Saturday, January 21, 2012

Effective Storytelling tips


Effective storytelling is a fine and beautiful art. A well-developed and presented story can cut across age barriers and will hold the interest and reach its listeners. Stories will be remembered long after other orations. Knowing and applying the basics of storytelling will strengthen your stories.
You are most welcome to copy and use this document! It is about 6 printed pages long. You might read some of the good books available on how to tell stories as well.
Finding stories: 
There are many kinds of stories you can work with. It is recommended you start with simple folktales, with simple elements.
While traditionally stories were learned by listening, the best source today is the children’s department of the Public Library - particularly in the section (J)398. There you will find all sorts of folk and fairy tales, tall tales, trickster stories, etc. Many stories are on the internet as well. As you browse, look for stories that "touch" you. Start with simple stories, then as your experience grows, be sure to explore and branch out.
With time you will probably find many kinds of tales that will interest you personally. All sorts to choose from including: folktales from many countries and cultures, accumulative stories, droll and humorous tales, traditional fairytales in numerous versions, wish (magic) tales, trickster tales, tall tales, myths, legends and hero tales from the sagas and national epics, animal fables, scary stories, urban legends, Bible and religious stories, literary stories, pourquoi (why?) stories. With time and experience you will want to try a variety of stories and perhaps even branch out into telling your own personal stories or giving Improvisational storytelling a try.
And be aware of copyrights, it is best to work with traditional folklore or tales in public domain, than to plagiarize a living author or storyteller without their permission. Remember to give credit to sources.


      Characteristics of a good story:
  • A single theme, clearly defined
  • A well developed plot
  • Style: vivid word pictures, pleasing sounds and rhythm
  • Characterization
  • Faithful to source
  • Dramatic appeal
  • Appropriateness to listeners
    Baker and Greene, Storytelling: Art and Technique, pp. 28
    Adapting to our audiences: 
    The audience has a very important role in storytelling - for their minds are the canvas on which the teller paints his tale. Oral storytelling involves much interaction between teller and hearer. I have observed that our audiences have lost some of the skills to follow a narrated story and see things in their minds. Storytelling has become more difficult. Attention spans are shorter and more demanding, more sophisticated, yet less able to independently imagine or visualize. People seem to need more visual stimulation.
  • Take the story as close to them as you can.
  • Keep it brief and simple- especially for younger children - pare down to the heart of the story.
  • Stimulate their senses so they feel, smell, touch and listen and see vivid pictures.
  • Describe the characters and settings, and help them sympathize with the character's feelings.
  • Aim your story at the younger ones when telling to a audience of mixed ages!
    Storytelling is a task shared by storyteller and story listeners,-
    it is the interaction of the two that makes a story come to life!
    Preparation:
    Once you settle on a story, you will want to spend plenty of time with it. It will take a considerable period of time and a number of tellings before a new story becomes your own.
  • Read the story several times, first for pleasure, then with concentration.
  • Analyze its appeal, the word pictures you want your listeners to see, and the mood you wish to create.
  • Research its background and cultural meanings.
  • Live with your story until the characters and setting become as real to you as people and places you know.
  • Visualize it! Imagine sounds, tastes, scents, colors. Only when you see the story vividly yourself can you make your audience see it!
    Stories paint word pictures and use the sound and rhythm and repetition of words.
    In developing and learning a story concentrate on its visual and audio aspects: 
    either assemble it into a series of visual pictures like a filmstrip, 
    or consciously absorb the rhythm and arrangement of the sounds of the words.
    Learn the story as a whole rather than in fragments. Master, and then simplify, its structure to a simple outline of scenes. Don't try to memorize it, though you should always know your first and last lines by heart!.

