Next Slide Please | It’s Not Just Storytelling. It’s Chemistry: Present to Succeed Sofia 2026

Episode runtime: ~45 minutes

Hosts: Emma Pritchard, Andy Bundock, PK Steffen, Mark Robson, 

Episode Summary

Emma and Andy spent a day streaming Present to Succeed 2026 live from Sofia, Bulgaria, one of Europe's biggest presentation conferences. The theme was storytelling, but what they brought back was bigger than that. This episode unpacks three psychology-led takeaways from the day: 1. Story Chemistry - why story isn't a technique, it's a biological event; 2. The Curiosity Gap - how to engineer curiosity before you've said a word; 3. Constraint and clarity - why subtraction is the hardest, most powerful thing you can do to a presentation. Plus, a peek at what happens inside your head when you stand up to present, and the committee in your head that tries to stop you.

Want to watch the full Present to Succeed 2026 sessions? You can still get lifetime access to all the recordings with an online pass at Present to Succeed: https://www.presenttosucceed.bg/tickets 

Timestamps

01:31 Deep dive into storytelling

04:25 The science of storytelling chemistry

11:34 Cultural perspectives on storytelling

14:45 The curiosity gap in storytelling

25:30 Constraint and clarity in presentations

39:47 Extras too good to leave in Sofia

Links & Resources

Present to Succeed: https://www.presenttosucceed.com/ 

George Lowenstein: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/george-loewenstein.html 

Brene Brown: https://brenebrown.com/videos/ted-talk-the-power-of-vulnerability/ 

Andy Bounds: https://andybounds.com/ 

Daniel Kahneman: https://kahneman.scholar.princeton.edu/ 

Guy Kawasaki: https://guykawasaki.com 

Got a presentation challenge, story, or question? 

We'd love to hear it. Share your thoughts and ideas, and let us know what topics you'd like us to tackle in future episodes through our LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nxtsldpls/ 

Follow your hosts

Emma Pritchard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-birdboxdesigns/ 

Andy Bundock: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andybundock/ 

PK Steffen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pksteffen/ 

Mark Robson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sixmileshigh/