In this workshop hosted by General Assembly Denver, Pitch Lab helped a diverse group of professionals from DaVita, Monarch and Company & Ibotta learn how to be more confident, engaging storytellers.

Tim Shisler, founder of RackFocus, was on hand to share a decade worth of startup storytelling experience he's gained from working with organizations like Techstars, Denver Startup Week and TedXBoulder. 

First we dove into the essential elements of telling a great story including why you need to keep your setup brief, the power of segues and the importance of authenticity + vulnerability to build trust.

Then Tim took the stage to share examples of how Amazon and Twitter use vibrant details to make their stories memorable. And how Hollywood stories amp up the drama to create captivating scenes as illustrated by the Square Peg in a Round Hole scene from Apollo 13. 

After a brief breakout session, attendees practiced crafting their own personal stories and received actionable feedback from Tim on how to make their next presentation more memorable.

All the attendees shined in their final presentations and in closing out the workshop Tim reminded us that storytelling is a process and pointed to Ira Glass' fantastic quote on why great storytelling takes time and hard work.