About

The Storytelling Symposium

Storytelling Symposium 2025

Learning and Leadership

The Storytelling Symposium is a yearly online conference focusing on storytelling and narrative methods for effective co-creation and impactful communication in various professional fields. This year’s Event focuses on learning and leadership in teams, organisations and society.

Organized from Hamburg, Germany, by Dr. Anja Timmermann, this four-day online event will bring together experts, researchers, and professionals around narrative communication techniques.

Short Profile

Event Dates: November 11-14, 2025

Format: Virtual conference in German and English

2025 Theme: Learning and Leadership

Speakers: International communication professionals working with narrative methods

Formats: Keynotes, workshops, panels, open stage

Target Audience: Entrepreneurs, researchers, experts and professionals across disciplines

Focus: Discussing, teaching and innovating narrative methods in various professional fields.

Our Mission

Storytelling is — and has always been — the essential tool for knowledge sharing, community building and leadership. And beyond that, it forms a universal framework of thought that we can hardly escape.

We are seeking to find, generate and present the best ways for sharing knowledge, making sense of our world and shape the future through eloquent writing, speaking and acting.

We believe that storytelling has the power to inspire people to action, transform lives and to build understanding across cultures. Stories follow universal principles and belong to everyone, no matter their background.

We understand it as our mission to make narrative methods and competencies accessible and engaging to more people, in more places.

You are very much needed as a knowledge carrier and storyteller. We want to encourage you to take your place in the circle of storytellers and make your contribution to the discourse of society.

Guiding Principles

Community: Storytelling is our essential human tool which aims at survival and betterment through communication, fostering learning, community building, problem solving and leadership.
Knowledge: The practice of developing, sharing and applicating knowledge should be based on the principles of enlightenment and science. Storytelling is omnipresent also in these processes, shaping culture. Therefore, storytelling, research, development and leadership all start with observing anything with an open mind and the spirit of exploration.
Leadership: To achieve development, problem solving, and change, we must be good leaders (including self-leaders) who are able to provide a framework, address issues, communicate our visions, establish connections, inspire, and initiate cooperation.

That’s us

Founders and Organizers

Dr. Anja Timmermann

Narrative coach, storytelling trainer and founder of the Storytelling Symposium
Hello, I'm Anja. My narrative relationship to knowledge is deeply rooted in my hometown, the brothers-Grimm-city of Göttingen, in a PhD in global history and wide-ranging job experiences, from volunteer teacher to television journalist. On this journey, I have always found fulfillment in helping people move their project forward by telling their story. My mission: to promote impact-driven collaborative action for a better world. If you think you have something to say: speak up, share your knowledge and tell your story.
Dr. Franz Hütter

Mr.Brain — scientificity and didactics advisor, founder of Brain-HR Scientific Trainer Institute
Hello, I'm Franz, a professional commuter between science and practice, connecting scientists and people from the business world and in doing so also increasing the absorption capacity of people on both sides. I believe our future depends on the success and speed of human learning. A well-educated, pattern-breaking intellect, combined with personal strength, is the currency of a future where our well-being relies on discovering new solutions beyond current imagination. This is precisely why I wholeheartedly serve as an advisor for the symposium, dedicated to fostering the spirit of science into society.
Elma Esrig

Theater director, writer, speakertrainer and script editor, founder of wissen macht wirkung
Hello there, I am Elma, a theater director and performance Trainer, and I am fascinated by the ability to mesmerize. What do you need as an expert to be convincing in leadership situations, when appearing in front of customers, employees or superiors, in speeches, webinars and presentations? You need a clear and powerful physical expression, congruent with your personality and your goal. You need the techniques to effectively stage and perform your verbal expression. I'll show you all the tools you need to make this happen: Set a stage for your expertise.
Dr. Katja Brunkhorst

Moving with words: writer, creativity coach, yoga teacher, punk rock philosopher and founder of Bright Idea
Katja is here to light a fire under your overthinking, hyper-educated, highly sensitive and secretly passionate butt so you can finally reveal all your identities — yes, plural! With a PhD in literature, a rock musician's soul, and a toolkit as a creativity coach, copywriter, yoga teacher and brand strategist, she's got one thing on her mind for you: Be #fullofyourself. Show off your quirks, too; not just the shiny, polished version. We want the raw, unfiltered you, in prose that’s powerful and poetic, never afraid to lean into a bit of drama! Because it's all those messy, imperfect facets that make you truly sparkle. LET’S ALL BE HUMAN DISCO BALLS.

Katrien Stevens

Art Director at >Karavandesign< and the designer of the Symposium Storyworld
Katrien Stevens is a designer and the creative force behind Karavan Design. Her website showcases her innovative approach to branding and design, offering unique visual solutions to help brands stand out. With experience working in multiple countries, she specialises in bringing fresh perspectives and bold ideas to her clients' projects.
She is also the creator of the visual story world of the Symposium and our marketing consultant.
Find her at karavandesign.com.
Martin Heppner

Consultant for video communication and technical support for the live online events of the Storytelling Symposium.
Technical support and realisation of live online events to provide participants with the best possible user experience. Martin offers consulting and training for professional online meetings and online presentations - from the technical setup for the digital room, to the concise digital presence, to the impressive digital presentation. He has over 25 years of experience in communication and presentation, is a consultant for neuro-communication and specialises in video communication.
Find him at high-performance-marketing.ms.
Yvonne Frank

Language, publication and accessibility consultant who makes documents, videos and social media content accessible to all.
Yvonne assists the Symposium with the scripts behind the subtitles and summaries, graphic design and accessibility consulting.
Find her at multilingual-publishing.de.
Sonia Schüttler

Virtual Assistant
Sonia Schüttler supports the Symposium team since 2024 as a virtual assistant.
She has been working in the commercial sector as a clerk and assistant for over 20 years and loves it when processes work and the customer can enjoy perfect service.
Sonia assists with participant and speaker communication and marketing.
You can find her also at https://deine-va.com.