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In this episode, I talk to Christopher Marks, a storyteller and branding specialist. We talk about the art of storytelling and what it taught him about workshop design and facilitation. We talk about the importance of conflict for telling a compelling story and how we can craft exercises that will spark creativity and generate novel ideas.  

Christopher runs Story Sprints with companies and entrepreneurs and currently sets up the Creator’s Club. He helps brands to put their audience first and is a multi-talent, silver bullet when it comes to writing, scripting, filming, directing and editing content.

Don’t miss the many practical advice on how to go through exercises and what mistakes to avoid. And don’t miss the great fun Christopher and I had to compare workshop participants to mini-volcanos! He has been my mentor and I am that he shares his knowledge in this episode to help you to deliver workshops that work. 

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Questions and Answers

[1:25] Tell me what a storyteller is! 

[3:13] What did you learn from storytelling for designing story sprint workshops?

[8:10] How do you create a safe space to get to the essence of the story your client wants to tell?

[11:32] Can you guide me through the process after the silent brainstorming exercise? How do you guide the group through clarifying questions?

[12:26] So, at this point there is no discussion about the individual ideas yet?

[17:07] How are you making sure that everyone is on the same page about the decision-making process?

[19:10] So, the heatmap kicks off a discussion on a deeper level? 

[20:03] Can you share with the audience how you capture the key ideas and create meeting minutes?

[25:20] What is the one thing you do in your workshops that always works?

[28:12] Is this exercise run in silence?

[31:20] I wonder about the impact of the ritual of folding the paper together. What is your experience with that? 

[33:51] What is the nutshell you want the listener to take home from this show?

Related links you may want to check out:

• Christopher’s webpages: www.christophermarks.nl | www.storysprint.nl | www.creatorsclub.nl
• James Clear’s Blog post on Warren Buffet’s “avoid at all cost list” [29:10]: https://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus 
• Our sponsor Session Lab (affiliate link) 

Connect to Christopher and follow him:

• LinkedIn 
• Insta: @christophermarks
• Twitter: @chrismarks

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/