When you hear a story, does it engage your brain? Listen as Andy and his guest Bill Baker discuss how to use storytelling in your communication to persuade, influence, and inspire people and the importance of making sure that your team, creative partners, and clients are clear on the story of your brand and mission. Behind every leader, brand, strategy, or idea, there's a story, and Bill makes these stories real. Listen, as Bill shares his definition of storytelling, how to use it to bring your company's ideas to life, and how to use storytelling to bring in prospective clients effectively. What do you need a story to do? Listen as Bill shares why knowing this is important, and some tools that you can use to become a better storyteller. Bill also shares the building blocks of how to put a story together; he relates this to the event industry and talks about how effective this can be with potential clients. Bill speaks about the difference between reporting information and telling a story, and how pulling a story from your own experience is an effective way to bring an idea to life for a client. He also shares some ways you can use storytelling when giving presentations and suggests some questions a planner can ask a client to get a better feel for what the client wants their guests to feel and say about the event. Telling a story is what planners do when they produce events, and even though it is part of our everyday lives, Bill sheds fresh light on ways to use it more effectively. You will walk away from this conversation with a new purpose for showing your clients what you envision instead of telling them.   SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and Andy and the show: For as little as $6 per month, or $0.75 per episode, are you willing to support the industry insights Andy brings on his podcast? If you are so inspired: contribute.    Show Highlights: [02:43] Welcome to the show, Bill! [03:05] Bill shares a little of his background and the idyllic place where he grew up. [04:20] Why do you think people encouraged you to get into advertising? [06:49] Bill shares where he was working when strategic planning started piquing people's interest. [08:51] Bill speaks about the transition from the advertising business to going to work for a storytelling company. [10:52] How do you define storytelling in this context? [11:58] Bill discusses starting a storytelling business when it was becoming trendy. [15:48] Bill shares what his company does to help clients tell stories that bring ideas to life. [17:30] Are you effective at telling your own story to bring in prospective clients? [18:32] Bill shares why he is telling stories, and tells his own. [20:19] He speaks about the curriculum he developed to teach people to use storytelling in their communications to persuade, influence, and inspire people. [22:32] Bill discusses some tools you can use to become a better storyteller. [23:29] Do you know the building blocks of how to put an effective story together? [25:36] Bill shares some core fundamentals and mechanics that the event industry can use with prospective clients. [27:28] Bill says that pulling a story from your own experience is an effective way to bring an idea to life. [29:31] Andy shares a story about an event he just did and how they used music to bring people together. [32:41] Bill discusses a powerful way that event planners can tell a story to bring the experience that they envision to life. [33:42] There is a difference between reporting information and telling a story. [35:45] How do I make sure that my team, partners, and suppliers are completely bought in and understand my business and brand? [37:38] Bill speaks about how to use storytelling when giving presentations. [39:34] Bill, is there anything else you would like to tell our listeners about storytelling? [41:27] Bill suggests that event planners ask the client, what do you want people feeling and saying about this event? [42:15] Bill talks about a workshop he