Storytelling - Step by step

This course is a training in the art of storytelling. Increase your impact on others by being able to tell a captivating story.

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Language
English
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Time to complete
5 h 36 min

About this course


Craft compelling stories that inspire, persuade, and connect

Great storytelling is at the heart of influence—whether you're a leader, entrepreneur, teacher, writer, or creative professional. A well-told story has the power to captivate audiences, build trust, and drive meaningful change. This course provides a hands-on, step-by-step approach to mastering the craft of storytelling, helping you create narratives that leave a lasting impact.


Why take this course?

  • Learn the fundamental types of stories and the powerful structures behind them.
  • Discover and analyse beautifully crafted stories that you can apply in your own work.
  • Develop your storytelling skills by exploring key tension fields that make narratives compelling.
  • Enhance your personal development by deepening your understanding of inspiring and transformative stories.
  • Put your knowledge into practice with engaging exercises—by the end of the course, you'll have created multiple impactful stories.


Inspiring film clips and metaphors

This storytelling course is packed with powerful film clips from movies, documentaries, and more. You won’t just learn how to craft a compelling story—you’ll also discover how to use cinematic footage to enrich and deepen your narrative skills. These carefully selected clips serve as vivid illustrations or metaphors, revealing the underlying principles of effective storytelling. Metaphors are especially powerful because they work indirectly yet remain deeply relatable, making audiences more receptive to the message than when presented with direct advice. Whether you’re a public speaker, content creator, leader, or educator, mastering these techniques will help you engage and inspire any audience. See chapter 2.1 for two previews. 


Unlock the secrets of storytelling and take your communication skills to the next level. Whether you're presenting in a boardroom, writing a novel, or engaging an audience, this course will equip you with the tools to tell stories that matter.


The Double Healix model: a narrative approach
Show More
In In this storytelling course, the Double Healix model of human development forms the foundation for crafting compelling stories. This model is rooted in narrative psychology and Joseph Campbell’s research into the universal story structure. Campbell’s insights were later refined by Christopher Vogler and integrated with archetypal psychology by Double Healix. This twelve-step narrative framework mirrors the twelve months of the year and can be found in legendary myths, classic literature, and blockbuster movies. The story unfolds within the structure of the renowned Hero(ine)’s Journey, a blueprint for powerful storytelling across all cultures and genres.

Curriculum

Introduction

Stories are used by people to convey information in a way that adds meaning and emotional strength to it. When the story has inner cohesion, the message will stick better. A good story is effective, due to the fact that it is connected to the mythical depth-structure of human experience. The mythographer, Joseph Campbell described this primal story as the Monomyth. Later, it became known as the Hero’s Journey, the story w... Stories are used by people to convey information in a way that adds meaning and emotional strength to it. When the story has inner cohesion, the message will stick better. A good story is effective, due to the fact that it is connected to the mythical depth-structure of human experience. The mythographer, Joseph Campbell described this primal story as the Monomyth. Later, it became known as the Hero’s Journey, the story with an infinite appeal. For that reason, Disney Studios has a rule that every movie they make has to have a link to the mythical story structure and universal themes. Only then, movies are created that people will remember for the rest of their lives (and watch over and over again). Disney has also proven that telling good stories is not only an art, but also a skill, a science, a craft. They had the theory of Joseph Campbell simplified and translated to the modern scenario practice by Christopher Vogler. This twelve-step model they use, along with writers all across the globe, also is the foundation of what you’ll learn here. Step by step, we’ll go through the main ingredients of a good story. And each time, we’ll provide examples of story elements and exercises to help you develop good stories yourself. Show More

Structure of the course

1. Overview of the various story curves

In this chapter, we’ll provide you with an overview of the structure of stories. We first will look at the story-mood that we have simplified to positive / cheerful or negative / gloomy. Then we will discuss the content more extensively as well as the many variations of complex emotions and of moral dilemmas that underlie stories. We will talk about the main character in the story, for whom we will use the term ‘protagoni... In this chapter, we’ll provide you with an overview of the structure of stories. We first will look at the story-mood that we have simplified to positive / cheerful or negative / gloomy. Then we will discuss the content more extensively as well as the many variations of complex emotions and of moral dilemmas that underlie stories. We will talk about the main character in the story, for whom we will use the term ‘protagonist’. This is to indicate that it concerns a main character, but not necessarily a hero. Moreover, it is a convenient gender-neutral word. Show More

