How to tell a story–Sean Buvala’s technique

Storyteller and coach of storytelling techniques, Sean Buvala, takes us on a quick journey into storytelling tips and learning!

I find his quick technique is quite easy to use, and is practical too. Below is his method to learn a new story:

1. Decide on the story you want to tell.
2. Hand write an outline of the story, episode by episode.
3. Using your own words and the outline you made in #2, write out the complete story by hand or create a storyboard as shown in the video.
4. Use the tool you made in #3 to practice your story aloud and by yourself.
5. Cut out parts of the story that slow the story down.
6. Repeat the story with the new parts and pieces. Don't memorize. See the action in your head.
7. Tell your story to a trusted friend or associate. Ask for *genuine* advice.
8. Add more emotion to your story.
9. Tell your story to an audience. Be confident!

You've just learned your brand-new story. Congrats! Awesome!

For even more coaching on storytelling, please visit www.seantells.com and http://www.storytelling101.com

Here’s the link to the video detailing points above:

http://youtu.be/mOA8mUflH-Q

Photo and video credit:

www.seantells.com

Teaching through Storytelling

There are many creative ways that teachers can do to motivate their students. One of them is through learning by storytelling technique.

Storyteller Roger Jenkins who has provided storytelling courses for teachers since 1998 says “Storytelling is a powerful tool. Besides learning language, it also allows bonding between children and educators.”

When asked how stories can be used to teach other subjects besides English, he gave an example of a teacher who used a story to teach her students about the rainforest ecosystem in Science class.

The story was about a girl trapped in the rainforest. While she was walking, she noticed the different flora and fauna and even noticed the insects that the animals ate.

The teacher included all the details that she wanted to teach in the story. “The students aced the exam,” Jenkins shares.

“Teachers can use stories to ensure greater retention and understanding because a story gives context to the information rather than just isolated bulletpoints.”

In this 10 minute demo video, one of my favourite storyteller, Roger Jenkins shows how he tell using puppets, cut-outs, pictures (in this case via powerpoint), masks, props, mime, magic, sounds and audience interaction.

http://youtu.be/MOHN1NteQ_M

Photo credit:

chinadaily.com.cn

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