Storytelling helps clients visualize your firm completing their project. That's because a story is the basic structure of information in the human mind, no matter what the story is about. Twennie aims to teach members how to turn technical information into stories.
Storytelling charts a logical course inside a client's mind and gives form to their vision for successful project completion. Business storytelling builds a deeper connection based on emotional drivers of decisions and helps evaluators relate more intimately to the experience. Storytelling makes information easier to remember, and proposal evaluators recognize the elements of a story. This enables them to more easily process the message.
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A quick, written synopsis on a topic, no more than 1200 words.
An informative video on a subject, no more than 20 minutes long; most are under 10 minutes.
A filmed or audio interview with a professional in the AEC industry.
20 brief activities completed daily, weekly, or monthly to build habits around a topic.
A group activity designed to plan, strategize, explore, or develop procedures.
A document, spreadsheet, or drawing that supports a task or exercise.
my library units
If you'd like to contribute new units to the library, go to your dashboard under the "contribute to the library" tab. Complete the form for your unit, which could be an article, video, interview, prompt set, template or exercise. Choose up to two topics for each unit. Your contributions will show here under "my library units".
my group's library units
If you'd like to see your group contributing units to the library, encourage them to explore Twennie's topics and find ones they feel confident talking about. They can share within your group only, your organization only, or with the whole Twennie community.
my organization's library units
Organizations with a culture of learning are stronger and more successful. If you'd like to see your organization contributing units to the library, start by contributing yourself. Write articles and record videos on topics that interest you. If you have templates and exercises that have been useful to you in the past, share those, too. Your organization will follow your lead.
Twennie's library units
ARTICLE: Why Storytelling is an Essential Skill in Technical Services
AUTHOR
Twennie Founders
In technical services, storytelling is a core skill for helping clients understand the value of your work. Every project has the structure of a story—with characters, a challenge, and a resolution—and using familiar story patterns makes complex work easier to grasp. This article explains how to frame real-world projects using classic story types, why the client should always be the hero, and how to address problems without placing blame. It also shows how small changes in tone and language can turn dry technical descriptions into meaningful narratives.
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VIDEO: The Importance of Storytelling in Technical Services - And How to Do It
AUTHOR
Twennie Founders
Stories are needed for your web site, your proposals, and your project profiles. In particular, you will need them if you ever do presentations to new clients. If you have ever sat through a presentation with 100 slides of individual projects and stared at the clock, you’ll know why a few carefully chosen project stories can make a bigger impact than your entire library of projects in a sitting. This video gives you an inside look at how stories are built and why they make your work more meaningful to clients.
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VIDEO: How to Write a Winning Award Submission
AUTHOR
Twennie Founders
Writing a winning engineering award submission isn’t about documenting a project — it’s about strategy, alignment, and storytelling. This video breaks down how to choose the right project, understand the purpose behind an award, follow judging criteria precisely, and translate technical excellence into a compelling, evidence-based narrative. Using a real award program as an example, you’ll see how the same project can be framed very differently depending on what judges value.
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PROMPT SET: The Skill of Storytelling in a Technical World
AUTHOR
Twennie Founders
In technical services, your work deserves to be understood — not just on a technical level, but on a human level. This prompt set builds your storytelling skills so clients, reviewers, and stakeholders can see not just what you did, but why it matters. You'll practice rewriting dry descriptions, finding the human impact, replacing flat language with vivid synonyms, cutting away fluff, and even prompting AI to elevate your writing.
Purpose:
to improve our communication skills, especially storytelling because it makes our proposals and other marketing more compelling to clients
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VIDEO: Twennie's 20 Rules of Storytelling
PROJECTED
November 28, 2025
Storytelling isn’t just for novels or movies—it’s a critical skill in technical services. In Twennie’s 20 Rules of Storytelling, we explore the essentials of building powerful narratives: creating clear structure, keeping the stakes high, surprising your audience with unpredictability, and weaving in emotional resonance. These rules aren’t abstract; they’re practical tools to strengthen proposals, presentations, and workplace communication.
TEMPLATE: Sample Award Submission, Confederation Bridge
PROJECTED
June 26, 2026
Award submissions often fail not because the project isn’t impressive, but because the story isn’t clear, disciplined, or judge-centric. This template uses a sample ACEC Project Awards submission for the Confederation Bridge to show how winning entries are structured — from framing the challenge to demonstrating impact, innovation, and measurable results. You’ll see how technical excellence is translated into concise, compelling narratives that align with award criteria, making it easier to replicate success for future submissions.
TEMPLATE: A Field Guide to Writing an Award Submission
PROJECTED
May 29, 2026
Award submissions aren’t about hype or perfect prose—they’re about clarity, proof, and empathy for the reviewer. This field guide breaks down how to turn complex projects into compelling, credible stories that judges can easily follow, remember, and defend. You’ll learn how to frame challenges, decisions, and results without exaggeration, align your narrative to award criteria, and avoid the most common mistakes that quietly sink strong submissions.
