Storytelling Trainer · Host · Reporter

In the age of AI, your story is what creates connection.

AI can analyse with surgical precision, write copy and even compose songs. What it can’t do: create real connection between people. Nothing does that better than storytelling. I’ll show you how to use this craft. For more clarity, more impact and more trust.

Stefan Ganß at the campfire
20+ years in radio & TV
German Radio Award
TAM & BDVT double-certified

What clients say

My trainings feel like going to the cinema and deliver real-world impact at the same time. Punchy theory, maximum application, live feedback on your own material. And above all: joy in storytelling.

Working with Stefan is 10x more effective than AI. His experience and linguistic creativity are pure gold.
Dr. Judith Rommel DHBW · Computer Science
As CEO and chief trainer at TAM Akademie, I know the German trainer market very well — and I can say: Stefan Ganß is one of the best.
Lorenz Illing CEO, TAM Akademie
A huge thank you to Stefan Ganß for his outstanding Storytelling workshop, honestly one of the best I've ever attended.
Rudi Bauer CCO & Managing Director, WeAreDevelopers
For anyone who wants to use storytelling with the precision of a fencer’s foil, I can only recommend a training day with grandmaster Stefan. En garde!
Christopher Plantener CEO, b’steuern
If you want to see a true storyteller in his element, Stefan is exactly the right choice.
Stefanie Ruhmann Siemens Energy
An important impulse to try new approaches. I was able to apply what I learned directly at the next conference.
Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil Vice President, Zittau/Görlitz University
Stefan shows that storytelling isn’t just an art form — it’s a strategic leadership tool.
Christiane Abraham HR Consultant

Why storytelling in the age of AI?

The renaissance of the campfire.

My answer in three acts →

Three steps from spark to fire

Every story is its own thing, so there’s no standard formula and no off-the-shelf training with me. We work together on what you bring to the table. It’s a process with plenty of exchange, sometimes friction, and a lot of real appreciation. With my journalistically trained eye, we sharpen your stories until they land.

Embers – glowing coal under ash, symbol of storylistening
01

Where’s it already glowing?

I listen. That’s all, at first.

We start with a material check: website, flyers or pitch deck. Which line sticks? Which metaphors catch fire? What nicknames or insider terms come up? We look for encounters, turning points and aha moments. Serious storylistening is the foundation.

Spark – flint and steel, symbol of the igniting moment
02

Lighting the spark

Some stories just need a polish. Others we discover together.

Here the work on the text begins. We build narrative arcs, compelling openings, and search for the famous through-line. Along the way, I hand you storytelling tools you can use straight away. Together we shape compelling stories from your authentic raw material.

Fire – burning campfire, symbol of the story that burns in the room
03

Carrying the fire

Now it’s about how you tell it.

A story on paper is only half the job. Now we practise how you deliver it: pace, voice, eye contact. Where do you pause? When do you lower your voice? And how does your posture fill the room with your presence? An intensive day takes you further than you might think.

Toolbox

No Hollywood theory — just craft you can use straight away. The tools I bring:

  • Three-act structure
  • Hook
  • Signature Story
  • Simplified Hero’s Journey
  • Golden Circle
  • Vision Story
  • Telling in present tense
  • Story bunker

Storytelling starts with empathy.

That’s why I tailor my trainings to your needs. Each one is unique, and that’s what makes it exciting for both sides. Still, three core fields have emerged in my work over the years.

01
Compass – symbol of leadership and orientation

Executives & Leaders

Most executives are experts in their field. But inspiring leadership doesn’t come from expertise alone: only one in four employees trusts their leader to deliver inspiring messages.*

Storytelling is a powerful leadership tool that helps you convey your goals clearly and with emotion.

  • Build trust through stories
  • Give orientation with the Hero’s Journey as a reflection tool
  • Strengthen self-efficacy: storytelling tools that work in the next meeting
  • Sharpen appearances: from meeting to keynote

* StepStone, The Engagement Advantage, 2023

Formats: Impulse · Keynote · Workshop (1–2 days) · Executive Sparring (1:1)

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02
Microscope – symbol of science and research

Science & Academia

In my trainings I see it again and again: many researchers struggle to convey their findings in clear, engaging language. To most outsiders, academic language feels like an indecipherable code. Storytelling builds a bridge here: language becomes clear and complexity becomes tangible. I’ll show you how that works without losing credibility.

  • Reduce complexity: core message, hook, three-act structure
  • Make research visible: impact stories for media and public
  • Stand out in the competition for funding: with compelling language and stories
  • Show up with confidence: in interviews, in front of funders, in the lecture hall

Formats: Impulse · Keynote · Workshop (1–2 days) · Long-term support

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03
Bridge – symbol of the connection between problem and solution

Sales Teams

In my work with sales teams I see it again and again: slides full of product features – the arguments are sound, and yet the spark doesn’t catch. An overarching narrative, emotional stories built around real reference cases, and vivid metaphors can change that. In my view, storytelling in sales is essential.

  • Tell solutions instead of presenting products: with episodes from your sales reality
  • Charge dry facts with emotion: with metaphors and small stories
  • Build pitches dramaturgically: with the three-act structure
  • Build a story library: turning customer cases into an asset for every pitch

Formats: Impulse · Keynote · Workshop (1–2 days) · Story system build

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04Add-on · Presentation Training
Microphone – symbol of camera, stage and presence

Camera, Stage, Presence

Your story deserves a strong delivery: in interviews, on stage and in every meeting. Here I help you with best-practice tips from 25 years in radio and TV: handling stage fright with confidence, posture, voice, and strategies for a blackout. So you stay yourself even under pressure.

Formats: Add-on to any training · 1:1 coaching · Before keynote, press conference, TV interview

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Stefan Ganß am Lagerfeuer

One sentence that changed my life.

My name is Stefan Ganß. For over 20 years I’ve been telling stories professionally on radio and television. But like every good story, mine has a turning point: spring 1999.

My mother Annemarie spots an ad in the newspaper: „Got the loudest mouth in your class? Then come to the radio!“ She thinks of me right away. Maybe my big mouth could be an advantage for once.

A few weeks later I’m standing alone on the stage of a theatre, spotlight on me, the hall empty except for a strict jury. My head is stuck in a brown paper bag, my pulse is racing. But with a surprisingly steady voice, I say:

„Looks are nothing, voice is everything!
I want to be on the radio.“

I get the job in that casting. Storytelling has been my profession ever since.

Over the years I’ve won the German Radio Award, became Thuringia’s official deer-call master while working as a reporter, and now host a debate format for the ARD/ZDF Mittagsmagazin.

Today I help people like you, as a double-certified business trainer, communicate more powerfully with the craft of storytelling.

I’d be glad to walk that path with you as your mentor.

A story is best told in person.

Let’s talk for 30 minutes. Free, no strings attached. I’ll listen, and we’ll figure out which story moves you forward.

Book a free first call →