The Joy of Telling

Several people reading my columns have written in to ask for advice on how to tell stories. I have put together this piece by answering several specific questions – some simple, some rather more complex!

While I do believe that you have to be deeply connected with the story you would like to tell as a first step, there are several suggestions that will help you hold the interest of your listeners.

Creating your ‘Storehouse’
The best way to begin is to dedicate a book or file or even a computer folder that holds all those stories that you like.

Whenever you hear a story or read a story that impacts you, it’s best to write it again in your own words. While traditionally stories were learned by listening, the best source today is the wealth of books published and available, and some online sites. As you browse, look for stories that "touch" you; a whole fat book of stories may often give me only one (and that too if I’m lucky) that makes me feel “Oh yes.”

I have to confess to a real impatience with people who write in and ask me – please send us your collection of stories. I can’t help feeing that these people who will not take the trouble to seek out stories from many sources and want someone else’s readymade collection do not seriously have what it takes to be a good teller! I have talked to many Tellers and writers I admire, and all of them tell me of a precious personal storehouse, collected over many years.

Start with simple stories, then as your experience grows, be sure to explore and branch out. Over time, you will probably find many kinds of tales that will interest you personally. You have a lot to choose from – legends and folktales from many countries and cultures; traditional fairytales, epics; myths, legends and hero sagas; scary stories; animal fables.

Depending on the audience, with time and experience you will perhaps want branch out into telling your own personal stories or those of elders of your family.

A rule for all Tellers is to give credit to sources, or at least acknowledge where you heard or read the story first.

Remember that Telling is about interaction.

The rapport you are able to create with your audience is of primary importance. The advice that older storytellers always give us is : be natural -- which is the hardest thing for an anxious teller to do! But there are several things that contribute to ‘Being natural’.

Do your homework. It is important to know your story intimately. Does that mean memorizing it? I personally feel this is unhelpful; but beginners might find it a help. I teach people instead to visualize the story many times over – like a movie in your head, noticing all details and nuances, so when you tell it, you ‘play the movie’ so others can ‘see’ as well as hear it.

Record your telling, and tell before a mirror. Do this at least once for a telling to check your pitch, speed and clarity, and body expressiveness (too much or too little?). Storytelling is relating a tale to one or more listeners through voice and gesture – that flows out of your relationship to the story. It is not the same as reading a story aloud or reciting a piece from memory or acting out a drama - though it does shares common characteristics with these arts.

This brings us to using sensory details. Help your audience almost see, hear, touch and taste what you tell. The senses when engaged in any learning make it that much more powerful.

Give a thought to the end result. Sometimes it helps to ask yourself what you want your listeners to go away with – and rather than spelling this out, you can ‘design’ and ‘direct’ your telling to effect this.

Get your ’live’ feedback from your audience. I have learnt that as the storyteller begins to see and re-create, through voice and gesture, a series of mental images; the audience, too, from that first moment of listening, nods, smiles, grimaces, squints, stares, leans forward or falls asleep, letting the teller know whether to slow down, speed up, elaborate, or just finish.

Listen for all the signs but don’t let them throw you. I also tell beginning tellers not to look at just one or two listeners -- different people will love or hate the same telling, or be somewhere between the two. Image if you only relied on one or the other extreme!

Decide on your ‘style’ for a telling. I get asked often if an informal style is better or if I recommend a theatric, dramatic telling. Well, I do both, but it depends on two things – what you feel more comfortable with, and the nature of your target audience. One thing I’d ask people to avoid is that silly, high-pitched condescending voice that many tellers use when working with children; it’s alright if you are doing voices, and if you want to assign it to one of the characters, but to sit through a whole telling of that …. ugh!!

Remind yourself that you love what you are doing. I have seen tellers who have occasionally lost track of their stories, or fumble or make other ‘mistakes’ and yet enthrall their listeners – and all because they love what they are engaged in. We are all born storytellers, and can therefore teach ourselves to be good ones.

May you love and enjoy the ‘tellings’ you do!

Marguerite Theophil

We all have stories

Because there is a natural storytelling urge and ability in all human beings,
even just a little nurturing of this impulse
can bring about astonishing and delightful results.

~ Nancy Mellon, The Art of Storytelling