Cal Poly Sponsors Master Storyteller Kendall Haven on Feb. 10

SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Master storyteller, science consultant, author and oceanographer Kendall Haven will bring his storytelling talents to San Luis Obispo at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at the Steynberg Gallery at 1531 Monterey St. The event is free and open to all ages.

The storytelling event is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Liberal Studies Department, which trains undergraduates seeking to be elementary school teachers. For details and to reserve seats, contact Maureen Conner in the Liberal Studies Department at mzconner@calpoly.edu or 805-756-2935.

A leading expert and story consultant, Haven advises organizations and schools on the structure, use and development of storytelling to better inform, inspire, motivate, teach and lead. He initially began storytelling as a way to test communication research theories.

During the past three years, he served as a consultant on effective storytelling and communications for scientists and science writers at NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Centers for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, the Naval Post Graduate School, the Navy’s advanced research lab, and private engineering companies.

A West Point graduate who holds a master’s degree in oceanography, Haven served eight years as a senior research scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy.

He spent more than a decade compiling research results from 16 scientific fields including neural physiology, evolutionary biology, developmental psychology, information theory and education. Haven contends that human brains have been hardwired through evolution to best process information through storytelling.

An award-winning professional storyteller, he has performed in 42 states and four foreign countries before more than 5 million people over the last 30 years. He is the author of “Story Proof: The Science behind the Startling Power of Story.”

To learn more about Haven and his work, visit www.kendallhaven.com.

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