The Periodic Table for Leadership Storytellers
- David Ghodsizadeh
- May 30
- 5 min read
Over the past decade, I’ve taught over 1,000 professionals how to use storytelling to lead, connect, and advance their careers. One of the first questions clients ask is:
“What does it take to be a successful leadership storyteller?”
That's why I built a metaphorical periodic table. I call it The Periodic Table for Leadership Storytellers.
It’s made up of 90 elements, organized into 11 groups, each representing a key area of mastery.
Leadership storytelling isn’t just about what you say. It’s about how you say it, why it matters, and how it lands.
Why Do Leadership Storytellers Need a Periodic Table?
Structure. The real periodic table organizes the universe. This one organizes your ability to move people.
Like any great story, it’s built on patterns. Voice. Emotion. Timing. Logic. Vulnerability. These elements don’t live in isolation, they build on each other to create a storytelling system you can rely on whether you’re in a job interview, a boardroom, or on stage.
A Breakdown of the 11 Groups
Core: The heart of your storytelling
You (Y): You make the story magical
Audience (Au): Who you share your story with
Purpose (P): Why you are telling your story
Belief (B): You need to believe your story matters
Medium (M): The channels you use to tell your story
Content: What makes your story meaningful
High Points (Hp): Points of success
Low Points (Lp): Points of failure
Adversity (Av): When you faced obstacles
Turning Points (Tp): Your inflection points
Defining Moments (Dm): Life-changing moments
Transformation (Tr): Moments when you become a different person
Structure: Organizing your story so it makes sense logically
Fast Start (Fs): The first 8-seconds of your story that pull audience in
Struggle (St): The conflict you face
Outcome (O): How you resolve the conflict
Aha Moment (Am): Your takeaway
Connection: Enhancing human-to-human communication
Emotion (Em): Without emotion, the audience won't feel anything
Relatability (Rl): The story should resonate with the audience
Humor (Hm): Using comedy to connect or disarm
Sensory Detail (Sd): Painting a vivid picture in the audience's mind
Vulnerability (Vs): Being open about your experiences
Setting: Grounding your story
Time (Tm): When the story takes place
Location (Lc): Where the story takes place
Background (Bc): Information relevant to the story
Social Norms (Sn): Societal values that influence the story
Vocal Variety: Making your voice memorable
Tone (To): Emotion behind your words
Pitch (Pi): Frequency of your voice's sound
Silence (Si): Long pauses to build anticipation
Pauses (Pa): Strategically breaking up words or thoughts
Volume (Vo): How loud or soft your voice is
Speed (Sp): How fast or slow you speak
Body Language: Bringing your story to life through non-verbals
Facial Expression (Fa): Motion and positioning of the muscles beneath the skin of your face (eyes, eye brows, mouth, cheeks, etc)
Head Movement (He): Nods, tilts, and gestures that add nuance
Hand Movement (Ha): Gestures that illustrate or reinforce ideas
Arm Movement (Ar): Larger expressive gestures that show energy or scale
Leg Movement (Le): Movement from waist down to mirror words
Posture (Po): The position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting
Eye Contact (Ey): Direct eye contact strengthens emotional connection and trust
Personal Space (Pc): Using the space around you varies by environment (intimate, social, etc)
Touch (Th): Using physical touching (handshakes, pats) to communicate
Appearance (Ap): Clothing, grooming, and objects convey personality, status, intent
Persuasion: The art of influencing people
Credibility (Cr): Trustworthiness of the storyteller
Ethos (Et): Appealing to moral values
Pathos (Pt): Appealing to emotions and feelings
Logos ( Lg): Appealing to logic and structure
Call to Action (Ct): How you want the audience to think, feel, or do next
Leadership Presence: How you lead others
Showing Up (Sh): Being fully present and in the moment
Active Listening (Ac): Paying attention to the audience and how they interact with your story
Awareness (Aw): Understanding the environment and audience
Composure (C): Remaining grounded under pressure
Humility (H): Acknowledging flaws
Confidence (Co): Having faith in your message and delivery
Accountability (Ay): Owning mistakes or outcomes
Authenticity (At): Being your true self
Trust (Tu): Building psychological safety through words and actions
Vision (Vi): Knowing what future you want to create
Conviction (Cv): Speaking with purpose
Voice (Ve): Your unique speaking style
Values (Va): Core principles you stand for
Transparency (Ta): Being honest and open
Bravery (Br): Willingness to speak about difficult topics
Impact: Making your stories stand out
Present Tense (Pr): Builds suspense and immediacy of the story
Clarity (Cl): Simple words are easier to speak and understand
Engagement (En): Holding audience's attention and interaction throughout
Practice (Pe): Rehearsing delivery and flow to maximize impact
Heart (Hr): Speaking with compassion and feeling
Visualization (Vz): A tool for you and audience to vividly picture the story
Word Choice (Wc): Weigh words that add depth and value to the story
Energy (E): Your energy level will greatly impact audience's interest and engagement
Adaptability (Ad): Adjusting the story delivery based on the environment and how audience responds
Contrast (Ca): Modifying speed and emotions throughout to captivate the audience
Imperfection (Im): Understanding that your end goal is not perfection but rather connection
Personalization (Pz): Tailoring your message to each audience
Applications: Using storytelling effectively in the workplace
Resilience (Rs): Bouncing back from adversity
Legacy (Ly): Can be individual or organization legacy you want to leave behind
Transitions (Ts): Using stories to help with organizational transitions
Risk Taking (Rt): Stories that enable collaboration and innovation
Mission (Mi): Stories that reveal a deeper purpose behind an individual or organization
Repositioning (Rp): Using stories to shift perspectives or actions
Conflict Resolution (Cn): Stories that help parties resolve differences
Perspective (Ps): Stories that help people see topics in a new light
Identity (I): Telling stories to showcase one's identities
Context (Cx): Using stories to provide a background to certain actions
Future (Fu): Using stories to talk about what's next
Mentor (Mr): Telling stories to guide people
Retention (R): Connecting employees more deeply to an organization through stories
Belonging (Bl): Telling stories that reinforce why employees feel a part of an organization
Crisis (Cs): Responding to internal or external crises through stories
Change Management (Ch): Using stories to help people become invested in change
Culture (Cu): Describing shared corporate values through stories
Motivation (Mo): Inspiring people through stories
Why Leadership Storytelling Matters
This is the age of ChatGPT, short attention spans, and endless noise. A human story, when delivered the right way, is your most powerful leadership tool.
This periodic table isn’t just a reference sheet. It’s a system. A mirror. A reminder that there are endless opportunities to lead through storytelling.
Whether you’re a job seeker, a team leader, or a C-suite exec this table is for you. Use it to:
Craft your origin story
Elevate your team’s communication skills
Deliver more compelling presentations
Turn your life experiences into leadership lessons
David Ghodsizadeh is the founder of Storytelling 4 Success, a business that teaches technical professionals and executive how to connect, lead, and inspire in the workplace through leadership storytelling. Everyone has a story to tell. Do you know when, how, and why to tell yours?
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