    • Map out the story line: The Beginning, which sets the stage and introduces the characters and conflict; the Body, in which the conflict builds up to the Climax; and theResolution of the conflict. Observe how the action starts, how it accelerates, repetitions in actions and how and where the transitions occur. If simplifying or adapting a story, do not alter the essential story line.
    • Absorb the style of the story: To retain the original flavor and vigor, learn the characteristic phrases which recur throughout the story. Observe the sentence structure, phrases, unusual words and expressions.
    Practice the story often - to the mirror, your cat, driving in the car, with friends, or anyone who will listen. Even when telling an old and familiar story, you must use imagination and all the storyteller's skills to make it come alive. Use your imagination to make the story come alive as you prepare.

    Give your characters personalities...live the story with them...know and feel their emotions...
    breathe the breathe of life into them, until they become so real to you
    that you feel like they are people you know.
    If you are convinced - your listeners will be too.

    Delivery elements:
  • Sincerity and whole heartedness (Be earnest!),
  • Enthusiasm (This does not mean artificial or noisy excitement),
  • Animation (in your gestures, voice, facial expressions) Stories are more interesting when there is animation and variety in the voice of the teller.

    • Particular Oral Storytelling Skills:
    A Storyteller’s skills include: emphasis, repetition, transition, pause and proportion.


  • Dialog should make use of different voices for different characters and using the Storytelling "V" - where you will shift your facing (or posture) as the dialog switches from character to character.
  • Use your voice to create the atmosphere or tension as the story progresses.
  • Use gestures and facial expressions add much to the visualization of the story. Be sure they are appropriate and natural. Practice them!
  • Pacing involves both the volume and rate at which you speak, and the progression of the action in the story. Dialog slows a story's pace down, while narrating action speeds it up.
  • Repetition and Exaggeration have always been basic elements of story telling. Experience will hone these skills, and when - and how - to use them most effectively.

    Most importantly --- relax and be yourself. Develop your own style - one you are comfortable with.
    Beginning a story: 
    Storytelling is best done in a relaxed atmosphere free of distractions. The audience ought to be comfortable and close. Candle light and campfires are ideal situations for telling stories, but often impractical. The teller needs to give careful attention to the setting before hand - and be prepared to rearrange a room to bring his hearers closer, or use a backdrop or hangings to create atmosphere - especially in classroom settings. Props, costumes, or some getting acquainted patter may also help in getting and keeping attention and creating a mood.
    Storytelling traditionally begins with a "Once upon a time..." opening. and then a storyteller’s silent pause to gather his thoughts. The traditional openings, of which there are many (often with responses from the audience), were "rituals" that served as a signal that the teller was suspending "time and space" as we know it and transporting the audience to a world of imagination and play. They identified the teller and established the audience’s commitment to accept for the moment that imaginary world and its "rules". Similar "rituals" also signal the end of the story and their return to reality. Many adults today have forgotten these "rules of the game." There are online lists of Beginnings and Endings.
    Some attention keepers:
    Many factors affect the attention of your listeners. A storyteller always needs to be sensitive to his audience and may need to regain their attention before continuing.
  • Involvement or participation. Use volunteer(s) from the audience in your story. Or have the audience participate in hand motions or making sound effects. Or responding with "chants" or refrains
  • A distinct change in your pace, voice, or mood.
  • An unusual or unexpected twist in the narration.
  • Throw-away lines or asides work well as does comic relief.
    Be especially prepared to deal with disruptions with groups of children. There is always one or two children that want the attention. Sometimes you can just ignore it; sometimes it make take a stare, or a pause till the disruptive behavior ends, sometimes maybe involving a child in your story - whatever you do - do not speak harshly or in anger, or you will lose the audience.
    Concluding:
    Once you finish the story - stop! Don't ramble on. Leave their thoughts lingering over it. Don't feel you have to explain everything, or tie together all loose ends. Let them go away thinking about what has been said, and drawing their own meaning from it!
    Applause is no measure of the effectiveness of a story presentation. Sometimes it will be exuberant, but other times the audience is quietly savoring and treasuring the story. An attentive audience and the feeling you "told it well" are the best reward you can have.
    Finally...and most importantly: The more you practice- the more skilled you will become. Don't be afraid to try different methods. Be creative. As you do learn from your experiences. Expect to flop, the best of us do. Don't be overly self- conscious. Have fun and share the joy of story.
    In the end, it is most important that you should tell your story in your own words with sincerity and enthusiasm and....
    Tell stories!, Tell stories!! Tell stories!!!
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    How to create Powerpoints!

