The ability to communicate relies, to some extent, on the ability to tell, share and appreciate stories. Stories can inspire, spread messages, change people’s minds; in short, have a huge impact.

At last week’s Think Big event, organised by public speaking organisation Pitch Perfect Club, business leaders, entertainers and communicators shared their stories – personal and otherwise – with their peers. The day was geared around making business leaders better communicators.

Mark Johnstone, a creative marketer who is the man behind some of the most popular infographics circulating the web, was one of the keynote speakers. His pseudo-workshop allowed delegates to think about the subject on which they are communicating in-depth before they make decisions. The workshop was geared toward online content and creating stories and images that are shareable and that add to the general discourse about a specific subject.

Other speakers discussed personal journeys through loss, hardship or personal development to inspire people and to develop their own communications skills. Andy Jansons, owner of property developer Jansons Property, talked through his career and personal challenges as a means of achieving success in business.

Randolph Matthews, musical and voice artist, brought a touch of the theatrical to the stage as he shared his story through performance. Summarising the value of storytelling, he said, “Everybody has a voice.”

Chris Kettle, entrepreneurial development manager at NatWest, says, "For the first time ever, there are more than 5m businesses in the UK, and 99% of them are SMEs. This demonstrates the huge desire that people have to run their own business, do something they’re passionate about and become self-employed. As the UK’s biggest bank for start-ups and SMEs, NatWest is committed to supporting entrepreneurs in numerous ways including mentoring, business advice, and access to our support networks. We want to help entrepreneurs achieve their ambitions from an early stage and effective storytelling is a vital component to developing a successful pitch and that’s why we’re delighted to be involved in the inaugural ThinkB!G conference."

The themes explored throughout the day at the NatWest offices in London provided inspiration for the business leaders and communicators in attendance. Pitch Perfect Club also runs monthly networking and public speaking events for entrepreneurs. The next is on 28 June.