As a Minister to Students there are a lot of times when I get the chance to tell stories to either entertain or make a point in my lesson. Storytelling doesn’t only mean telling about things that have happened to you personally. Storytelling can include you telling about something that happened to someone else, or even something that has never happened at all.
Over the years I’ve found there are things that make some storytellers good … and other storytellers great. Here are a few tips to being a great storyteller.
- Know the story well enough to make it your own. If you’re only vaguely familiar with the story you’ll stumble over the details and end up talking yourself into a corner.
- Match the length and complexity of the story to your audience. I find that if I’m telling a story about Boy Scouts to someone who knows next to nothing about the BSA I’ll leave out certain details that would tend to bore them. Similarly, if the audience has some familiarity with the Boy Scouts of America then I’ll be able to go into a little more detail and they’ll tend to understand the nuances to which I can refer. Know your audience.
- Connect to your listeners. Use eye contact. Touch them in appropriate ways. Read their body language, that’s how you’ll know if you need to adjust something in your storytelling. If you’re losing them then maybe you need to change it up a little.
- Make telling your story as multisensory and interactive as possible. The cool thing about telling a story to an audience is you get to interact with them in ways that are impossible via radio, TV or Internet. Use props, sings and other visuals. Ask questions, get involvement.
- Be sincere, be yourself. Find ways to use your strengths, skills, talents and personality. If you’re not a loud person by nature, then don’t force it. If you are loud, don’t be afraid of it.