The basic structure

The ‘Man in a hole’ story

The ‘Betty starts a relationship’ variation

Kurt Vonnegut on the S-curve

1. De Sigmoid-curve - Rags to riches (rise)

2. The inversed Sigmoid curve: Riches to rags (fall)

3. Man in a hole (Fall and then Rise)

4. Icarus (Rise and Fall)

5. Oedipus (Fall, Then Rise, Then Fall)

6. Cinderella (Rise, Then Fall, Then Rise)

The metaphor of the airplane

The diving metaphor

Pride comes before the fall, transformation and then rise again

Never give up, not even with a disability

The S-Curve of a product or service

The S-curve of a learning organization (or team)

The next chapter

2. The Double Healix model for human development

So, the S-curve can be considered a perfect metaphor for the course of human development. A broadly elaborated model based on this story curve is the Double Healix model of human development. In this chapter, we will first briefly run through this model and subsequently provide several examples of story structures that go with it. So, the S-curve can be considered a perfect metaphor for the course of human development. A broadly elaborated model based on this story curve is the Double Healix model of human development. In this chapter, we will first briefly run through this model and subsequently provide several examples of story structures that go with it.

The origin of the Double Healix model

Phase 1: Prologue

Phase 2: The Call to Adventure

Phase 3: Resistance to Change

Phase 4: Meeting the Mentor

Phase 5: The Selection Threshold

Phase 6: Star of the Day

Phase 7: Grounding

Phase 8: Reversal

Phase 9: The Dagger

Phase 10: Return to the Light

Phase 11: Death and Resurrection

Phase 12: The Elixir

Phase 13: Epilogue

Pantene commercial

Intermarché commercial

Dolph Lundgren presentation

To the next chapter

3. Deepening the story step by step

We have now travelled extensively through the land of stories. In the previous chapter, you were briefly introduced to the Double Healix model as foundation for a suspenseful story or good speech. In this chapter, we will work on building stories ourselves. Step by step, we will go through the possibilities per phase. We have now travelled extensively through the land of stories. In the previous chapter, you were briefly introduced to the Double Healix model as foundation for a suspenseful story or good speech. In this chapter, we will work on building stories ourselves. Step by step, we will go through the possibilities per phase.

Know your audience, who you are telling your story to

Build your own story

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Prologue phase of the story

Underlying principle of the Prologue and place in the tension field

Write your Prologue

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Call phase of the Story

Your one forbidden thing

Underlying principle of the Call, and place in the tensionfield

The Call in your story

Introduction

Localization of the impulse and variations in the Resistance phase of the story

Underlying principle of Resistance, and place in the tension field

Resistance in your story

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Mentor phase of the story

Underlying principle of Mentor phase and place in tension field

Who is a mentor in your story?

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Selection Threshold phase of the story

Underlying principle of Selection threshold and place in the tension field

Which Thresholds did you cross?

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Star phase of the story

Underlying principle of the Star phase and place in the tension field

Your Star phase

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Grounding phase of the story

Underlying principle of the Grounding phase and place in the tension field

What are Grounding moments in your story?

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Reversal phase of the story

Underlying principle and place in the tension field

Your Reversal

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations in the Dagger phase of the story

Underlying principle and place in the tension field

The Dagger phase in your story

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations of the Return to the Light phase

Underlying principle and place in the tension field

The Return to the Light in your story

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations of the Resurrection phase of story

Underlying principle and place in the tension field

The Death and Resurrection phase in your story

Introduction

Localization of the impulse

Characteristics and variations of the Elixir phase of the story

Underlying principle and place in the tension field

The Elixir phase of your story

Introduction

Variations in the Epilogue

Your Epilogue

The End

5.0

Numbers of reviews: 3


Exceptional, inspiring, transformational

Eva | Data Business Partner

This course is a masterclass in storytelling, What makes it truly exceptional is the way it combines expert guidance with practical, hands-on exercises. The content is rich and engaging. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to elevate their storytelling,

To savour

Marleen Janssen | editor-in-chief of www.femalesecret.amsterdam

I give the online training course Storytelling a rating of 9 out of 10. The course goes into depth but is also very entertaining and fun. The visuals are to die for. I can now tell my clients a story better. Especially tricky material I can present to my target group with more air and whipped cream but also with wisdom.

Super fun, useful, visual and inspiring

Marscha | hrm-advisor

A super fun online course. Just like a good story, I could hardly wait to continue. The many videos make the course very lively and relatable. The theory texts are pleasantly and structurally written. A timeline over the entire course instead of per chapter would be nice. Because chapter 3 is by far the longest, I had to rush at the end to finish the course. But yes, I was happy to do that in the end.

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