Jenny Riddle is a professional storyteller, keynote speaker, and communications expert with 30 years of experience in teaching, performing, speaking, and consulting. With an M.A. in English, she’s taught college and high school English, speech, and drama; been published in Forbes; serves on the Chicago leadership team for Ellevate; and is a sought-after speaker and performer. She understands the power of story and great ideas to engage and inspire audiences toward positive outcomes in business and in life.
Riddle’s work includes interactive workshops for organizations of all sizes, from small nonprofits to large corporations; keynote addresses to teach, motivate, and inspire; and one-on-one coaching on public-speaking, communications, and strategic storytelling.
Riddle brings a command of the workshop content and expertise in conveying material in creative ways that increase participant knowledge and change behavior. Riddle’s power-packed interactive training workshops include:
Lead, Sell, Inspire…Through the Power of Strategic Storytelling: How to harness the irresistible power of strategic storytelling, your greatest secret weapon to grab attention, influence others, and inspire people to action.
How to Be Authentic, Credible, and Persuasive in Any Speaking Situation: How every person has the potential to be an effective and inspiring speaker in any size setting.
Mastering the Art of Conversation: How to use the best tools and techniques for the art of conversation, invite others to share ideas, and be authentic, interesting, and persuasive.
Public Speaking Fight Moves: How to Speak so People Listen: How to develop a speaking voice that commands attention and showcases everything amazing about you.
Jenny’s Story
Honed my storytelling chops right at our kitchen table growing up. Saturday mornings in our house meant hot coffee, crisp bacon, fried eggs, and LOTS of stories from my Dad, quite the raconteur, especially about his God-Awful childhood. But there was a “lesson” in every one of those grisly tales. Most memorable takeaway? “Never be afraid to put your hands in s#%t!”
My dad’s answer to every form of spoken or written communication was “Begin with a story.” Writing a paper? Start with a story. Have to give a presentation? Start with a story. Reading the Sunday morning scripture at church? Start with a story. Best advice I ever got.
I started acting and telling stories as young as second grade. Unfortunately, in the second-grade class production of Cinderella in which I was cast as one of the evil step-sisters, I also knew everyone else’s lines and proceeded to mouth every word they spoke for the entire show. What can I say? I’ve got a good memory.
My first paid acting gig was summer stock between my junior and senior years of college. I knew the competition was stiff, but at the bottom of my audition sheet it asked if there was anything else they should know about me. I wrote “I throw great parties” and then proceeded to tell the story of how my cutie-pie friend Brad spun records, the flowing kegs of beer, the dancing, the conversation–I got the part!
Got my masters in English and taught English for a while at the college and high school levels because basically studying and teaching English is all about the power of great stories to change the world!
Favorite job: speech and drama class I taught to 15 of the LEAST Thespian-type students in the entire school. Every student developed and shared their own personal story. It was magical. I will never forget them or their courage to break out of their shyness and self-consciousness. I learned first-hand the potential inherent in every human being to find and tell their story. It was the most amazing and gratifying experience I’ve ever had, next to marrying my husband and having my own kids, of course. Seriously, I’m married to the greatest man on the planet, and my kids are fantastic!
Favorite Netflix binger—Breaking Bad—great storytelling! Awesomest Broadway play: Hamilton—more great storytelling!! (Come on, we had house seats in the seventh row!) Book that made me weep—Team of Rivals, the amazing story of Abraham Lincoln, the one person from history I would want to have at those “if-you-could-invite-one-dead-person-to-dinner” parties.
Never lost my penchant for coffee. It’s why I get out of bed in the morning. Driving around if I even see a Starbucks, I am drawn like Odysseus to the mermaid. Then from 5 PM on it’s all about wine. Do not even try to serve me a glass of wine in a plastic cup (unless that’s all you have and then I will for sure down it).
Started my own business 18 years ago and have spent those wonderful years as a keynote speaker, professional storyteller, and communications consultant. I help people in businesses STORYTELL their way to success by crafting and telling stories that are memorable, build trust, land the sale, improve company culture, and get people to do really awesome things. I have a lifetime of expertise in the best communication strategies and why storytelling is your secret weapon in business AND in life—if you count the “I throw awesome parties!” approach.