Storytelling Workshop - Ford
Executive Storytelling & Training
Ford’s North American marketing team was facing a familiar challenge: tons of messaging, little resonance. They had to speak across channels, markets, and platforms, but struggled to make it stick. Especially when it came to social media. They were highly skilled at longer form and broadcast advertising campaigns, but when you only have a 10 second TikTok or Instagram reel, is it even possible to tell a “story”?
They brought me in to teach storytelling not as a soft skill, but as a strategic one.
Context
Insight
Ford’s team knew what they needed to say, but not always how to say it in a way that cut through. They weren’t lacking content, they were lacking clarity, authenticity, and narrative fluency.
My job was to give their marketers both an overview of the landscape and which prominent brands were winning at social; as well as give them tools to develop and cater their own messaging to the unique platform and audience to drive sales.
I designed and led a custom workshop called “Speak Their Language: Effective Brand Storytelling for Social Media.”
Built from elements of my Udemy course and adapted live for Ford’s team, the session covered:
How to design content for specific platforms and algorithms (without losing soul)
The science behind attention and how to pass the “3-second test”
Authenticity tactics: when to script, when to show up raw
What B2C and B2B brands can learn from culture creators
Case studies across industries that showed how story moves the needle
We combined short lessons with live feedback, breakout prompts, and platform-specific exercises to embed learning and unlock immediate application.
Solution
Impact
Highest-rated storytelling workshop in Ford’s L&D history
Sparked a renewed approach to how Ford’s marketers thought about tone, voice, and platform strategy
Helped reframe storytelling as a business-critical function, not just a creative one
Working with Matt on a brand storytelling webinar for our team was a positive experience. Matt not only possesses storytelling expertise but effectively models it while presenting. The session was very well-received, becoming one of the highest rated in our learning program. Matt was also a pleasure to work with; he was upbeat, flexible, and collaborated with us to tailor his content to fit our program and our constraints. His approach is valuable for any team looking to enhance their storytelling capabilities.
Amy Dewberry, Learning Project Leader, Ford
Want to inspire your team with a custom workshop?