Narratives & Neuroscience
"Join Elliott Rayner in conversation with leading experts to explore how storytelling and narrative work in practice, from messaging and visual storytelling to neuroscience and AI. Every session follows a 1-5-3 format. 1 Way the expert changed how Elliott thinks about storytelling. 5 Deep-dive questions on their specialist subject. 3 Actionable takeaways you can apply to your work next week."
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Thu Jul 30·5:00 PM UTC
The Future of Storytelling
In the age of AI, storytelling has once again become one of humanity's most important skills. Elliott Rayner analysed 25 senior storytelling roles across 21 industries. Jeremy Connell-Waite studied more than 500,000 words from 41 world-class leaders. In this webinar, they unpack their findings and discuss their predictions for the future of storytelling.
You'll learn from
Elliott Rayner
Fractional Head of Storytelling. Creator of the Story Cohort.
Jeremy Connell-Waite
Global Communications Designer at IBM. Creator of The Story Compass
Thu Aug 27·5:00 PM UTC
From Story to Alignment: How to Get People Behind an Idea
Having a great idea is not enough. Having a great story is not enough. The real measure of a product narrative is whether it travels across sales, across leadership, across every person who touches the market. Most don't. They live in a deck, get presented once, and quietly disappear. David Beckett has spent 13 years and 1,300 workshops helping startups and global companies solve exactly that.
You'll learn from
Elliott Rayner
20 years turning complex products into compelling narratives using the science of storytelling.
David Beckett
Founder of Best3 Minutes. TEDx Speech Coach, and Creator of The Pitch Canvas©.
Thu Sep 24·5:00 PM UTC
How to build a story AI can't replicate
AI can write, summarise, and generate content faster than any person alive. What it still cannot do is build trust, change a skeptical mind, or move a team to act on a shared idea. Joe Lazer spent eight years building the content marketing industry at Contently, then turned his research toward a harder question: why storytelling survives when everything else gets automated. His answer sits in neuroscience, not talent.
You'll learn from
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Elliott Rayner
20 years turning complex products into compelling narratives.
Joe Lazer
Bestselling author of Super Skill and The Storytelling Edge.
Thu Oct 29·6:00 PM UTC
Data Storytelling: Turn Numbers into Decisions
Most teams don't have a data problem. They have a story problem that looks like one. A chart proves you're right, it rarely makes anyone care, and caring is what moves a decision. Nolan has spent 25 years closing that gap, first advising Microsoft's own presentation team, then teaching Fortune 500 teams the method directly. This session is that method, condensed to 45 minutes.
You'll learn from
Elliott Rayner
20 years turning complex products into compelling narratives.
Nolan Haims
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP helping teams turn data into decks people remember.
Thu Nov 12·5:00 PM UTC
How to Go from Storyteller to Narrative Architect
AI can produce infinite content, so a company’s language is the one asset rivals can’t copy, and the context its AI agents run on. Most companies manage it by accident, and storytellers stay in marketing or comms instead of shaping capital, strategy and product. This session is for storytellers ready to change that. Michael Margolis spent seven years inside Meta, built narratives for 350+ organizations and invests at Veridical VC.
You'll learn from
Elliott Rayner
20 years turning complex products into compelling narratives.
Michael Margolis
Founder and CEO of Storied.
Thu Nov 19·9:00 PM UTC
Storytelling as Strategy in the Age of AI
AI can write a pitch in seconds, so every company is starting to sound the same. What it can't do is choose the story that moves a customer, a team or an investor at the right moment. That judgment is now a core leadership skill. Lou Shipley led three software companies, teaches at Harvard Business School, co-wrote Unlikely Entrepreneurs, and is an industry expert on Harvard's new course Storytelling as Strategy: Narrative and AI.
You'll learn from
Elliott Rayner
20 years turning complex products into compelling narratives.
Lou Shipley
Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and three-time software CEO.
Tue Dec 15·6:00 PM UTC
How to Be Unforgettable: The Neuroscience of Storytelling
Most business messages are forgotten within minutes. Not because they're wrong, but because they never give the brain a reason to care. Paul J. Zak has spent two decades measuring what happens in the brain when a story works, from the role of oxytocin in trust to the signals that predict whether people remember and act. In this session, we'll turn that science into practical ways to make your message unforgettable.
You'll learn from
Elliott Rayner
20 years turning complex products into compelling narratives.
Paul J. Zak
Neuroscientist and author of Immersion, Trust Factor and The Moral Molecule