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John Capecci

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John Capecci (L) and Tim Cage (R), co-authors of "Living Proof: Telling Your Story to Make a Difference," met in a graduate school course about the power of stories.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and John and Tim have since helped thousands of advocates and hundreds of organizations share their stories powerfully to increase awareness, educate and raise money.

Their clients are "ordinary" people and first-time speakers, CEOs and entrepreneurs, and some of the best-known celebrities, media personalities and professional speakers. They work with business professionals, educators, nonprofit leaders, marketing/PR agencies and everyday advocates making a difference in the arts, healthcare and wellness, social relations, manufacturing, finance, consumer marketing, travel, design and high-tech industries.

LIVING PROOF Cover
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

LIVING PROOF

BY John Capecci • POSTED ON March 22, 2012

Smart, well-delivered and timely advice to help advocates and spokespeople tell the most effective stories.

Stories seem to be what consumers crave, particularly if they are heartfelt and authentic; storytelling is responsible for hit reality-television shows, wildly popular brands and carefully packaged politicians, among other things. But stories can also be useful for nonprofit organizations when ordinary people with extraordinary stories are employed as leading advocates for the cause. As authentic as an advocate’s story may be, however, it can always be improved in style and delivery; that’s the mission of this exceptional instructional guide. The authors carefully lead storytellers through examples and exercises to show how to make content more compelling and relevant to the audiences speakers are trying to influence. The authors present many engaging techniques, such as asking advocates to describe their mission in just six words and demonstrating how to create a visual “story map” to document one’s experience. Capecci and Cage convey “the five qualities of effective advocacy stories,” discuss how to develop key messages, and explain how to craft a story and deliver powerful presentations. They also offer advice for how to ace media interviews; the helpful tips and prep sheets they include will make any reader feel more confident in front of a reporter. The book is divided into easy-to-digest chapters, replete with numerous sidebars, graphics and charts. The convenient format makes it possible for readers to move quickly from start to finish or to pick out chapters that target areas of particular interest. All the while, Capecci and Cage weave into the text actual stories told by advocates, so readers gain a full appreciation for the power of storytelling.

Highly readable, this engaging manual never veers from its focus of providing the basic skills one needs to tell a story that can truly make a difference.

Pub Date: March 22, 2012

ISBN: 978-0983870302

Page count: 212pp

Publisher: Granville Circle Press

Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2012

Awards, Press & Interests

Hometown

Minneapolis and New York City

LIVING PROOF: TELLING YOUR STORY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ADVOCATES AND SPOKESPERSONS: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books

LIVING PROOF: TELLING YOUR STORY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ADVOCATES AND SPOKESPERSONS: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books, 2012

LIVING PROOF: TELLING YOUR STORY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ADVOCATES AND SPOKESPERSONS: USA Book Awards, 2012

LIVING PROOF: TELLING YOUR STORY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ADVOCATES AND SPOKESPERSONS: Kirkus Star

LIVING PROOF: TELLING YOUR STORY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ADVOCATES AND SPOKESPERSONS: Nautilus Book Awards, 2013

LIVING PROOF: TELLING YOUR STORY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ADVOCATES AND SPOKESPERSONS: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books

Authors Launch Blog for Advocates Telling Personal Stories, 2013

Authors Feature Organization's Work to Turn Adversity to Advocacy, 2013

Magers&Quinn Celebrates Partnership with Self-Published Authors, 2012

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