    http://www.online.tusc.k12.al.us/tutorials/pptbasics/pptbasics.htm


    Starting PowerPoint
    To Start PowerPoint:
    1. Click on the Start button on the left side of the taskbar; then clickPrograms; then click Microsoft PowerPoint.
    Creating a Presentation Using the Blank Presentation Option
    To Create a Blank Presentation Using the Blank Presentation Option:
    1. Select Blank Presentation from the PowerPoint dialog box.
    2. Accept the Title Slide layout that has been selected for you by clicking OK. A Title Slide is then created for you to enter information.
    3. Click inside the "Click to add title" placeholder and type the title of your presentation.
    4. Click inside the "Click to add sub-title" placeholder and type your sub-title.
    Adding New Slides
    To Add a New Side to a Presentation:
    1. Click the New Slide button located at the top left of screen on the Common Tasks Toolbar or click Insert on the Menu Bar; then New Slide.
    2. Accept the Bulleted List layout that has been selected for you by clicking OK.
    3. Click inside the "Click to add title" placeholder and type the title for this slide.
    4. Click inside the "Click to add text" placeholder and type the content for the slide.
    Notes:
    Return to Slide one of using one of the following methods:
    ·         Use the Page Up key.
    ·         Click the Previous Slide button on the vertical slide scroll bar.
    ·         Drag the vertical slide scroll box up until the desired slide number is displayed.
    Using Spell Check
    To Spell Check Your Presentation:
    1. Use one of the following methods:
    ·         Click the spelling icon on the Standard Toolbar.
    ·         Select Spelling from the Tools main menu.
    Saving a Presentation
    To Save a Presentation:
    1. Go to the Menu Bar and click File.
    2. Click Save. The Save As dialog box will then appear. Change the directory, if needed, to find the directory you want to save the file. In the Filename box type the name of the file, then click OK.
    Previewing Your Presentation on the Screen
    To Preview Your Presentation on the Screen:
    1. Click the Slide Show icon (bottom left of screen).
    2. Click mouse to advance through the presentation slide by slide.
    3. Change back to Slide View to make changes. Edit any changes by clicking in the appropriate placeholder.
    4. SAVE any changes made by clicking the Save icon on the standard toolbar.
    Exiting PowerPoint
    To exit PowerPoint:
    1. Click File.
    2. Click Exit.
    Opening an Existing File
    To Open an Existing File:
    1. Click File.
    2. Click Open, or from PowerPoint dialog box, select Open an Existing Presentation.
    3. Select the file name (change Directory to Desktop if necessary).
    4. Click OK.
    Inserting Clip Art
    To Insert Clip Art:
    1. Go to slide where you want to insert clip art.
    2. Click the Layout button at top right of screen in Toolbar.
    3. From Row 3, click to select layout 2, Clip Art & Text.
    4. Click Apply.
    5. Double-click in the graphic placeholder to add Clip Art.
    6. Examine the categories of clip art. Select one of the choices.
    7. Click OK.
    8. Click Save.
    Moving and Resizing Objects
    Text, clip, and object placeholders can be moved, copied, sized, and deleted. To do this, you must first display handles to put the placeholder into an edit mode. Click on the text to display the placeholder, then click on the placeholder border to display the handles.
    When handles appear, you can size the placeholder or graphic by dragging a corner handle to resize proportionally. When you size a text placeholder, the text within it will adjust to the new borders.
    You can move a placeholder and its contents by displaying the handles, then placing the pointer on the border (not a handle), clicking and holding the left mouse button while dragging the placeholder to a desired location.
    Using Graphic Images from the Internet
    If you don't find the image you want in the MS Clip Art Gallery, one good option is to take images off the World Wide Web. You can save these files and insert them into your documents and presentations. Make sure your PowerPoint presentation is saved before you begin.
    1. Open an Internet browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape and connect to the Internet.
