Global Leadership Summit
The power of storytelling
Madeline Muller | July 12, 2019
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Good stories teach us about other people, the world, and ourselves. They build connections, evoke feelings, and spark conversations. Great stories inspire us to take action.
There are also many different ways to tell a story. From poetry, to journalism, to music, these 2019 Global Leadership Summit thought leaders harness The Power of Communication (this year’s Summit theme!) through the art of storytelling.
Poetry | Clint Smith
Teacher, slam poet, fighter of inequality
Storytelling superpower: Using his voice to ensure others find theirs
TED Talk alum. National poetry slam winner. Podcast co-host. Highly awarded writer. Storytelling is a way of life for Clint Smith, and he doesn’t stop at telling his own.
The Harvard University doctoral candidate spends his time passionately researching incarceration and inequality, exploring how people sentenced to juvenile life without parole can make meaning of education. In addition to teaching high school English, Clint has taught writing and literature in prisons to help inmates find their voices—because he believes everyone has a story worth telling.
Journalism | Ann Curry
Journalist, executive producer, truth seeker
Storytelling superpower: Spreading stories of courage and compassion when and where they’re needed most
A former NBC News Network anchor and international correspondent, Ann Curry has dedicated her life to telling the stories people need to hear. She has covered countless wars—in Syria, Darfur, the Congo, Israel, Afghanistan, and Iraq—and has reported on nuclear tensions from North Korea and humanitarian disasters like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Ann’s storytelling career has earned her seven national news Emmys and touched countless lives.
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Music | Kai Kight
Musician, improviser, rebel with a cause
Storytelling superpower: Composing the future he wants to see, and empowering others to do the same
This musician is on a global mission to make ingenuity the norm—not the exception. A classical violinist turned innovative composer, Kai Kight tells stories through his music. The entrepreneurial artist has an engineering degree from Stanford University’s d.school, and he’s performed his original music everywhere from the White House to the Great Wall of China. Kai uses music as a metaphor to empower individuals and organizations across the world to compose their own paths of imagination and fulfillment.
From monologues to melodies, great stories are all around us. We just have to take the time to listen. At the 2019 Summit, these storytellers and their fellow thought leaders will encourage students to hear and to be heard—to raise their voices for what they believe in, and open their minds to the beliefs of others.
Want to see their stories unfold? Check out 2019 Summit highlights.
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Madeline Muller
Madeline is a copywriter at EF tours. She loves sitcoms, tacos, re-reading books, and befriending dogs. Her favorite city is Budapest.
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