12 Ways To Be A Better Storyteller

 

Many of you would love to hold the attention of a crowded audience, a classroom, or just a group of your friends by telling them a great story. You have felt the pressure of a public presentation or the disappointment of a story that is ignored and you are ready for more.

Always ask, why do you want to tell it?

Storytellers tell specific stories for a certain reason. Some want to scare the kids around the campfire. Others want to impress the friends with their exploits. You are trying to make someone cheer, or make them cry, or send them a message. Be sure to know why you are telling it. Know what it is about, something might be much more important, and then you can show everybody else what it is about. Find that invisible leash that ties you to the story. It really matters.

Plot is the rout you should choose on a story map

A story is so much more than the thing you might think it is. You should lay down a map, that map has a host of possibilities, though sights are unseen. Turns are unexpected. The plot is just the course- plot upon this map. It is a sequence of events, of turns and landmarks. Your story should go beyond simple sequence. Your story should be about what you will experience and about who you will meet. You have to imagine whole story, the characters, the time, the feel, the context as the world. Trouble lies in conflating story with plot. Nevertheless, it is very easy to do.

On the subject of originality

As a storyteller you will find no original plots. But original stories are limitless. They are like flowers on our planet. Go surf the net and you will discover that you have no idea about all species —the same flowers that everyone knows. But how you use them is where it gets interesting. Plot is flower garden. You care about them- that’s a story!

The span between you and audience

The audience wants to feel connection to the story. They want to see themselves inside your story. The story draws a line between the audience and the storyteller— you are letting them see into you and they are unknowingly finding you inside them.