Storytelling – Narrative Strategy and Storytelling for Organisations

Pitch It in Five Slides

October 22, 2026October 22, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

I was working with a client who was preparing a big presentation for the executive team. They told me they didn't know why they were bothering. "All they ever say is, ' Show me the financials. They don't want to hear a story." I told them that was fine. We knew what the exec team wanted to hear, so we put the financials first. But you still need a story. You can't put up a slide and say nothing. We have all seen a presenter do that: 'The numbers tell the full story'. No, they do not. Numbers need context. You also have a point of view to promote. While you show the financials and explain them, the story provides much-needed insight and context.

Storytelling for Change: Why Every Cause Needs a Villain

September 23, 2026September 23, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

Scapegoating in its original form is a purging: an offloading of the community’s sins onto something else, which is expelled along with the guilt. The practice of transferring sins is universal to human experience. Hence the word ‘scapegoat’ hasn’t fallen out of use in 600 years. The question is why? Why do we need someone or something to project our failures or guilt onto? Luckily for me and you, dear reader, there are researchers and scientists who have been asking the same question. What they have found indicates something uncomfortable about which problems we choose to fight, and the ones we think can’t be won. Before I get into the research, let’s look at two major issues affecting humanity right now.

How to Discover Your Inner Narrator for Business Success

August 25, 2026August 25, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

You are the narrator; this is your strategy. I work with clients to help them discover their narrative for business or personal purposes. This means they must become the narrator. It starts with a conversation that explores your story, and I start asking questions

Why Change Communication Fails (And How to Make It Stick)

July 15, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

I was working on a digital transformation project for a large bank. My job was to create the roadshow content and the deck that would go out to employees explaining the change process. I was talking to one of the lead engineers to help me understand the ‘why’. Why this change? What would we gain? What would we lose if the change wasn’t implemented? He didn’t have an answer. He responded, “The CEO just decided. That’s why.”

From Survey to Community Intelligence: A New Approach to Conference Insight

July 9, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

Conferences are not selling satisfaction. They are building something harder to measure and more valuable: belonging, connection, intellectual momentum. Post-event surveys were designed for product testing and customer service. Their job is to measure satisfaction: did the event meet expectations, what would you score it, would you recommend it to a friend? An experience that makes someone fly interstate for three days, sit in a room with 300 people they mostly don't know, and leave feeling like their work matters.

Conference Organisers Are Storytellers

July 1, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

From the venues, to the speaker curation, to the way sessions are sequenced and the moments designed into the breaks, these aren't logistics decisions. They're narrative decisions. They shape how people experience the event, what they take away, and what they tell others afterwards.

Am I Good at Telling Stories?

June 9, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

Roughly 80% of our daily communication is some form of storytelling. Not epic novels or keynote speeches. Small moments of your day, fragments of thoughts or anecdotes that illustrate a point of view. We toss around messages embedded in a story in meetings, conversations, and Slack channels. We are telling stories all day, every day, because that is how we understand each other and absorb information. It is how humans are wired.

Structure Won’t Save a Story With Nothing to Say

June 3, 2026June 3, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

On storytelling frameworks, a Hollywood sequel, and the thing that actually makes stories good. Think of the last movie you saw that made you cry. Or gave you a moment of validation or taught you something new. That moment in the film felt validating and real because a truth resonated with you. Let’s dive into…

Continue reading Structure Won’t Save a Story With Nothing to Say

Stop Waiting for Inspiration. Start Telling Better Stories.

May 14, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

People working in communications, content, and marketing are thinking about their value. AI can produce copy quickly. Suggest your next strategic move or find holes in your comms plans. It is fast, reliable and never misses a deadline. Where does storytelling training fit into a world where everything that is known about the tricks of the trade of communication is still in an LLM? Why learn about or upskill in storytelling when it is all there for us to explore?

The Best Work Happens When Ideas Feel Safe Enough to Misbehave

May 7, 2026May 7, 2026by stayintouchwiththelambLeave a comment

I have facilitated numerous workshops, strategy days, narrative sessions, and conference experiences. Regardless of the setting or participants, a consistent pattern emerges. Typically, the most senior, outspoken, or confident individuals are the first to contribute, filling the room with their perspectives. However, as the session transitions to deeper reflection, it is often a quieter participant who introduces a profound idea, causing everyone to pause and absorb the insight.