Event Detail

We are all hardwired for story. Evolutionary biologists confirm that we have a predisposition to think in story terms. Storytelling can be used to inform and persuade and even educate the listener. Many stories inspire the listener to make a change and take an action. There is no doubt that storytelling has a great power to communicate, to educate, and to influence. But what about storytelling in the context of a business leader's presentations? Presentations today that are built on the elements of story have a special ability to engage an audience, to hold their attention, and impart a powerful and lasting message. The best stories are about "One plus one equaling three." A good story is more than simply the sum of its parts. There is something beyond the words and the data and the images. Good storytelling changes things. The modern business leader can learn a great deal about becoming a more dynamic and effective communicator and presenter by embracing the fundamental lessons from the art of storytelling. Author and professor Garr Reynolds will share several storytelling lessons from the world of screen writing and cinema—along with visual storytelling lessons from the world of graphic design—with many practical tips which will help make your next presentations more engaging and effective. This will be an engaging, visual, and interactive presentation that you will not want to miss!

About the Speaker:

Garr's popular website presentationzen.com, and his international bestselling books including Presentation Zen, Presentation Zen Design, and The Naked Presenter (translated into 20 languages) have fundamentally changed the way people design and deliver presentations around the world. Garr's approach to communication, which embraces the Zen tenets of restraint, simplicity and naturalness, is clearly making an impact. Garr speaks worldwide at firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Coke-a-Cola, and for universities including Stanford, Oxford, Keio, and many others. Say Media of New York City named Garr one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Voices on the Internet" in 2011. An award-winning writer and designer, Garr began this millenium as the Manager of Worldwide User Group Relations at Apple, Inc. in Silicon Valley before settling down here in Japan. Garr serves on the board of the U.S.-Japan Education Commission (Fulbright) and is currently Professor of Management & Communication Design at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka. He lives with his family in the quiet countryside of Nara amidst the ubiquitous bamboo.

Garr Reynolds, Chair
Kaoru Kano, Vice-Chair
ACCJ Kansai - Business Programs Committee

Note 1: Special rate for students: 500 yen (Students must be accompanied by an ACCJ Member.)

Note 2: Kansai Gold Card applies for this event.

Note 3: After the presentation, there will be a gathering at a nearby location for networking (food and drink at cost, from 3,000 yen per person) and Garr will give away copies of his international bestselling books at the party.