Karen Eber

Telling Stories That Inform, Influence, and Inspire

Great leaders, communicators, and influencers have one thing in common: they know how to tell a great story. In a world overwhelmed with information, clear and meaningful communication is more critical than ever. Those who can tell compelling stories gain a significant advantage in building trust, influencing decisions, and inspiring change.

Important messages often go unheard, not because they lack value, but because they aren’t told in a way that captures attention and drives action. It’s not enough to tell a story; how you tell it determines its impact. Without the right structure, emotional connection, or audience relevance, even the best intentions can fall flat.

While AI can generate information, it can’t replace the human ability to create connections, trust, and meaning. No matter how advanced technology becomes, people will always need to communicate ideas, motivate teams, and build relationships. The ability to craft and tell compelling stories remains essential in every industry and role.

This talk makes storytelling accessible by breaking it down into simple, science-backed techniques. Karen Eber reveals how to leverage the Factory Settings of the Brain to craft stories that inform, influence, and inspire. She addresses common challenges, including where to find compelling story ideas, how to structure them for maximum impact, and how to tailor them to different audiences.

This talk covers:

• Why some stories work—and why others don’t—based on brain science.
• How to build a toolbox of potential story ideas.
• Defining your audience and ensuring your story serves its purpose.
• Applying a simple, memorable structure for clarity and impact.
• Using detail and emotion to make stories unforgettable.
• Whether you are leading a team, pitching an idea, selling a product, communicating data, or navigating difficult conversations, this keynote will give you the tools to tell stories that truly connect and drive results.

Storytelling With Data: From Insights to Impacts

We live in a data-rich era, with insights, patterns, and even predictions of behavior. Yet, many presentations lack meaningful insights. Leaders often ask people to “show the data,” leading to complicated charts and excessive details that fail to resonate with the audience. People question and debate the data instead of taking action.

Data can be overwhelming and difficult to interpret. Stories can bring data to life by providing context, creating a common understanding, and fostering discussion, especially when differing perspectives are involved. Storytelling with data transforms complex information, establishes trust, and facilitates decision-making.

Data doesn’t change behavior; emotions do. Crafting a data story that taps into your audience’s emotions can help them connect with and understand the information. This skill is more critical than ever in today’s fast-paced, information-heavy world. Yet we often struggle with how to tell a compelling data story. Many default to fancy charts and graphs, expecting the numbers to speak for themselves while neglecting the narrative entirely.

This keynote explores the art and science of data storytelling, offering strategies to captivate audiences, clarify insights, and inspire action. You’ll learn how to move beyond visuals and structure your data story to make your data truly impactful.

This talk covers:

• The science behind storytelling and decision-making with data.
• Debunking myths around storytelling with data.
• Understanding the emotional impact of data on your audience.
• Why data storytelling goes beyond data visualization.
• Recognizing when to tell a story with data.
• Defining your audience and aligning your data story with desired outcomes.
• Determining the recommended actions your data should inspire.
• Structuring your data story for clarity and engagement.
• Avoiding common pitfalls in data storytelling.
• The critical role leaders play in shaping and delivering data stories.

What Story Does Your Culture Tell?

Culture is more than a priority; it’s the operating system of every organization. Yet, many struggle to cultivate a flexible culture that thrives amidst today’s evolving business landscape. Culture transcends office walls—it’s shaped and reinforced through everyday interactions, not through annual surveys or values posted in lobbies.

Every culture tells a story through its teams and how values are demonstrated day-to-day. The story of your culture is told as your employees talk to fellow team members, friends, family, and possibly recruits. Understanding and shaping this story is key to creating a work environment that reflects your values and fosters genuine engagement.

As a former Global Head of Culture at General Electric and Head of Leadership Development at Deloitte, Karen Eber helps organizations and teams implement practical behaviors at all levels to shape culture. This research-based, story-based talk includes the neuroscience of culture, common challenges organizations and teams face, and actionable strategies and tactics to uncover and shape the story of your culture. This talk includes:

• Myths of organizational culture.
• Discovering the role of storytelling in shaping organizational culture.
• Uncovering the stories of your organization.
• Empowering leaders and employees to shape culture.
• Proven tactics that shape culture on teams.

Whether you’re a business leader, team leader, HR professional, or employee, this keynote equips you with the insights and tools to harness storytelling for sustainable success.