    2. Locate an image you want to download.
    3. Using your mouse, right-click on the image. A pop up menu with then appear.
    4. Select the Save Picture As... menu item.
    5. Save the image in a drive and folder where you can find it.
    6. Close the browser.
    7. Return to PowerPoint and go to the slide where you want to use the image.
    8. Insert the image by going to Insert, then Picture, then From File. Find the image you downloaded and insert it into your slide.
    9. Adjust the size. (See Moving and Resizing Objects.)
    Moving, Copying, and Deleting Slides
    To Move, Copy, or Delete Slides:
    1. Switch to Slide Sorter view.
    2.Click to select the slide you want to move.
    3. Drag the slide to the position where you want it to be and let go of the mouse button.
    4, Save.
    5. Copy a slide by holding down the Ctrl key and dragging the slide to the right.
    6. Delete a slide by selecting it and then pressing Delete.
    Note: Since you cannot edit slide contents in Slide Sorter view, you will need to return to Slide view to make changes and adjust text.
    Adding Transitions
    Transitions control the way slides move on and off the screen. They may be added to slides in all views, but Slide Sorter view offers the quickest and easiest way. However, other views provide a Transitions dialog box which will preview the Transition you select.
    1. Switch to Slide view.
    2. Click on Slide Show in the Main Menu.
    3. Click Slide Transition.
    4. Select a transition type and note its effect in the window on the bottom right of the dialog box. A description of transition types and their effect appears below.
    5. Also in the Transitions dialog box, you can select the speed of the transition and whether you want to change the slides manually (by a mouse click) or automatically (after a specified number of seconds).
    Adding Animations
    An animation (build) is the style in which each bulleted item and/or image appears on a slide. PowerPoint allows you to specify whether you want a slide to contain builds and the build effect. A slide that does not contain an animation will reveal all bulleted items at once during a slide show. A slide that does contain an animation will reveal no bulleted items until you activate each one when you are ready to discuss that point.
    1. If necessary switch to Slide View.
    2. Select Custom Animation from the Slide Show menu.
    3. Click the Timing tab.
    4. Click on the text you want to animate.
    5. Click the Effects tab.
    6. In the Animation dialog box which follows, you have several options for the way a bulleted item will display on a slide. Make a choice. For example, you may select Text in the Animation order box; then select an effect under Entry Animation and Sound.
    7. To have previous text dim as new text appears, click the down arrow and select your color for the dimmed items.
    8. Save and close the file.
    Note: In Slide Sorter view, slides containing builds and transitions are marked by respective icons below and to the left of the miniature slide image.
    Applying a Template
    The template option allows you to create slides with a pre-designed format. PowerPoint provides over 100 professionally designed formats with colorful backgrounds and text from which you can choose.
    1. Click the Apply Design button on the Common Tasks toolbar.
    2. An Apply Design dialog box then appears which lists the available templates. As you click on each template name, a sample of it appears in the right side of the window.
    3. After selecting the template design you desire and clicking Apply, the template design is applied to all the slides in the presentation.
    4. Save.
    Printing a Presentation
    Printing PowerPoint slides is similar to printing other documents.
    To print:
    1. Select Print from the File main menu or press Ctrl + P.
    2. Select the desired file settings and Click OK.
    Notes:
    §  In the Print dialog box which follows, you may print the active slide, a selected slide range, or all slides in a presentation.
    §  When you print all slides of a presentation, each slide prints on a separate page.
    The Print What feature allows you to indicate whether you want your presentation printed as slides, notes pages, handouts with 2, 3 or 6 slides per page, or as an outline.
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