Story is present in every aspect of our lives, and that is no less true for business. In fact, reconnecting with emotion and story, rather than solely hard facts, can weave narrative into your communications, make your pitches more persuasive, and allow you to breathe purpose into ideas.

If you’ve ever wanted to create presentations that are compelling, write emails that inspire a reaction, or pitch with real emotion, then this masterclass is for you. Join marketing, communications and storytelling expert Anthony Tasgal who will equip you with the tools to move beyond ‘too long, didn’t read’ and get you to start thinking, speaking, and presenting in stories.

Over three comprehensive sessions, you will discover the key principles of storytelling, what behavioural economics tells us about the brain, and the importance of structure when communicating your messages. You will also take part in focused group exercises where you will work through real-life examples with tailored guidance and feedback from Anthony.

By harnessing the power of storytelling, you will be able to dramatically enhance many forms of communication - including presentations, pitches, and marketing copy.

This course is for …

Professionals who want to communicate more effectively and with greater impact
Anyone looking to connect with their audience, and stand out from the competition.

Course content

How to avoid overloading your messages
Strategies for being effective and efficient with your communications
Exercise: junk the jargon
Why story conveys meaning, emotion and empathy
The science of story: behavioural economics and the brain
Why the brain sees stories as patterns with meaning
The key principles of storytelling
Exercise: heroes, villains, quests and conflict
Finding a voice for your brand or story

Tutor profile

Anthony ‘’Tas’’ Tasgal runs his own training company and is a course director for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Market Research Society, the Institute Of Internal Communication, the AAR (ad agency/client relationship advisers), and the Civil Service College. He leads courses on storytelling, behavioural economics, insightment and creative briefing in the UK, US, Europe, China, Hong Kong, Australia and the UAE. He is also a long-term ad agency planner and freelances with several agencies and clients; recently, he helped the Royal Albert Hall to tell their story ahead of their 150th anniversary in 2021. Anthony is also an associate lecturer at Bucks New University and Nottingham Trent University, and a principal advisor for CIO Connect in Hong Kong, the premier advisory service dedicated to CIOs and other tech leaders in HK. He regularly speaks at client events and international conferences, and appears on TalkRadio’s Early Breakfast show to discuss marketing and advertising topics and review the papers. He is the author of The Storytelling Book, an award-winning guide to using storytelling techniques to improve presentations and communication. His second book, The Inspiratorium, was released in 2018, followed by Incitations in 2020, with The Storytelling Workbook to be launched in April 2022.

Anthony Tasgal’s book The Storytelling Workbook: a nine-week programme to tell your story is available to purchase in paperback from the Guardian Bookshop. If you live in the UK, you can purchase a book and ticket for the special discounted price of £407.89 (plus £7.80 booking fee) including P&P.

Course Details

Date: Wednesday 26 July – Friday 27 July (3 consecutive afternoons)
Times: 1.30pm-5pm (BST) on all three days
Capacity: 20 tickets

A catch up recording will be shared after the class and will be available for two weeks.

This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

1.30pm GMT | 2.30pm CST | 5.30am PST | 8.30am EST

You will be sent a link to the webinar 24 hours and 30 minutes before the start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you do not receive the access link 24 hours before the scheduled start time.

We aim to make all Guardian Masterclasses fully accessible. If you require any adjustments to enable your participation in this course, please get in touch with us at masterclasses@theguardian.com.

This event will be hosted on a third-party live streaming platform Zoom, please refer to their privacy policy and terms and conditions before purchasing a ticket to the class.

Once a purchase is complete we will not be able to refund you where you do not attend or if you cancel your event booking. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.

Harness the power of storytelling and transform your communications