Mark Powell
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Communication Coach, Instructional Designer
Bio:
Mark Powell has been involved in General and Business English as a teacher, teacher trainer, director of studies, publisher and author since 1987. He has also been an accredited teacher trainer with both the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Trinity College London, running the Cert TEB and Cert IBET more times than any other individual trainer. A popular keynote speaker at educational conferences all over the world, his bestselling titles include In Company (Macmillan), Presenting in English (National Geographic Learning), Dynamic Presentations – which was Highly Commended by the English Speaking Union – and International Negotiations (both Cambridge University Press). More recently, he has turned his attention to the fertile middle ground between language and soft skills development and is currently setting up a training company to serve this emerging market – Soft Skill Studio.
Session Synopsis:
Story Coach! STORYTELLING TOOLS & TECHNIQUES FROM KINDERGARTEN TO CORPORATE
As a seasoned language professional whether neuro or EI proficient, you’re already a specialist in ‘brain-friendly learning’. And when it comes to communication, it doesn’t get any brain-friendlier than storytelling! Recently, Princeton professor, Uri Hasson, has shown through detailed fMRI scans how a well-told story actually ‘neuro- couples’ the listeners to the speaker, allowing them to enter a kind of virtual reality in which they co-experience the narrative as it unfolds – the characters, the events, the sensations and, most importantly, the emotions aroused by them. Stories, the scientific evidence now shows, are not only a large part of how we connect with each other in everyday conversation; they are how we make lasting connections in our long-term memory as well. They are, at one and the same time, a prime aid to both relationship-building and the learning process itself. In short, storytelling lights up all our linguistic and communicative capacities.
In this two-part workshop we’ll explore the why, what and how of effective storytelling. We’ll open a toolbox of techniques: amplifiers, synched gestures, emotional connectors, dialogue playbacks and vocal intelligence. We’ll consider how to story-gather and story-map. We’ll discover why children, testing the waters of their imagination, are usually the heroes of their stories and why adults who want to influence an audience never are. We’ll discuss how adolescents who coolly claim they can’t tell stories or (worse) have no stories to tell, can find their voice through the power of the spoken word. And we’ll see how Business English learners – well versed in brand, data and digital storytelling these days – can be shown the value of a well-crafted anecdote. For stories enliven presentations. They showcase our talents in job and appraisal interviews. They are better than any business card when we network and socialise.
Stories have been around for over 11,000 years. In many ways, the tall tales of tribal elders gathered round the campfire are not so different from the self-indulgent monologues of teenage influencers on Instagram! The same basic principles apply. And by the end of our time together I hope you’ll be raring to coach your learners in the power of personal storytelling.
Bio:
Mark Powell has been involved in General and Business English as a teacher, teacher trainer, director of studies, publisher and author since 1987. He has also been an accredited teacher trainer with both the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Trinity College London, running the Cert TEB and Cert IBET more times than any other individual trainer. A popular keynote speaker at educational conferences all over the world, his bestselling titles include In Company (Macmillan), Presenting in English (National Geographic Learning), Dynamic Presentations – which was Highly Commended by the English Speaking Union – and International Negotiations (both Cambridge University Press). More recently, he has turned his attention to the fertile middle ground between language and soft skills development and is currently setting up a training company to serve this emerging market – Soft Skill Studio.
Session Synopsis:
Story Coach! STORYTELLING TOOLS & TECHNIQUES FROM KINDERGARTEN TO CORPORATE
As a seasoned language professional whether neuro or EI proficient, you’re already a specialist in ‘brain-friendly learning’. And when it comes to communication, it doesn’t get any brain-friendlier than storytelling! Recently, Princeton professor, Uri Hasson, has shown through detailed fMRI scans how a well-told story actually ‘neuro- couples’ the listeners to the speaker, allowing them to enter a kind of virtual reality in which they co-experience the narrative as it unfolds – the characters, the events, the sensations and, most importantly, the emotions aroused by them. Stories, the scientific evidence now shows, are not only a large part of how we connect with each other in everyday conversation; they are how we make lasting connections in our long-term memory as well. They are, at one and the same time, a prime aid to both relationship-building and the learning process itself. In short, storytelling lights up all our linguistic and communicative capacities.
In this two-part workshop we’ll explore the why, what and how of effective storytelling. We’ll open a toolbox of techniques: amplifiers, synched gestures, emotional connectors, dialogue playbacks and vocal intelligence. We’ll consider how to story-gather and story-map. We’ll discover why children, testing the waters of their imagination, are usually the heroes of their stories and why adults who want to influence an audience never are. We’ll discuss how adolescents who coolly claim they can’t tell stories or (worse) have no stories to tell, can find their voice through the power of the spoken word. And we’ll see how Business English learners – well versed in brand, data and digital storytelling these days – can be shown the value of a well-crafted anecdote. For stories enliven presentations. They showcase our talents in job and appraisal interviews. They are better than any business card when we network and socialise.
Stories have been around for over 11,000 years. In many ways, the tall tales of tribal elders gathered round the campfire are not so different from the self-indulgent monologues of teenage influencers on Instagram! The same basic principles apply. And by the end of our time together I hope you’ll be raring to coach your learners in the power of personal storytelling.