Your Stories Matter

We are all rich with stories

Even in their absence, our brains construct them, because we need them to make sense of everything around us.

Alerted to story, we’ll instantly start to conjecture, building on it from our experience, filling in the gaps, and connecting the dots. If a story holds our attention and develops an emotional response in us, we will recall its key messages years later.

Science shows why we are wired to learn from stories

Scientific research now shows exactly why our brains respond this way to stories – it treats us with a cocktail of neuro-chemicals originally designed to keep us safe from predators. We’d pass on the survival messages to the tribe using story, making them memorable through art and ritual.

Ninety-nine percent of all the information ever created has been produced in the last two years. In the face of this overload,  the power of well told story to hold attention – a scarce resource – while delivering a message is a potent weapon.

Gathering your stories

We all harbour stories, many of which we might say don’t matter at all.  And yet, the simplest story well told can carry with it a magnetic message, charged with emotion, that will have your listener remember it for decades.

If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten – Rudyard Kipling

After training over 350 people to tell their stories, I know how to help you understand the context for telling your stories — the purpose for doing so; the right people to tell them to; a well defined intention; and to communicate your unique value that can serve others — how to elicit your best stories and craft them to charge, change, and even save lives.

If you are interested in a learning to tell your personal stories in this intimate story telling workshop, Your Stories Matter, please contact me, or email Sandy@sandymcdonald.com

Download the brochure

What others say

Packed with valuable information, and skillfully lead with care and encouragement.  Carol-Ann Allen,  Melbourne Psychotherapy Services

Story telling is the new black and as an educator/facilitator and social advocate I was acutely aware of my need to skill up in this area… and this was the ideal course to enable this. Sandy is a skilled teacher and of course – story teller- who effortlessly blended stories into a well structured workshop. I left the day with an architecture and as importantly, the confidence to take the next step. Highly recommended workshop. Thanks Sandy  Maria SImonelli, Telco

Sandy is a natural born story teller and shares her wisdom and professional practice with us, born out of her own rich life experiences.  In this way she demonstrates how to unlock the power of our own stories.  Joshua Nester SEEK

The workshop certainly helped me to be clearer about my direction and overall goal for my nominated story. It has certainly allowed me to be clearer about where I take my story in the future. I now realise my story does have a purpose to impact and change lives so that’s exciting. Jenni Kipouropoulos

Sandy provides a wealth of information and transmits it in such a caring, articulate way. Her methods are easily understood and able to be adopted easily into your story telling tales. Jo Kingwill

Sandy is great to work with and creates a wonderful environment that lets the stories flow out of you, even ones that you didn’t know were there. She then shows you how to harness these stories and apply them to a purpose. A really great day that makes you more aware of your own capabilities. It really solidified for me that I’m on the right track to do what I want to do. Thanks Sandy! Kimberley Henman