The Storyteller's Toolkit

Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true.New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/

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Ever told a story and watched it slip straight out of people's heads? The fix is one detail, chosen with care.

In this episode of The Storyteller's Toolkit, Sita Brand tells The Star Money from the Brothers Grimm: a little girl gives everything away in a dark forest, and the stars fall around her as silver coins. It holds a simple lesson for anyone who speaks for a living. People remember one bright moment, so choose it on purpose.

In this episode:

The Even Spread, the habit that blurs good stories

Why a statistic feels like a detail and works like fog

The Falling Star, a three-test tool for finding your one detail

How it sounds at a charity appeal, a school assembly and a client pitch

Ideal for charity and community workers, teachers and business leaders preparing a talk, appeal, pitch or meeting.

Chapters

00:00 Cold open

00:00 The Even Spread

00:00 The Star Money (Brothers Grimm)

00:00 What the tale teaches

00:00 The number in the coat

00:00 Hear the difference

00:00 Presence practice

00:00 The Falling Star tool

00:00 Close

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Subscribe for a new episode every week.

Every voice feeds the world. Bring your story. Come and join us.

#storytelling #publicspeaking #fairytales #charitycomms #leadership

Learn how to persuade people using storytelling without being pushy or confrontational. In this episode of The Storyteller’s Toolkit, Sita Brand breaks down the classic Brothers Grimm tale, "The Old Man and His Grandson," to reveal why lectures fail and how letting your listener be the hero changes everything.

Discover "The Boy at the Table" framework—a 3-step public speaking and communication tool you can use in business meetings, teaching, community organizing, and everyday conversations.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - The Secret to Real Persuasion

0:42 - The Sticking Point: Stop Being the Hero

2:15 - The Tale: The Old Man and His Grandson (Brothers Grimm)

4:05 - What This Story Teaches Us About Influence

5:40 - The "Guide in the Cape" Mistake

6:50 - Manager A vs. Manager B: Real Example

8:10 - 60-Second Presence Practice

9:30 - The Tool: The Boy at the Table (3 Questions)

12:10 - How to Use This in Business, Schools, and Community Work

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Your first sentence decides whether people listen. Here is how to cut the backstoryand put your listener inside the room straight away.Most of us open with a runway: three years of context, a company history, a familyconnection, all before anything happens. We do it because we believe context createsunderstanding. Motion creates attention.In this episode you will learn:- The Runway Trap, why we front-load context, and what it costs us- The Archer and the Oil Peddler, a classic fable from ancient China- How to open in the action while keeping your listener oriented- Two head teachers opening the same staff meeting, side by side- The Action Launch, with three worked openings for charity and community workCHAPTERS0:00 The Runway Trap0:50 Listen. Everything starts with listening2:00 Why motion earns attention3:20 The tale: The Archer and the Oil Peddler7:40 Give us the coin and the stream of oil9:30 The pitfall: action with no anchor11:20 Two head teachers open the same meeting13:40 Practice: dropping the runway16:00 The Action Launch, three worked openings18:40 Bring your storyABOUTSita Brand is a storyteller and Dharma teacher with forty years of experience, andthe founder of Settle Stories. Every week on The Storyteller's Toolkit she gives youone technique, one tale, and one practice you can use the same day.JOIN USSubscribe for a new storytelling technique every week.Leave a comment below with the opening sentence of your latest story.Workshops, masterclasses and coaching circles: https://settlestories.org.ukApply to be a guest: https://wkf.ms/4g6b5vystorytelling podcast, how to start a story, storytelling techniques, public speaking,presentation openings, keynote speaking, Sita Brand, Settle Stories#Storytelling #PublicSpeaking #SettleStories

Some stories have people leaning forward. Others land like a shopping list. Thedifference is one thing you can name in a single sentence.Most good communicators give what I call the Itinerary Report: first this happened,then this, then this. A sequence of events, with everything safe. Once the listenerhas something to root for, the whole thing comes alive.In this episode you will learn:- Why a chronicle of events leaves an audience cold- The Dervish and the Honey Jar, a traditional teaching tale from the Middle East- Why quiet human vulnerability holds attention better than Hollywood drama- A worked example: the same team update told two ways- The Stakes Anchor, a sentence you can use in your very next meetingCHAPTERS0:00 The Itinerary Report0:50 Listen. Everything starts with listening2:00 What makes a listener root for you3:20 The tale: The Dervish and the Honey Jar7:30 Feel the weight of the jar you are carrying9:20 The pitfall: assuming stakes mean melodrama11:40 Two versions of the same team update14:20 Practice: where the risk lives in your body16:30 The Stakes Anchor18:30 Bring your storyABOUTSita Brand is a storyteller and Dharma teacher with forty years of experience, andthe founder of Settle Stories. Every week on The Storyteller's Toolkit she gives youone technique, one tale, and one practice you can use the same day.JOIN USSubscribe for a new storytelling technique every week.Leave a comment and tell me: what is one story from your life where everything wason the line?Workshops, courses and coaching circles: https://settlestories.org.ukApply to be a guest: https://wkf.ms/4g6b5vystorytelling podcast, how to tell a story, storytelling techniques, stakes, publicspeaking, presentation skills, Sita Brand, Settle Stories#Storytelling #PublicSpeaking #SettleStories

A tea master faced a samurai at dawn with no sword training, and walked awayuntouched. Here is what his daily practice gave him.We have been taught that storytelling happens on a stage, behind a podium, at amicrophone. An event you brace for, get through, and then judge yourself onafterwards. There is another way to hold it, and it costs you almost nothing a day.In this episode you will learn:- The difference between an event that drains you and a daily habit that replenishes you- The Tea Master and the Samurai, a Zen tale from feudal Japan, and the stillness that left an opponent with no opening to find- The pitfall that ends most daily practices by day four, and how to design around it- The Sensory Sweep, a sixty second grounding practice you can do anywhere- Daily Micro-Capture, one sensory sentence a day, small enough to keep for yearsCHAPTERS0:00 A duel at dawn0:45 Listen. Everything starts with listening1:30 An event you prepare for, or a way of moving through the world3:00 The tale: The Tea Master and the Samurai7:40 Why attention made him unshakeable9:30 The pitfall: turning a practice into homework11:30 Presence practice: The Sensory Sweep14:00 Your tool: Daily Micro-Capture16:30 Keep the bar low and the channel stays open18:15 Bring your presence to the small thingABOUTSita Brand is a storyteller and Dharma teacher with forty years of experience, andthe founder of Settle Stories. Every week on The Storyteller's Toolkit she gives youone technique, one tale, and one practice you can use the same day.JOIN USSubscribe for a new storytelling technique every week.Leave a comment below with your one sensory sentence from today.Workshops, coaching and online circles: https://settlestories.org.ukApply to be a guest on the show: https://wkf.ms/4g6b5vystorytelling podcast, how to tell a story, daily writing practice, storytellingtechniques, public speaking nerves, presence, mindfulness practice, Zen tales,Settle Stories

By the end of this episode, you will stop letting fuzzy, incomplete memories keep you silent. You will learn why the gaps in your recollection are actually your greatest asset, and you will walk away with a simple, spoken template to turn what you’ve forgotten into the very reason people trust your voice.- - -Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true.New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/

Why does your breath climbs into your chest the moment you feel on the spot. By the end of this episode you will walk away with a practical physical voice exercise, grounded in the voice work of Barbara Houseman, to release tension in your jaw and ribs, letting your breath drop all the way down so your natural authority speaks for you.More from Barbara Houseman:https://barbarahouseman.com/- - -Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true.New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/

Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true.New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/