Why Facts Don’t Stick (And Stories Do): How to Make Training, Presentations, & Videos More Memorable

About this episode

In this episode, Matt Pierce interviews Gabrielle Dolan about the power of storytelling in making training and presentations more memorable.

What makes a story actually stick? And why do so many professionals get it wrong? In this episode, host Matt Pierce sits down with Gabrielle Dolan, global business storytelling expert and author of eight books, to unpack why storytelling is one of the most underused skills in any professional's toolkit and what to do about it. Gabrielle shares why personal stories outperform facts and data every time, how to overcome the fear of being "too vulnerable" at work, and the simple rules that separate a forgettable story from one people retell for years. She also offers practical tips on how to start and end a story well, why authenticity is non-negotiable, and how even a short, imperfect attempt is always better than no story at all. Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 – 01:58 Intro 01:58 – 04:13 Gabrielle’s origin story 04:13 – 06:55 What is the essence of a good story? 06:55 – 08:43 An example of storytelling in action 08:43 – 11:10 Using stories to help people understand, remember and retell 11:10 – 14:35 How to use visuals in storytelling 14:35 – 18:27 Why vulnerability is scary, but worth it 18:27 – 20:16 The power of sharing stories around values in business 20:16 –…

People in this episode

Host: Matt Pierce

Guest: Gabrielle Dolan

Topics covered

• storytelling
• training
• presentations
• memory retention
• vulnerability
• business values

Keywords

• storytelling
• memorable presentations
• training techniques
• vulnerability in business
• effective communication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TechSmith Corporation

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