Once upon a time in a land far, far away, trainers told creative, captivating stories that piqued the interest of colleagues, clients, and customers. These trainers did not say, “Trust me on this” or “Take my word for it,” nor did they overwhelm their listeners with complex bar graphs or slay them with bullet (points). Rather, they used the power of storytelling to get people to agree, believe, comply, or act. Stories help people sit up and listen, and most importantly, connect!  

As trainers, we’re in the communication business. Whether designing or delivering, persuasion is at the heart of what we do—and storytelling is one of the most impactful ways we do it. This webinar will uncover the art and architecture of storytelling to reveal the power of persuasion. The session will answer these questions:

• How do we move from communicating to "inform" to communicating to "advocate" in sales and marketing presentations? 
• What are the roles of trust and emotions in persuasion? 
• Does speaking virtually change how we should persuade? 

Dr. Constance Staley is a Professor of Communication and former Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She holds a B.S. in education, an M.A. in linguistics, and a Ph.D. in communication. In the middle of her academic career, Dr. Staley joined the training department of an East Coast Fortune 500 company full-time, designing and delivering all management and supervisory training. She was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach in the republic of Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet Union; has won the University of Colorado Outstanding Teacher Award; and was twice nominated for a CASE U.S. Professor of the Year Award.

Dr. Staley recently published her 22nd book, led the campus initiative as Special Assistant to the Chancellor to develop a new state-of-the art Career Center for the university, often travels to campuses, companies, and conferences to deliver keynote addresses and delivers national and international webinars. At the University, she currently teaches communication courses such as Creating a Learning Organization, Professional Speaking, Advanced Virtual Presentations, and Conflict and Negotiation.