Start With A Story
Master storytelling as a leadership tool - for coaching, negotiations, culture change, and influence.
Why Storytelling Matters
Narrative is one of the most powerful forces in leadership and talent development
- In negotiations, the most compelling narrative frames the outcome.
- It shapes how people make sense of complexity, how teams build trust, and how decisions are made.
- In coaching, a story can unlock insight faster than analysis.
- In culture work, stories shift mindsets and mobilize movement.
Master storytelling, and you gain a decisive leadership advantage.
Yet most leaders struggle with storytelling. They don't recognize which stories they already have. They can't access them in the right moment. They tell too many details or miss the point entirely. They're unaware of the stories that limit them - their "narrative set" - and how to expand it.
This masterclass changes that.
What You'll Learn
-
The Power of Story
- How stories build trust and influence in ways data alone cannot
- When a narrative outperforms explanation, argument, or logic
- How your personal “narrative set” empowers or limits you
- How to expand your narrative range to lead more effectively
-
The Psychology of Storytelling
- How stories activate multiple brain regions simultaneously, creating "neural coupling" between speaker and listener
The role of mirror neurons in building empathy and connection through narrative - Why information embedded in stories is retained 22 times more effectively than isolated facts
- What narrative psychology reveals about decision-making, behavior change, and memory formation
- Why stories create "experience simulation" in the listener's brain, making them feel what you describe -
The ABCDE of Narrative - a Scientific Framework for Storytelling
- A research-based, practical structure for crafting stories that work
- Developed and presented at forums like the Columbia Coaching Coferenece and Harvard CoachX, this model gives you a rigorous approach for building and adapting stories for maximum impact. -
The Triple-A Framework of Story
- A simple, powerful tool to make your story fit your purpose and audience:
- Use it to refine your story’s clarity, emotional resonance, and contextual sensitivity. -
Using Stories in Leadership and Coaching
- Communication: opening meetings, framing messages, difficult conversations
- Negotiation: building rapport, reframing positions, creating alignment
- Coaching: teaching concepts, unlocking insight, offering feedback
- Sales: illustrating value, reducing resistance, building trust
- Transformation: inspiring movement, addressing conflict, leading through uncertainty -
Finding & Building Your Stories
- Identify stories from your own experience
- Mining your experience: successes, failures, turning points
- Recognizing story opportunities you currently miss
- Building your personal story library
- Avoiding common mistakes that weaken story power
- Adapting stories to different audiences and cultures -
Telling Stories That Work
- Structure them using the ADCDE Model - Refine them using the Triple-A Framework
- Practice with peers in live sessions
- Receive direct coaching to sharpen clarity, timing, and emotional impact
- You leave with ready-to-use stories you can deploy immediately. -
Best Practices
Learn from how great leaders use story moments to:
- Spark change
- Shift mindsets
- Build trust
- Support growth
- Unite people around purpose -
Storytelling Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Know and avoird some of the typical storytelling mistakes, such as
- Overloading with unnecessary detail
-Telling stories without a clear point - define the message before you choose the story.
- Forgetting the audience - tailor length, tone, and examples to who you’re speaking to.
- Using stories that don’t match the moment - timing is as important as content.
Ending without a landing — close with the insight, not the plot.
- Failing to rehearse - great stories sound natural because they are practiced.
What You'll Gain
-
Deep Understanding of Narrative
A compact, research-informed understanding of what makes story one of the most powerful tools in leadership and communication.
- The psychology of narrative, influence, and memory
- Why stories shape perception, trust, and decision-making
- How narrative outperforms logic, explanation, and data alone
- Your personal “narrative set” - and how it influences your leadership abilities and limitations
- The core mechanics behind effective storytelling across cultures and contexts -
Practical Storytelling Skills
Everything you need to move from “I know how stories matter and work” to “I can use stories with skill, ease, and impact.”
- Access, structure, and deliver stories for clarity and impact
- Use the ADCDE and Triple-A frameworks to craft compelling narratives
- Build and refine a personal story library from real-life experiences
- Choose the right story for the right moment in leadership, negotiation, coaching, and change
- Keep stories concise, purposeful, and audience-centered
- Adapt stories across teams, cultures, and situations
- Tell stories with confidence, presence, and strategic intent -
Tools & Resources
- Access to our Autoris Learning Platform with advanced storytelling tools, templates, case studies, and ongoing research updates
- You at Your Best Assessment to identify strength-based story moments from your real experience
- Story library resources to help you collect, structure, and refine your personal story archive
- The ADCDE and Triple-A frameworks for crafting, adapting, and assessing stories with precision
- Guided processes for turning lived experiences into effective leadership narratives
- Ati Story - Your Virtual Story Coach for continuous practice, refinement, and structural feedback
-
Certificate & Alumni Benefits
- Start With a Story Masterclass Certificate from the Autoris Leadership Institute
- Access to the global Autoris Alumni Network
- Invitations to advanced practitioner sessions and exclusive alumni events
- Priority access to new storytelling tools, modules, and research releases
- Ongoing access to Autoris Sprints for focused, practical skill development
- Continued connection to a community of leaders committed to clarity, influence, and purpose
Program Structure
-
Live Online Sessions
- Four 2-hour sessions via Zoom, every two weeks.
- Includes short lectures, breakout sessions, real scenarios, live coaching, and practice-intensive work. -
Learning Teams
- Powerful assignments in teams that help you apply storytelling directly in your leadership.
- Bring real examples back for refinement. -
Self-Paced Learning
Access to our signature Autoris Core Competency Courses such as
- The ABCDE of Narrative - a Deep Dive
- Advanced Narrative and Persuasion Techniques
- The use of Narrative in coaching and talent development -
Format
- Short, focused inputs that introduce tools, theory and models
- Story labs and rapid practice from the first session onward
- Small-group teamwork with guided peer and facilitator feedback
- Learning teams between sessions for reflection, insight, and integration
- Real-life leadership simulations drawn from your actual work and experiences
Who This Program is For
Designed for professionals who communicate, present, influence, or lead — and who want to use storytelling as a strategic tool in their work.
- Leaders and senior managers
- Coaches and people developers
- Entrepreneurs and founders
- Family businesses working on their shared story, culture, or Next Generation leadership
- Professionals navigating sales, teamwork, negotiation, change, or complex communication
- Anyone working across cultures or high-stakes environments
Past participants include executives, team leaders, founders, PE/VC partners, family business owners, board members, coaches, and consultants.
Dates & Fees
Next Program: May 2026
Final dates announced in January 2026.
Format:
4 live online sessions over 8 weeks, with learning teams and self-paced learning.
Fees:
EUR 2,400
USD 2,800
For team or corporate pricing, please get in touch at [email protected].
Scholarships are available.
Group Option:
Groups of 12 or more can book an exclusive Start With a Story Masterclass (English or German).
Growth Essentials
We look forward to welcoming you to the Start With a Story Masterclass.
Before you apply, we invite you to consider the Autoris Growth Essentials Program. Growth Essentials is one of our core programs and introduces participants to the ACE It! Method and the foundational learning principles that support all advanced Autoris Masterclasses.
It is not a requirement for joining Start With a Story. However, many participants find that completing Growth Essentials helps them enter the program with a clearer understanding of how they themselves learn, a better sense of their learning preferences, and a stronger foundation for working effectively in learning teams. It also supports them in integrating insights more fully and applying new approaches with confidence.
If you’ve already completed Growth Essentials, you’ll feel fully prepared.
If not, you are warmly welcome to join this Masterclass - and you may choose to take Growth Essentials before or after to deepen your overall learning experience.