Institute for Apprenticeship, Training and Education Programs

The Storyteller's Apprentice: Telling Stories That Recruit, Retain and Inspire

Every time you speak about your program, you're telling a story. The director unveiling updates to a training facility, the trustee making the case for workforce development, the coordinator talking to a room full of high school students and the instructor lecturing in the classroom are all telling stories. All are working toward the same goal: bringing in the next generation of skilled workers and keeping the ones you've worked so hard to train. The question isn't whether you're telling a story, it's whether that story is working.

Facts and figures matter, but they rarely move people on their own. Stories do. In this interactive workshop, storytelling expert Graham Shelby will share the art, science, strategy and technique of effective storytelling. Through instruction, real-world examples and hands-on exercises, you'll learn how to find, shape and deliver stories in person and online. Graham will demonstrate the techniques master storytellers use and provide real-time feedback on workshop exercises, helping you craft stories that build trust with employers and workers and make audiences listen, remember and respond.

This session will focus on:

• Discovering why stories persuade when facts alone fall short
• Shaping stories that recruit new apprentices, retain current ones and resonate with employers and the public
• Finding compelling stories already within your program
• Presenting new initiatives in ways that build buy-in
• Practicing and refining stories with real-time feedback