Give students a turn to tell a five-minute story and receive class feedback. Story Sharing offers practice in storytelling, editing, polishing, and preparing for performance.

A facilitator conducts while participants build a story one contribution at a time. Practice listening, adapting, and supporting a narrative nobody controls alone.

Three people become one expert, answering an interviewer's questions one word at a time. Practice listening, sharing control, and supporting the sentence as it unfolds.

Turn “Tell me about yourself” from a résumé recap into a one-minute story about what led you here. This paired exercise focuses on clarity, relevance, and one meaningful through-line.

I see this kind of draft all the time. The writing is strong. The voice is clear. The material is real, sometimes deeply emotional. And yet, when you finish reading, something doesn’t quite land. The raw ingredients are there. What’s missing is structure. Many writers resist structure because they think it will make their writing formulaic. They want to follow their instincts and let the piece unfold naturally. But structure isn’t about forcing every story into the same shape

You don’t have to be a professional storyteller to tell a good story. You don’t even have to think of yourself as a storyteller. In fact, I believe storytelling is a skill we’re all capable of learning and improving. That’s one of the ideas at the heart of my book, A Story for Everything: Mastering Diverse Storytelling for Any Occasion, and it’s something I had the chance to talk about on the GSMC Book Review Podcast. Storytelling Is Already Part of Your Life We often associa

Most leaders know they’re supposed to inspire their teams. But that doesn’t necessarily mean standing in front of everyone and giving a motivational speech. In my experience, a story often works better. Stories can humanize leaders, lower defenses, and make difficult conversations feel less like announcements and more like moments of connection. I learned that lesson years ago at Tippett Studio, the visual effects company founded by Phil Tippett. The Jurassic-Sized Leadership

When someone hears that I teach storytelling, I sometimes get the same question: “But what if I’m not a storyteller?” I understand the question. We tend to think of storytellers as people who perform on stages, write books, host shows, or have some natural ability to hold an audience's attention. But I’ve come to see storytelling differently. We’re all telling stories all the time. It’s how we connect. It’s how we communicate. And it’s how we make sense of our experiences. T

Every year, I see the same college essay mistake. A student has an impressive résumé. Great grades, leadership roles, volunteer work, accomplishments. Then they sit down to write their essay and try to prove how impressive they are. The result is polished, thoughtful, and completely forgettable. The problem usually isn’t that the student doesn’t have a good story. It’s that they aren’t telling it as a story. Admissions officers already have the résumé. What they don’t know is

There's a particular kind of dread that comes with an unexpected all-hands company meeting. Especially when things haven't been going particularly well. Years ago, when I was working at Tippett Studio, the legendary visual effects company founded by Phil Tippett (the man who brought dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park), we were going through a difficult period. So when Phil called everyone together for a company meeting, a lot of us assumed the worst. Layoffs. Bad news. Maybe

There's something wonderful about bedtime. You're snuggled up with your kids, the day is winding down, and you have this little pocket of time together. There's also something exhausting about bedtime. You've already done everything. You're ready to sleep. And then comes the request: "Tell me a story." As a dad, I've been there. And I've learned that bedtime storytelling doesn't have to require much energy or creativity. In fact, sometimes the secret to a great bedtime story

By Corey Rosen and Brandon Spars Several months ago, when I started collecting my thoughts on storytelling and related ideas (AI, active listening, and improvisation among them), I put out a call of sorts. “What are you interested in hearing about?” What topics, ideas, or techniques are you curious to learn more about or deepen your own knowledge of? One of the first I received was from a Bay Area storyteller I respect and admire deeply, Brandon Spars. I first encountered B

“AI Slop” has become the insult of the moment. Usually people use it to describe images: six-fingered hands, uncanny faces, endless streams of generic fantasy warriors, hyper-realistic astronauts riding tigers through space. And some of that definitely deserves the label. But I don’t think the real problem is the images. I think the real AI slop is the ideas. For most of human history, making something was hard. If you wanted to make a film, you needed cameras, actors, loca

What This Game Teaches This exercise builds focus, timing, and group awareness through synchronized movement. Group Size Full group (circle) Time 3-6 minutes Energy Level Medium How to Play Players stand in a circle. Two players clap simultaneously and pass the clap around. Each person turns to the next and claps with them. The clap travels around the circle. Variations Reverse direction Multiple claps Cross-circle passing Why It Works This game requires shared attention and

What This Game Teaches This exercise builds listening, observation, and acceptance by focusing on faithfully reproducing movement and sound. Group Size Full group (circle) Time 3-6 minutes Energy Level Medium How to Play Players stand in a circle. One player creates a movement and sound. The next player repeats it as closely as possible. Continue around the circle. The movement will gradually evolve. Variations Add multiple simultaneous sequences. Speed variations. Why It Wor

What This Game Teaches This exercise builds quick thinking, collaboration, and physical communication without relying on verbal planning. Group Size Pairs → groups Time 6-12 minutes Energy Level High How to Play Players begin in pairs. Call out two related objects (e.g., knife and fork). Each pair physically creates the objects without speaking. Gradually combine pairs into larger groups for more complex shapes. Continue increasing scale and complexity. Variations Concept pai

What This Game Teaches This exercise builds imagination, positive acceptance, and the ability to respond creatively to unexpected ideas. Group Size Pairs Time 10–15 minutes Energy Level Medium How to Play Divide participants into pairs. Player A gives an imaginary gift using pantomime and description. Player B receive the gift enthusiastically “This is exactly what I wanted!” and explains its use. Switch roles. Keep giving gifts back and forth, delighting in each gift regard

What This Game Teaches This exercise builds creativity, spontaneity, and collaborative storytelling through physical scene building. Group Size Full group Time 6-12 minutes Energy Level Medium How to Play Players stand in a circle. One player steps in and declares, “I am a tree,” while striking a pose. A second player joins and adds to the scene. A third player joins to complete the tableau. The first player leaves, taking one other player with them. The remaining player re-d

What This Game Teaches This exercise builds collaboration, support, and the ability to “yes, and” physically by reinforcing trust and responsiveness. Group Size Full group Time 5–15 minutes Energy Level Medium How to Play One player steps into the center and strikes a pose. A second player joins, adding a complementary pose. The first player says “Thank you” and exits, leaving the second player. A new player joins the remaining player, creating a new image. Repeat the pattern

What This Game Teaches This exercise builds focus, active listening, and group awareness while encouraging quick thinking and non-verbal communication. Categories Warm-ups, collaboration, improv games, communication skills, team building, listening skills, focus and presence Group Size Full group (circle) Time 5–8 minutes Energy Level Medium How to Play Have participants stand in a circle. Introduce an imaginary “red ball.” One player tosses the ball to another while saying “