Welcome to the Resources section of Discovery + Story. This is a curated list of my picks for books, tools, websites and podcasts that I strongly recommend for growing your communications skills. I have personally used each of these myself and, in most cases, still reference. Before digging into these awesome resources, I want to make sure you understand that some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these tools, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
Online Courses
Skillshare This is an online learning platform with thousands of classes on business, writing, design, photography, and more. This one is especially good for creatives looking to pick up new skills. I personally have enjoyed dozens of the classes here. You can sign up for a free membership to get access to a few thousand courses. Signing up for Premium Membership gets you access to all 20,000+ classes. If you use my referral link to sign up for Premium Membership, you’ll receive two months free. I have been a student on Skillshare for many years and have found it super helpful. I also recently started teaching on the platform.
Check out our first class: 
Storytelling for Small Business: Create a Killer Business Description that Sticks with People By the end of this class, you’ll have a clear, concise go-to core story to use as the basis for copy on your website, social media channels, when networking, and elsewhere.
Our second class is called Simple Tips to Optimize Your Business Social Media Profiles with ideas to optimize your social media profiles and tell your brand story. This helps us get clear about how we’re using each channel to communicate the value of our products and services to customers.
Books
The Storyteller’s Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don’t by Carmine Gallo St. Martin’s Press This book is divided into bite-sized lessons with ideas on how to improve your public speaking. Each chapter focuses on one person or company’s story followed by an explanation of the concept. I find this to be a great resource for ideas when I’m stuck or when I just want to try something different.
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller HarperCollins Leadership Don Miller has a great framework to set up marketing messages in a way that follows the “hero’s journey,” perhaps the most classic story form. This book is especially written for writing digital copy but can be applied to other areas. If you’re looking for some basic story details on the power of storytelling in business communications, this is a great read for inspiration.
Website
I use the Conversion Cats WordPress theme for WordPress on this website. I find it to be really easy to use with great built-in features. They also have great customer service if I have questions. Go here if you want to check it out for yourself!
Disclosure: Some of the links included on this page are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products that I have personally used and found to be valuable myself.
