story.
• Identify a key situation, experience, or person on which to base the story.
• Determine an open and close for presenting the story, including techniques to capture the audience’s attention and set up a call to action.
• Set the scene with descriptions/information and develop the characters while identifying who the organization helps.
• Define a key obstacle the organization faces based on the situation, experience, or person: what the problem is, how it meets that problem, why that’s important.
• Resolve the storyline and make a clear point that moves members of the audience.

2. Presentation Skills

• Model how an organization’s story can be told effectively.
• Work with the participants to identify and refine their natural speaking styles.
• Provide specific, individual coaching on how to “live” the story, not just tell it, through emotional and theatrical/speaking techniques.

3. Writing Skills

• Take the story prepared for the stage and brainstorm where it needs to be told in print—website copy, fundraising letter, article, and so on.
• Select one of these formats and begin crafting a piece.
• Share written pieces and get feedback in the round table.

This “on the stage/on the page” program is offered to organizations and individual participants on request. Contact me with your questions. 

“On the Stage / On the Page” Experts

Andrea Beaulieu: Andrea is a certified coach, author, and award-winning consultant. As founder of Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC, Andrea has served dozens of clients in several industries, and worked as the contracted executive director for two nonprofit organizations, and the interim executive director for two others. She is a professional speaker and has been a performing artist for more than 30 years, acting in numerous productions and singing before millions. She traveled with the international organization, Up With People, singing and dancing at the Super Bowl X halftime show, the Indianapolis 500, and Bob Hope’s Birthday Party. She is currently represented by Dani’s Talent Agency in Phoenix. She is the author of Ah Ha! 100 Flashes of Insight and Inspiration from Your Authentic Voice and Finding Your Authentic Voice: Seven Practices to Free the Real You and Experience Love, Happiness and Fulfillment. She created the Your Authentic Voice® Intuition and Creativity System, which is at the heart of these books.

Barbara McNichol: Barbara brings three decades of writing and editing experience to helping professionals add power to their pen. Before founding Barbara McNichol Editorial in 1996, she worked in both corporate and small business environments. Today, she specializes in editing marketing materials and nonfiction manuscripts, including Andrea’s book, Finding Your Authentic Voice: Seven Practices to Free the Real You and Experience Love, Happiness and Fulfillment. Barbara has worked first-hand with Andrea as her presentation coach.

This “on the Stage/on the Page” program is offered to organizations and individual participants on request. Contact me with your questions.