Live Storytelling is a dynamic, two way process! You must be at ease with your audience. The listeners’ input is important to the development of your performance. No story should ever be simply learned off by heart and performed as a set piece – and it should never be a reading! A good storyteller does it differently every time! Always remember that storytelling takes place in the mind of the listener.

So - begin at the beginning! Many tellers have a ‘traditional’ opening that sets the mood, from the West Indian Cric, Crac to the longer offering of stories with love....click here for an example - I tend to set the scene.........

From this point, you simply follow the plot from the beginning, through the middle and on to the end - always allowing for deviation and development as you go.

When you first begin, you may wish to map the plot as a series of stepping stones, cue cards, a time line/flow chart or a story sketch (All available on ‘resources’ page).

Concentrate on getting the pictures that are in your mind out of your mouth, through the ears of the listeners and into their mind – a simple transfer that involves all of Donald Davis’ five languages of storytelling (see: www.callofstory.org) - gesture, sound, attitude, listening and words.

You might like to start with a story you have collected from a teller – always acknowledge your source - or by retelling a well known folk tale/fable (Library classification: 398.2) or by telling a personal or family story.

If you want to ‘grow your own’ story, check out the storytelling resources page for story cards and story starters.

Keep practicing! Look up the performance skills assessment sheets to see if your performance is missing anything. The best way of becoming an effective storyteller is storytell.

(For details of storytelling workshops or teacher in-service training please click here)