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A new online course to help you tell better stories Storytelling School i

Golly, I have a lot on my plate. I’d better get some input from the guys upstairs before I get too far with any of these projects. First, of course, a story…. Carolyn was responsible for her organization’s communications. And she had a lot on her plate: a web site, an annual report, and a presentation that had to be ready by the end of the week.

Blogs! Podcasts! And streaming video, too. Four color! With lots and lots of pictures. And don’t forget to thank all our donors. PowerPoint! With lots and lots of bullets. And some charts and graphs, too. And they had plenty to offer… So she asked her colleagues how to put together a compelling presentation… …an annual report that someone would really want to read……and a web site that would make visitors stick around…

Carolyn listened intently, but she was confused. She remembered reading several books that recommended using stories to make presentations stronger. She also recalled seeing an annual report and other publications from nonprofits that used stories instead of the usual data and charts. And as she surfed the web, she kept finding public interest groups that had made stories an important part of their online content. So…

Too soft. Not enough room. This isn’t some campfire we’re talking about. Despite some misgivings, Carolyn followed their advice. She built the presentation, designed the annual report, and overhauled the website without telling a single story. And her nonprofit was never heard from again. The End. She went back to her colleagues to ask about using stories, but every time the answers were the same…

parable, n. a short, allegorical story, designed to convey some truth or moral lesson. Okay, we made up the story. But Carolyn’s cautionary tale is still worth heeding. Stories are arguably the most powerful and versatile communications tool you can use. And yet, at public interest organizations from coast to coast, hard-working and well-meaning people simply aren’t using them. So Andy Goodman has launched Storytelling iSchool to help communicators at nonprofits, foundations, government agencies and educational institutions tell the stories that will engage, inform, and motivate the people they need to reach.

RWJ Executive Nurse Fellows Program Andy is the author of Storytelling as Best Practice and has helped public interest groups all over the U.S. use stories more effectively. Groups such as…

Andy has taken the curriculum he has used in working with these groups, added to it, and redesigned it for teaching in an online setting. He will teach all classes in the upcoming four-week session.

++ To attend Storytelling iSchool, all you need is a telephone, a computer, and 1 hour a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Just dial our toll-free conference line at the designated time, join our network on your computer, and you will be participating in a live, interactive web-based seminar from your home or office.

During the four classes you will learn: How to structure your stories to make them more engaging; How to build in qualities that make your stories memorable; The different kinds of stories you should be telling; How to use stories in advocacy, fundraising, board and staff recruitment, and other forms of internal and external communication.

In between classes, you will have the opportunity to write and refine your own stories and have them critiqued by Andy. Students will have the option to write and polish up to three stories over the four weeks of the session.

i The Spring 2008 session (March 4, 11, 18 and 25) will be open to a maximum of 25 students. Tuition for the full 4-week course is $500 and includes all course materials. Registration may be completed online at The final deadline is February 29, I’m not sure I approve of employees taking responsibility for their own learning. Whatever. I’m signing up! I don’t care if I am a fictional character!

For a full course outline, please call Lori Matsumoto, , ext. 101, or send to Storytelling School i Thank you. Please hit the ESCAPE key to end this presentation.