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Master the Art of Storytelling

Storytelling is the best brand strategy. Storytelling helps you grab your target audience’s attention, make your message more understandable and memorable, and move readers to act.

Now you can grab attention, communicate more clearly, make your message more memorable and move readers to act at writing coach Ann Wylie’s Master the Art of Storytelling workshop on March 3-31.

“Ann Wylie will help you take your writing from mundane to memorable, dull to dazzling, ‘blah blah blah’ to brilliant.”

— Anahi Macauley, strategic messaging specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Read more rave reviews

Agenda

Learn the art and science of making your subject matter more compelling with great storytelling. In this workshop, you’ll learn step-by-step techniques for telling a great brand story. Specifically, you’ll learn how to:

	Think Outside the Pyramid Make your brand content more fascinating and engaging with compelling narratives. In this storytelling training, you’ll learn how to: Lead with a bang with our list (with examples) of great leads. Avoid the “muddle in the middle” with five ways to organize the body of your piece. Leave a lasting impression with our three-step test for writing a great ending.
	Color Readers Fascinated Fun facts and juicy details might seem like the Cheez Doodles and Cronuts of communication: tempting, for sure, but a little childish and not particularly good for you. Not so. Concrete details are more like salad dressing and aioli — the secret sauces it takes to get the nutritious stuff down. In this learning experience, you’ll find out how to: Show and tell: Help readers understand your big ideas by way of your specific details. Play it SAFE: Six ways to add color to your leadership stories and other messages. Write to be read: Where to sprinkle “gold coins” throughout your message to keep readers engaged.
	Play With Your Words Neurologists call it “the pleasure of the text,” the reward readers get from figuring out figurative language. (It can be quite a reward: If your wordplay is funny enough, your readers’ brains even deliver a little dose of dopamine.) In this session, you’ll learn how to: Get a wordplay workout: Get “recipes” for creating 14 types of wordplay, from anagram to etymology to oxymoron. (And yes, that portmanteau does make it but look better.) Get inspired by some of the world’s most creative headlines. Stop writing groaners: Learn techniques that let you come up with surprising lines — and leave the clichés to the hacks.
	Make Magic With Metaphor It’s tempting to call metaphor the magic spell in a writer’s repertoire, the Penn and Teller of the page. Metaphor has the power to persuade far better than literal language. It lets you say in five words what would otherwise take five paragraphs to explain. It makes readers’ brains light up, helps them think more broadly about your message — even (ahem!) makes you look more attractive. But, as with other forms of magic, you’ll want to master a few tricks before you step onto the stage. In this session, you’ll learn how to: Get an analogy during an interview by asking one simple question. Develop a metaphor with our simple, four-step process. Craft a compelling comparison with our fill-in-the-blanks formula.
	Master the Art of Storytelling Stories are so effective that Og Mandino, the late author of the bestselling The Greatest Salesman in the World, says, “If you have a point, find a story.” In this session, you’ll learn to find, develop and write stories that engage readers’ hearts and minds for your case studies, social media, digital marketing and content marketing. Specifically, you’ll learn how to: Find the aha! moment that’s the gateway to every personal story. Start an anecdote with a bang — instead of a whimper. Find good stories in the making with “WBHA.”

Live editing sessions

In the crunch of writing headlines and meeting deadlines, it sometimes seems as if there’s not enough time to pause and consider how you’re doing.

In this class, you’ll apply what you’ve learned in weekly homework assignments and practice sessions. You’ll get feedback from your colleagues and Ann. Plus, you’ll get a chance to have Ann edit your work live in class.

In these practice sessions, you’ll:

• Master the techniques you learn in class by applying them immediately. (That’s how we put the “Master” in the Master Class!)
• Gain valuable insights on your work from your peers and from Ann.
• Learn to analyze and improve others’ writing — the best skill you can develop for editing others or polishing your own work.

“This is the best writing workshop I have ever attended. It didn’t just preach about the importance of storytelling, it provided concrete tips and examples to show me how to do it. The way she broke down the mechanics of storytelling was invaluable. I also appreciate learning how to create metaphors. This is something I’ll use all the time.”

— Susan Schept, writer/editor, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Logistics — NEW FORMAT!

• Learn at your own pace, at your convenience.
• Spend more time with Ann on live editing and coaching sessions.
• Learn with a community of like-minded communicators.

Class runs from March 3 through March 31.

Weekly trainings. Access weekly trainings at your convenience, starting:

• March 3: Think Outside the Pyramid
• March 10: Color Readers Fascinated, Wordplay Workout
• March 17: Make Magic With Metaphor, Model the Masters
• March 24: Master the Art of Storytelling
• March 31-April 30: Continue to polish your skills with access recordings of all sessions — including live coaching and editing calls — and the LinkedIn Group Page

Weekly live coaching and editing sessions. Mark your calendars for live one-hour coaching and editing sessions with Ann at noon Central on:

• March 10: Think Outside the Pyramid
• March 17: Color Readers Fascinated, Wordplay Workout
• March 24: Make Magic With Metaphor, Model the Masters
• March 31: Master the Art of Storytelling

(Looking for a different topic? Prefer an in-house workshop?)

Fees

• Silver (workshop only): $1,195
• Gold (Silver + $280.50 worth of learning tools — Art of Storytelling, Make Magic with Metaphor, People Power): $1,295
• Platinum (Gold +$297 subscription to Rev Up Readership): $1,395
• Diamond (Platinum +$750 Jump-the-Line Live Editing Sessions with Ann. Ensure that Ann will edit your message live in class. Must meet class deadlines.): $1,795

Please learn about our cancellation policy and more in our FAQ.

“I learned more useful tips and tools for writing in Ann’s workshop than in a college writing course.”

— Jenny Taylor, marketing and communications analyst, City of Roseville

Save up to $100 with our group discounts.