What This Game Teaches This exercise teaches participants how to give feedback that builds on ideas rather than shutting them down, fostering collaboration, openness, and creative momentum. Group Size Pairs or small groups Time 10–15 minutes Energy Level Medium How to Play One participant shares an idea, story, or response to a prompt. The listener responds using “Yes, and…”—first acknowledging something that was said, then adding something to it. Continue the exchange for se

What This Game Teaches This exercise helps participants craft stories that are memorable, persuasive, and impactful by using a structured set of storytelling principles. Group Size Individuals or small groups Time 15–30 minutes Energy Level Low to Medium How to Play Introduce the SUCCESS framework: Simple Universality Concrete Credible Emotional Stakes Surprise Ask participants to take a story they already tell (personal, professional, or presentation-based). Have them

What This Game Teaches The Story Spine teaches fundamental narrative structure—how to move from setup to escalation to resolution—while helping participants organize ideas into a clear, compelling story. Group Size Individuals, pairs, or small groups Time 10–20 minutes Energy Level Low to Medium How to Play Introduce the Story Spine prompts: Once upon a time…Every day…But one day…Because of that…Because of that…Because of that… Until finally…And ever since then… Partici

What This Teaches This guide introduces five classic storytelling structures that help organize ideas into clear, compelling narratives for presentations, conversations, and performances. Group Size Individuals or small groups Time 15–30 minutes Energy Level Low How to Use Choose a story you want to tell. Select one of the structures below. Map your story onto that structure. Practice telling the story using the chosen framework. The Structures The Story Spine Once upon a tim

What This Game Teaches This exercise teaches participants how to distill their life or experience into a clear, concise narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. Group Size Individuals, pairs, or small groups Time 10–20 minutes Energy Level Low to Medium How to Play Ask participants to tell the story of their life in one minute. Encourage them to include: A clear beginning (where they started) A turning point or key moment Where they are now Give a few minutes to think or

You may not think of yourself as a storyteller. You might not stand on stages. You might not write books. You might not describe yourself as creative. And yet, you tell stories every single day. When you explain a delay in a project, you are telling a story. When you answer an interview question about a challenge you overcame, you are telling a story. When you update your team on progress, you are telling a story. Storytelling is not reserved for authors or performers. It i

There are stories we tell casually. And then there are stories that fundamentally shape who we are. Most people believe storytelling is about describing events. What happened. When it happened. Who was involved. But when you slow down and look closer, you begin to realize something important. The event is rarely the core of your story. The meaning is. When you start telling stories intentionally, patterns begin to emerge. You notice similar challenges appearing in different s