Facilitating Storytelling Workshops – training for leaders, educators, and change-makers

Gain training in leading storytelling workshops. This 2-day class trains individuals to lead storytelling workshops in their places of work, communities, schools, and organizations.

November 10 & 17 @ 9 AM – 2 PM PT / 12 PM – 5 PM ET (VIRTUAL)

COST: $475

Storytelling has the power to change our communities and transform the lives of those around us. Creating spaces for people to share and listen to one another’s stories can open up routes to inter-group dialogue, community building, and ultimately social change. Capital Storytelling has spent years developing methods to open people up and help them find and share their stories.  We are now offering training for community members (leaders, educators, and change makers) to give them methods for facilitating storytelling workshops. In this intensive 2-full-days class, Executive Director and founder of Capital Storytelling, Dr. Lisa Cantrell, will lead you through methods for facilitating storytelling workshops based on those we use at Capital Storytelling (and that we have used in private as well as corporate workshops). She’ll also share insights gained over the years to help you create a brave and compassionate space for story sharing.

During the class, you will receive instructions along with reflective exercises and out-side-of-class-assignments to push you in your own growth to become a workshop facilitator. By the end of the two sessions, you will have tools for setting up and leading your own story circle or workshop, including an informational packet with storytelling prompts, workshop instructions, worksheets, and a slide deck that you can modify and use for your own workshops/story circles.

What will participants do on each day?

On Day 1, participants will watch a demonstration of a 60 minute storytelling workshop. They will then get step-by-step guidance on the individual components of the workshop (along with explanations on why and how for each component). On this day, participants will get training in the use of storytelling prompts and methods developed at Capital Storytelling for drawing out authentic personal stories from workshop participants. The group will practice using the prompts and activities together and will discuss ways to engage their audiences. Participants will be provided with worksheets and a slide deck to use in their own workshops. They will then be given “homework” for the week that includes reflective questions and an assignment to practice what they have learned thus far in a small group setting before the following class session.

On Day 2, participants will reconvene to discuss the assignments from the previous week. They will then get in-depth instruction on how to lead their own workshop participants in active listening and ways to create compassionate and brave spaces for connection among their workshop participants. Participants will also receive supportive “scripts” to help them as they develop their own style of leading. The class will end with discussion and final tips on how to create storytelling spaces in their own communities.

About the instructor for this training course:

Dr. Lisa Cantrell is a psychologist, a tenured professor at Sacramento State University, and the executive director of Capital Storytelling. She holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Indiana University and has produced stories for NPR. Dr. Cantrell has spent over a decade researching and training others on the power of storytelling, and she has developed storytelling curriculum for use with educators, physicians, researchers, and activists. She regularly consults for businesses, non-profits, and government agencies across the U.S. You can find out more at her website: https://lisamcantrell.com/