At its core, storytelling is how humans make sense of the world, our experiences, and ourselves. Every individual carries an internal narrative — a self-story — that influences identity, emotions, decisions, and actions. Tapping into this story can spark profound transformation by helping you reshape your narratives toward empowerment and clarity.

Master Your Story: The 36 Dramatic Situations of your Life of Peter de Kuster provides a master key to understanding the archetypal structures that stories invariably follow. Peter asserts that all stories, regardless of culture or era, can be categorized into 36 fundamental dramatic situations. Each involves specific characters, conflicts, motives, and outcomes — universal blueprints of human experience and interaction.

This universality makes Peter’s model exceptionally powerful for personal and professional development. By identifying which dramatic situations resonate with an individual’s life narrative, can help you grasp the underlying themes shaping your story, recognize recurring patterns, and consciously rewrite limiting scripts. Understanding these archetypes of struggle, tension, and resolution reveals the narrative “plot points” where change can be initiated.

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Seminar Program: “Master Your Story: The 36 Dramatic Situations as a Path to Transformation”

Objective

To guide individuals and coaches through a deep exploration of personal narratives using Peter de Kuster’s 36 dramatic situations framework, enabling them to enhance self-awareness, reframe challenges, and craft stories that unlock new possibilities in life and business.

Format

A workshop typically lasting one or two days, tailored for individual participants. It combines theory, interactive exercises, reflection, and practical coaching tools.

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Seminar Outline

Session 1: Introduction to Dramatic Situations & Storytelling Power (2 hours)

• Overview of storytelling’s impact on human cognition and behavior.
• Introduction to Georges Polti’s 36 Dramatic Situations.
• Exploration of how personal narratives mirror these archetypal plots.
• Group discussions to identify common dramatic situations in storytelling and personal history.

Session 2: Identifying Your Dramatic Situations (3 hours)

• Guided exercises to map participants’ own stories to the 36 situations.
• Case studies and examples of typical life/business stories matching Peter de Kuster’s situations.
• Tools for recognizing “plot points” and patterns that shape beliefs and behaviors.
• Reflection journal prompts for participants to articulate their personal “dramatic fingerprint.”

Session 3: Rewriting Your Story Using Dramatic Situations (3 hours)

• Storytelling methods to reframe limiting situations into empowering narratives.
• Role-play and storytelling labs to practice new story constructions.
• Visualization and embodiment exercises to deepen narrative change.
• Group sharing to test and refine new story arcs.

Session 4: Applying Story Transformation to Life and Business (2 hours)

• Strategies for embedding revised narratives into daily life and professional identity.
• Creating “signature stories” for authentic leadership, branding, and communication.
• Tools for sustaining narrative change and adapting stories as circumstances evolve.

Session 5: Storytelling Frameworks for The 36 Dramatic Situations (optional, 2 hours)

• Specific storytelling that leverage dramatic situation archetypes.
• Designing personalized journeys around story structures.
• Ethical considerations and emotional safety in storytelling work.
• Practice coaching sessions with peer feedback.

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Seminar Contribution & Benefits

1. Clarity and Insight
   Participants gain meaningful insight into the universal structures underpinning their personal stories. This clarity helps demystify complex emotional or behavioral patterns.
2. Empowerment through Narrative Control
   Understanding dramatic situations empowers individuals to take ownership of their inner narratives. They learn that stories are not fixed facts but malleable constructs shaped by perception and framing.
3. Tools for Transformation
   The seminar equips participants with concrete, actionable storytelling exercises and coaching techniques to re-author their life and business stories, fostering resilience and adaptability.
4. Enhanced Storytelling Effectiveness
   You learn a powerful framework to identify core narrative themes in your life, tailoring interventions that resonate deeply at psychological and emotional levels.
5. Broadened Emotional Vocabulary
   The 36 situations provide a rich language and archetypal canvas to articulate complex feelings and conflicts, facilitating deeper communication and self-expression.

Conclusion

Harnessing the timeless insights of Peter de Kuster’s The 36 Dramatic Situations artfully combines the universal with the personal, providing a structured yet liberating approach to storytelling. This seminar offers not just theory but a practical roadmap to recognizing and transforming the stories shaping identity and outcomes. By engaging deeply with their narrative’s architecture, participants unlock the power to change their life trajectory and business narrative, creating stories of triumph, purpose, and authenticity.