Uploaded March 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Geoffrey Berwind is a story coach for people who want to get media coverage. I met him through the National Publicity Summit and the Quantum leap program where he helps people learn how to pitch the media. Some of his roles as coach include.
• Craft your mission statement, elevator speech, origin story and website messaging.
• Brainstorm publicity hooks & story ideas for pitching the media, how to create a media one-sheet and/or an online Press Kit for your website.
• Brainstorm titles for your books, speeches, programs, web urls.
• Create new or re-craft speeches and workshops.
• Consider whether going for a TEDx talk is a good idea or crafting your TEDx talk if you’ve been invited to do one.
His website is storytellingsuccess.com
Additional Story Resources (if no links, go to opednews.com/podcasts)
I talk about Storycon and Truth and story.
When Truth is Vilified or Ignored, Story is the Solution
(My article series on story and writing to change the world
Interview notes:
I want to know somebody’s “why”
Storytelling and compelling messaging have a why and a who.
MRI’s have been used to study how the brain processes stories.
Geoff envisions storytelling as someone putting an arm around your shoulder and walking with you.
Stories paint a picture
Imagination includes the word IMAGE
Never use slides while telling a story. Evoke the images
After ten minutes ink people start to fade and zone out.
Focus on epiphanies, on lightbulbs going off.
Origin stories are major.
Create dramatic tension
Include enemy or opposing force
Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey.
The one most important word for story is connection.
Brene Brown TedTalk Power of vulnerability—revealing vulnerability is good.
Brain research- neurocoupling and mirroring (mirror neurons)
Storytelling should be deliberate, should create a common ground between you and your audience.
For a website
Give a bio—three to four lines,
For Media interviews:
What do you want to use your story for?
Mission overlaps with story:
1) My mission is to help… solve X problems….
2) I can help because: credentials, experience
3)How I help
4) Results
For speeches of 30 minutes or more a seven minute personal story is okay
Stories should have 3 scenes
Pivotal event
Dark situation
Epiphany
Things get better.
We’re talking about a transformational arc
Epiphany= “I realized”
Cyrus Rosen TedX talk at U. of Wilmington
TedX talks must have something worth sharing, and have aspect of measureable science
Mistakes people make:
It’s not about them. It’s about connecting to the audience.
Script and create story structure. Don’t wing it or you lose control of time
Get your ego out of the story
Refrain from tangents and teaching during story—they are distracting. (People enter a story “trance” if you tell it right.
Don’t show pictures or slides during the story.
Crossing the threshold—
Wizard of Oz and It’s a Wonderful Life
Dorothy has the choice of cowering, being afraid vs going on a journey
There’s a second threshold in the hero’s journey when they encounter the dark moment or inmost cave of the dragon—leads to another epiphany
“WHAT IF” is a threshold moment
Speeches:
Goal in first minute is to have listener hooked. Audiences do not want to be preached or lectured to. They want and experience.
Job is to entertain, inspire, teach, offer new insights.
Things to do in presentation
Jack Canfield has people do something with their bodies every ten minutes.
Worksheet fill in the blank
View speaking as a workshop
Double epiphany.
Geoffrey Berwind is a story coach for people who want to get media coverage. I met him through the National Publicity Summit and the Quantum leap program where he helps people learn how to pitch the media. Some of his roles as coach include.
• Craft your mission statement, elevator speech, origin story and website messaging.
• Brainstorm publicity hooks & story ideas for pitching the media, how to create a media one-sheet and/or an online Press Kit for your website.
• Brainstorm titles for your books, speeches, programs, web urls.
• Create new or re-craft speeches and workshops.
• Consider whether going for a TEDx talk is a good idea or crafting your TEDx talk if you’ve been invited to do one.
His website is storytellingsuccess.com
Additional Story Resources (if no links, go to opednews.com/podcasts)
I talk about Storycon and Truth and story.
When Truth is Vilified or Ignored, Story is the Solution
(My article series on story and writing to change the world
Interview notes:
I want to know somebody’s “why”
Storytelling and compelling messaging have a why and a who.
MRI’s have been used to study how the brain processes stories.
Geoff envisions storytelling as someone putting an arm around your shoulder and walking with you.
Stories paint a picture
Imagination includes the word IMAGE
Never use slides while telling a story. Evoke the images
After ten minutes ink people start to fade and zone out.
Focus on epiphanies, on lightbulbs going off.
Origin stories are major.
Create dramatic tension
Include enemy or opposing force
Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey.
The one most important word for story is connection.
Brene Brown TedTalk Power of vulnerability—revealing vulnerability is good.
Brain research- neurocoupling and mirroring (mirror neurons)
Storytelling should be deliberate, should create a common ground between you and your audience.
For a website
Give a bio—three to four lines,
For Media interviews:
What do you want to use your story for?
Mission overlaps with story:
1) My mission is to help… solve X problems….
2) I can help because: credentials, experience
3)How I help
4) Results
For speeches of 30 minutes or more a seven minute personal story is okay
Stories should have 3 scenes
Pivotal event
Dark situation
Epiphany
Things get better.
We’re talking about a transformational arc
Epiphany= “I realized”
Cyrus Rosen TedX talk at U. of Wilmington
TedX talks must have something worth sharing, and have aspect of measureable science
Mistakes people make:
It’s not about them. It’s about connecting to the audience.
Script and create story structure. Don’t wing it or you lose control of time
Get your ego out of the story
Refrain from tangents and teaching during story—they are distracting. (People enter a story “trance” if you tell it right.
Don’t show pictures or slides during the story.
Crossing the threshold—
Wizard of Oz and It’s a Wonderful Life
Dorothy has the choice of cowering, being afraid vs going on a journey
There’s a second threshold in the hero’s journey when they encounter the dark moment or inmost cave of the dragon—leads to another epiphany
“WHAT IF” is a threshold moment
Speeches:
Goal in first minute is to have listener hooked. Audiences do not want to be preached or lectured to. They want and experience.
Job is to entertain, inspire, teach, offer new insights.
Things to do in presentation
Jack Canfield has people do something with their bodies every ten minutes.
Worksheet fill in the blank
View speaking as a workshop
Double epiphany.
