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(Storytelling Training and Coaching
is also available via Skype Videoconference)

Topics include:

Story Content -- Types of Stories. Finding and Creating Stories. Elements of Stories. Symbols in Stories. Story Structure. Story and Place. Story and Community. Story and the Past. Story and the Future. Story and Personality Development.

Story Performance -- Breathing/Singing/Moving and Storytelling. Role-playing by tellers and listeners. Psychological, verbal, and physical audience-participation. Stylized speech and movement -- by the narrator, and by story characters. Timing, pacing, and rhythm; striking a pose; pauses. Story Mapping/Painting/Drawing. Storytelling accompanied by Illustrations, Puppets, and Props. Ways of Coaching Storytelling. Using stories in inspirational speeches. Using stories in sales pitches.

Three types of stories we will be working with are:
1) Folk stories (talking-animal stories, fairytales, epics, etc).
2) Personal-experence stories, and other "documentary" stories.
3) Stories that are made up.

Regardless of whether a story's characters are humans, animals, divinities, aliens, etc -- all stories are about situations. The story characters find themselves in these situations, and the listeners project themselves into these characters and situations, and identify with them. Then listeners can think and imagine if they might do things differently from how the characters do things. This gives practice for living.

Telling a story can be the first step in an interactive process. After each story is told,
1) The storyteller can lead a discussion about the story,
2) The listeners can draw/paint the story,
3) The listeners can make puppets and masks relating to the story,
4) The listeners can act-out the story as a skit.
5) The listeners can be invited to add to, and in any other way, change the story.
6) The listeners can be invited to tell additional stories that might come to mind -- real-life experiences, as well as traditional stories, etc.

Guidelines:

1) Before Telling a Story
One you have selected a story to tell:
a) Identify one or more turning points / key scenes / dramatic moments, of a story. These are scenes in which important things happen, important decisions are made, and/or important actions are taken.
b) Visualise each episode of the story, and practice describing what you see. One way to practice is alone, silently, with one's eyes closed. Also: You might write the story. You might represent the story visually, as a series of images.

2) While Telling a Story
Get to the key scenes in a timely manner. "Step into" characters (role-play), especially during the key scenes. When speaking as a character, look into the eyes of a listener and address her as if she were another character in the story. Doing this invites the listener to join the play, to pretend that she is also a character in the story. One at a time, you can do this with other listeners present.

3) After Telling a Story
Lead a conversation about the story with the listeners. Ask "open questions", such as,
"What did you think about the story?"
"How did you feel about the story?"
"What did you like about the story?"
"What do you remember about the story?"
"How do you feel about the ways the characters behaved?"
"Might there be something about the story that you might like to change?”
"What messages, morals, and meanings do you get from the story?"
(Encourage each listener to formulate this for him/herself).

In addition to Basic Storytelling, there will also be some consideration of
1) Uses of puppets in storytelling.
2) Collecting family stories, and other oral histories from various individuals and groups.
3) Story and Storytelling Tourism (visiting the countryside to visit the places of a story, and to hear and tell stories there).
4) Uses of storytelling in the Business World.
5) Methods of (spoken and visual) translation during performance.
6) Using storytelling to teach a language.
7) Using storytelling to teach any subject.
8) The history of the modern Storytelling Revival Movement around the world.

Some stories we will use:
http://www.storytellinginstitute.org/87.html

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