by Steven Maddocks | 13 August, 2026 | Client Skills, Emotional Engagement, Marketing, Pitching, Presentation Skills, Storytelling
I thoroughly enjoyed rereading Emily Wilson’s landmark translation of The Odyssey during a recent holiday in Croatia. It felt appropriate as were just up the coast from Odysseus’s home island of Ithaca. It got me thinking about the story templates Christopher Booker...
by Steven Maddocks | 11 December, 2025 | AI, Authenticity, Communication, Presentation Skills, Storytelling, Trust
The Arrival of ChatGPT-4 The release of ChatGPT-4 in March 2023 marked the moment when AI shifted from a futuristic idea to an everyday tool. Less like a gadget and more like a partner, ChatGPT and other AI Agents (such as Gemini and Copilot) seemed able to reason,...
by Steven Maddocks | 31 January, 2024 | Storytelling
The Setting South Warnborough is an idyllic village in Hampshire with a busy little shop at its heart. in 2001, kind, bubbly Jo Hamilton took over the shop. It included a Post Office counter, a vital service that many villagers depended on. Little did Jo know that the...
by Steven Maddocks | 16 December, 2021 | Communication, Pitching, Public Speaking, Storytelling
3 Minutes of Embarrassment There’s a hilarious home video of a Nativity play in an English village church. It usually goes viral at this time of year. A four-year-old girl doesn’t so much sing as bellow her way through ‘The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy’. The girl, now...
by Steven Maddocks | 8 April, 2021 | Building Confidence, Client Skills, Communication, Emotional Engagement, Presentation Skills, Storytelling
When it comes to speaking with impact, we at MSB Executive are passionate believers in the usefulness of storytelling techniques. Whether you are launching a new product, pitching for investment, or developing your personal or corporate brand, you will increase your...
by Martyn Barmby | 30 June, 2020 | Authenticity, Leadership, Public Speaking, Storytelling
At MSB we often talk about the importance of pauses. They are great for adding impact and helping your audience process information. Pauses are a great replacement for filler sounds and words. We generally say you can pause for longer than you think. Canadian Prime...
