Learning How to Become a Good Storyteller

There are many times throughout your life when being a good storyteller could come in handy. If you have children, you've probably told the traditional bedtime stories – Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Princess and the Pea, or others – hundreds of times.

Learning how to become a good storyteller could make your job as a parent or grandparent much easier. You may also need to be a good storyteller as a business owner, employee, writer, teacher, or in many other occupations.

There are two items that are absolutely necessary for being a storyteller. A storyteller needs a good story that is relevant to the audience. Be sure you know what you're trying to convey to your audience and keep their interests in mind as you unveil your story.

Be aware of how you're presenting the story, whether orally or written. What tone are you projecting? Are you trying to rush the story to completion? Your presentation will determine how well the audience is pulled into the story.

 Tips To Help You Become a Better Storyteller:

1. Read, read, and read some more. You'll stand a better chance of becoming a good storyteller if you're exposed to good stories.

   * Think back to the stories you enjoyed as a child or authors that held your imagination. Use those stories as guidelines for creating your own.

2. Write everything down. If you write down your experiences, things you've heard others say, or dreams you have had, you may be able to incorporate some of that into your stories.

3. Don't limit yourself. Maybe you're interested in storytelling to entertain your children or grandchildren. Start writing your stories down or record them as you tell them to your children or grandchildren.

   * You may decide to create a book of stories much the way Frank Baum did with the OZ stories or C.S. Lewis did with The Chronicles of Narnia.

4. Stick with what you know. Tell stories about something you're passionate about. When you know your subject matter, it's easier to weave a story.

   * Create your stories based on people you know but change the names to protect the innocent.

5. Determine what you want to communicate. If you're telling a story to children, your purpose will be to entertain and teach them. If you're using a story to help you sell something, your purpose will be to elicit an emotional response. The reasons for each story are entirely different.

6. Think of your audience. Keep a story simple for children and increase its complexity with older audiences.

   * Children have a shorter attention span than adults, so short stories work better with them.

   * Too many details or a story taking too many detours also bogs down children. Keep it simple.

7. Pay attention to the world around you. Have you noticed a need that's not being met? You could tell a story to call others to action. If you're a business owner, you can use a popular trend as a basis for a story on your website. Or if you're a stay-at-home mom or grandmom, you might be able to use a tip you learned from another mom to tell a story to your kids.

8. Learn to stick to the essential facts. Storytellers, especially new storytellers, have a tendency to take off on rabbit trails that have nothing to do with their story. By straying from the story, you'll lose your audience's attention.

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