I’m in the final planning stages for Story to Standing Ovation, our annual live event, when my dad randomly stops by to drop something off. He comes toward my office, stops in the doorway, and says, “What the heck is that?”

As he points at my sliding glass doors, I tell him, “This is my brain on sticky notes.” What he’s looking at is three days of our event broken down, sticky style. 

These aren’t just randomly placed sticky notes, either. I have these organized in full outline form and broken down into topics and categories. Some of the sticky notes are in bold, others are in different colors, and still others are highlighted.

Whenever I plan an event, a Talk, or even a story, I need to visually see the pieces. And even though I’ve tried other ways, this adhesive square playground is the planning method that works best for me.

In this episode of the Storytelling School Podcast, you’ll learn how a simple tool like sticky notes can revolutionize the way you plan your stories, speeches, workshops, and other events and get answers to questions like:

What are the advantages of using sticky notes for story and other event planning? What do you need to consider when choosing your workspace for sticky notes? And what two things must you do to eliminate the confusion of working with your sticky note outline later on?

• How to brainstorm and categorize ideas on sticky notes
• How to structure your sticky notes in the outlining process
• How to use sticky notes to help you transition between sections

Hi there. I’m Kymberlee.

As a Speaking Strategist and founder of Storytelling School, I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 500 speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs worldwide for over a decade. No matter if those folks were getting ready to take the TED or TEDx stage or preparing for a high-stakes presentation with everything on the line, my specialty is High Stakes Short Form Communication. I’ve seen what works when influencing change and what doesn’t. It turns out storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal. That’s why I’m building a movement of master storytellers to affect change in the world on a global scale to help people tell real stories that have influence and impact. With effective storytelling, you change people’s lives.

Since competition for potential client attention is fierce, a story can make the difference between being memorable or irrelevant. You’ll find me sharing my matcha tea mishap to discuss perfectionism, my quest for Bruce Lee and Hello Kitty art to explore kindness, or the six months of live blade training I underwent to illustrate presence. I spend my days showing the power of using stories to help cement ideas and bring lessons to life and teach my clients to do the same.

If you think business owners can’t tell stories or don’t have stories to share with their clients, staff, donors, followers, or investors, I invite you to reconsider your perspective. There’s no better place than in business to tell your stories so audiences, no matter how big or small, can understand how you think and what you value.

Now it’s your turn… If you’re ready to become a master storyteller and effect change in our world, you’ve come to the right place.