by Violet Buckley

Created on: April 14, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2010

When I was a kid, I really loved to listen to stories as most kids do. My father is the best story teller I've ever had. My siblings and I were so delighted when my father called us every night to gather around the living room and listen to his stories. He is a very good actor because he really acted according to what the characters are doing in his story. Most of his stories are true to life. Like the experiences he encountered when he was at work, or experiences with his friends. He is so funny, we keep on laughing all the way through because of his actions. Sometimes, I enjoyed a lot of his actions more than his story. I can feel how the story happened because he will act according to what the story tells, he changes his voice according to how the character said it, He is full of action. I really love it.

When I was in college, there were some students who took up Elementary Education courses and were very good in telling stories to the kids. Even the adults enjoyed it. I admired the way they imparted and give life to their stories. I just wonder if I could do it the same way if ever I will be requested to tell a story. What I did was, I practiced telling stories to my room mates, and to my surprise they enjoyed having me tell stories most of the time. I joined the community outreach group and I was assigned to be the story teller to the kids.

Here are some good points as an art of story telling.

KNOW YOUR STORY. It is very important for the story teller to know his story very well. It is easy to relate if he mastered every detail of it. The sequence of events, the characters, etc.
Some story tellers lost tract of their stories and they keep on going back and forth. This will
distract the listeners' focus and lost interest of the story. But if the story teller knows the story very well, this will add to the excitement of the listers.

FEEL YOUR STORY. I love this part, feel your story. Some story tellers to small kids, would start the story by saying..... " OUR STORY TODAY IS ABOUT", well, this is good but, seems like a passive way of relating something. The best that could attract listeners is to go directly to your story and feel how the characters feel. As if you are in that character. If the characters laugh, cry, angry, scared or whatever feelings they have, live on it.

ACT YOUR STORY. This is exciting. I enjoyed this part when the story teller acts his story. I remembered when my father crawl under the bed because that was what the character did in his story. Acting the story is the best way to impart the message you are going to tell to your audience. Good actor must be alive in relating his story. This also means giving life to the story. Facial expressions and body language are included in this area.

USE COSTUMES. Costumes or materials used in the story could help make the story alive. The story teller could use the materials or costumes to demonstrate how the characters in the story used them. This would help his audience to visualize the events of the story how it happened.

HAVE A GOOD CLIMAX. The climax is usually towards the end of the story. Be sure to have a good climax because this will determine the real score of your story whether it is good, better or best. A good story teller who knows how to put a good climax in his story, can turn all types of stories to be good to his listeners to hear.

The art of story telling could be learned. We can learn from people who are good in telling stories, we can read books on how to tell stories effectively and we can practice it everyday at home, at work and wherever we are.

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