The Art of Effective Storytelling – Sharing Inspiration
When John Muir told stories of his encounters with wild animals, trees, and mountain storms, his audiences felt they were actually there.
Listeners actually live the story. MRI scans show the storyteller's and audience's brain activity becomes synchronized with the same neurological activity that fosters self-awareness and feeling.
In this time of enormous challenges, it’s crucial that we offer wholesome role models. It's important to share the noble lives of men and women who have deeply resonated with the earth and cared for its inhabitants.
When we do so, we are looking to heroes truly worth emulating. As we relive the life experiences and world views of such people as John Muir, Rachel Carson, and Henry Thoreau, we are touched and transformed.
Choose a person whose life inspires you, and whose life and message have pioneered new ways of living and being. When you are truly inspired, you'll joyously pour sincere enthusiasm into your presentation and draw out inspiration in your listeners.
From your inspiring educator's life, select funny and exciting stories, as well as inspirational nature experiences. Arrange your stories according to the following moods—funny, exciting, and dramatic, then deeply meaningful—to ensure an enthusiastic and receptive audience.
For special impact, memorize some short, resounding passages of your character’s words. If, however, you try to memorize all of your lines, your performance may feel stilted.
Concentrate instead on remembering the story’s main points, scene by scene. Knowing the key parts will help you relax, be spontaneous, and have fun telling the story. My book, John Muir: My Life with Nature, is an excellent story-telling resource.
For further study and practice, here are eleven useful tips for effective storytelling:
1 Use simple props to help transport the audience to another time and place.
2. Create (and learn) a strong beginning and ending, to start confidently and finish strongly.
3. Because people won’t remember the words as much as the feeling of your story, missing a few lines won't matter. If you do forget what comes next, don’t panic. Pause, and keep eye contact with the audience. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to remember the forgotten point, and recover gracefully.
4. Include humor. It relaxes the audience and makes them open and receptive to your message. The best time to make a serious point is often right after a humorous statement.
5. Vary your speech, rhythm, and mood to keep your performance lively and interesting. Pauses allow listeners to rest, catch up, and digest key points.
6. Actors use a technique called “emotional recall” to energize their performances. To use this technique, summon a past memory to trigger the emotion you need to express for the story.
7. If you’re playing more than one character, change your voice and personality to fit each one. Change your consciousness so you can feel the reality of your character.
8. Use your hands to create space and dimension, or to paint a picture. Use gestures to embellish and punctuate your points. Make gestures large and away from the body, so people sitting in the back can see them.
9. Pause for emphasis and suspense; calm control will give each word the richness it deserves.
10. Adapt your performance for different age groups. Children think in physical and visual terms; adults are more interested in the ideas and meaning of a story.
11. Think of sharing with your audience, instead of performing. Offer listeners the delight you feel for the story and for the privilege of connecting heart to heart with them.
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Note: Excerpts for this blog were taken from Sharing Nature by Joseph Cornell, Some paraphrasing of text was used.
When John Muir told stories of his encounters with wild animals, trees, and mountain storms, his audiences felt they were actually there.
Listeners actually live the story. MRI scans show the storyteller's and audience's brain activity becomes synchronized with the same neurological activity that fosters self-awareness and feeling.
In this time of enormous challenges, it’s crucial that we offer wholesome role models. It's important to share the noble lives of men and women who have deeply resonated with the earth and cared for its inhabitants.
When we do so, we are looking to heroes truly worth emulating. As we relive the life experiences and world views of such people as John Muir, Rachel Carson, and Henry Thoreau, we are touched and transformed.
Choose a person whose life inspires you, and whose life and message have pioneered new ways of living and being. When you are truly inspired, you'll joyously pour sincere enthusiasm into your presentation and draw out inspiration in your listeners.
From your inspiring educator's life, select funny and exciting stories, as well as inspirational nature experiences. Arrange your stories according to the following moods—funny, exciting, and dramatic, then deeply meaningful—to ensure an enthusiastic and receptive audience.
For special impact, memorize some short, resounding passages of your character’s words. If, however, you try to memorize all of your lines, your performance may feel stilted.
Concentrate instead on remembering the story’s main points, scene by scene. Knowing the key parts will help you relax, be spontaneous, and have fun telling the story. My book, John Muir: My Life with Nature, is an excellent story-telling resource.
For further study and practice, here are eleven useful tips for effective storytelling:
1 Use simple props to help transport the audience to another time and place.
2. Create (and learn) a strong beginning and ending, to start confidently and finish strongly.
3. Because people won’t remember the words as much as the feeling of your story, missing a few lines won't matter. If you do forget what comes next, don’t panic. Pause, and keep eye contact with the audience. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to remember the forgotten point, and recover gracefully.
4. Include humor. It relaxes the audience and makes them open and receptive to your message. The best time to make a serious point is often right after a humorous statement.
5. Vary your speech, rhythm, and mood to keep your performance lively and interesting. Pauses allow listeners to rest, catch up, and digest key points.
6. Actors use a technique called “emotional recall” to energize their performances. To use this technique, summon a past memory to trigger the emotion you need to express for the story.
7. If you’re playing more than one character, change your voice and personality to fit each one. Change your consciousness so you can feel the reality of your character.
8. Use your hands to create space and dimension, or to paint a picture. Use gestures to embellish and punctuate your points. Make gestures large and away from the body, so people sitting in the back can see them.
9. Pause for emphasis and suspense; calm control will give each word the richness it deserves.
10. Adapt your performance for different age groups. Children think in physical and visual terms; adults are more interested in the ideas and meaning of a story.
11. Think of sharing with your audience, instead of performing. Offer listeners the delight you feel for the story and for the privilege of connecting heart to heart with them.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Note: Excerpts for this blog were taken from Sharing Nature by Joseph Cornell, Some paraphrasing of text was used.