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Freytag’s Pyramid: Master the Dramatic Arc in Business Storytelling

Helps communicators control emotional rhythm and attention over time.
Freytag’s Pyramid: Master the Dramatic Arc in Business Storytelling
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Freytag’s Pyramid

A classic narrative arc that helps you build tension, deliver a turning point, and land with clear resolution.

  • Goal Structure stories and presentations so the audience stays engaged from setup to payoff.
  • Best for Presentations, leadership speeches, project narratives, change communication.
  • Structure Setup → Tension Build → Turning Point → Resolution
  • Outcome Stronger narrative flow, clearer key moments, and more memorable conclusions.
Storytelling Presentation Narrative Structure Communication

Why This Matters

Many stories fail not because the idea is weak, but because the structure is flat.

In business communication, presentations often start too slow, peak too late, or end without resolution. As a result, audiences lose attention, miss the key point, or forget what mattered most.

Freytag’s Pyramid solves this by giving you a clear narrative arc that builds tension, delivers impact, and lands with clarity.

What is Freytag’s Pyramid

Freytag’s Pyramid is a classic storytelling structure developed by German novelist and playwright Gustav Freytag.

It breaks a story into seven stages that move from setup to tension, reach a peak, and then resolve cleanly. While it originated in dramatic literature, it is widely used today in storytelling, presentations, speeches, and brand narratives.

Freytag's Pyramid diagram mapping the 7 stages of dramatic structure against time and tension

The model helps communicators control emotional rhythm and attention over time.

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