Jill

About Jill Pollack

A dramatic arts-trained refugee from the corporate world, Jill created StoryStudio Chicago—a creative writing school—in 2003, and began developing new approaches to teach storytelling for business, for the page, for the screen, and for changing technology. Her credo? Don’t Be Boring. As Chief Story Wrangler at Story Mode, Jill spends her time chasing down the best stories … and making them better. But telling a great story isn’t enough for Jill; she has to throw some neuroscience into the mix. Art + Science = the answer to just about anything.

What Do You Say “Yes” To?

By |2023-06-01T13:23:56+00:00June 1, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|

Are you the type of person who says Yes? The other week I was listening to extemporaneous speeches given by our students in a leadership development program. We've been working with them on storytelling and presenting skills. Their charge on this morning was to randomly pick a card that had a question. Some of them were [...]

Tools of the Trade: Where did I Put That List?

By |2023-04-03T18:37:00+00:00April 3, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|

  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t keep some kind of list, whether it’s grocery, ToDo, or “bucket” style. Entrepreneurs have become millionaires by creating methods to not just help us generate lists, but to get us addicted to the high of “checking the box” and feeling a sense of accomplishment. What's So Special About Lists? [...]

Don’t Get Mad. Make It Up.

By |2023-02-28T17:12:24+00:00February 28, 2023|Categories: Creative Confidence, Everyday Communication, Learning, Storytelling, Uncategorized|

It started out as a joke, a silly way for us to blow off steam. We invented something out of sheer frustration.Ever since I started teaching creative writing, students have been asking me for the magical elixir: What is the formula for writing a story?I found this exasperating and annoying.After a deep breath to calm myself, [...]

How Long Is Too Short?

By |2023-02-07T16:38:01+00:00January 30, 2023|Categories: Creative Confidence, Everyday Communication, Learning, Storytelling, Uncategorized|

When it comes to professional development, how long does a training have to be? The answer of course is, it depends. Imagine preparing to teach and standing in front of a roomful of quiet, nervous colleagues who don't know each other and aren't quite sure what to expect from this session. You didn't bring a deck [...]

Am I Out of a Job?

By |2022-09-26T14:15:31+00:00September 26, 2022|Categories: Creative Confidence, Creativity, Storytelling, Uncategorized|

Have you see Flippy, the robot designed to manage the fryer in fast food restaurants? It's pretty amazing until you watch it for a few minutes and realize how terrifyingly human it seems. It's "artificial intelligence" or AI, and is supposed to help cook french fries better, faster, and safer. It solves several problems, like finding restaurant workers. [...]

Do You Have the Right Time?

By |2022-09-26T14:02:29+00:00July 28, 2022|Categories: Creative Confidence, Creativity, Life, Storytelling|

The best writers--creative and business--understand the importance and power of time I’m waiting for the plumber to arrive. Ever since our revered plumber/friend Larry retired, our plumbing issues have either been ignored or a fix has been attempted by me. Never a good idea. There is mold making itself at home on the caulking around the [...]

Blocks and Blockages

By |2022-09-26T14:14:49+00:00June 16, 2022|Categories: Creative Confidence, Creativity, Uncategorized, Writing|

https://instorymode.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Blog-Banners-1.mp4   I don’t believe in “writers block,” although that doesn’t stop me from whining about not being able to write. Clearly, I’m not the only one. I recently read about this cafe in Tokyo that offers free coffee and human naggers to check on you every hour to see if you’ve reached your writing goals. Genius! Here [...]

DON’T Mind the Gap

By |2022-05-02T21:32:12+00:00May 2, 2022|Categories: Uncategorized|

Have you ever ridden the London tube? “Mind the Gap” is what you hear over the loudspeaker every time the Tube stops and the doors open. The 'gap' is the space between the train and the platform. The phrase has become iconic and it has taken up residence in my head this month. I’ve been thinking [...]