HOW DO YOU TELL A STORY?
 (THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LEARN "STORYTELLING" FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PROFESSIONAL.)

1. Telling a story is a wonderful way to entertain and/or to educate others.  I was a teacher for 39 years, and like most teachers, telling stories or giving lectures was a huge part of my day. But do you want to tell it with words, music, pantomime, puppets, live improv, video, food or art?  Which senses do you want stimulated by the people who listen to or watch your story in order to best comprehend it? Telling an effective story is not as simple as you might think. You begin, of course, by deciding what it is you want to say.  You follow this by deciding on the most effective way of telling it.  Next... you select your target audience.

 TARGET AUDIENCE

2. What exactly is a "Target Audience?"  Well, to put it simply, it is the group of people you are targeting with your story.  Many films fail at the box office due to a lack of a target audience.  You must tell your story in such a way that you entertain the group you are trying for.  A lack of preparing for a particular target audience, no matter how good your story is... usually results in a lack of effectiveness and excite-ment generated by your audience.  In analyzing your target audience, you must consider age, race,  gender, economic status, educational level as well as the preferences of the people you will be telling the story to. Your preparation is key. Next, you need to consider the "Wow Effect."

UNIQUE STYLE 

4. A story teller's "Unique Style" is their inherent ability to tell their story like nobody else.  Like a brand of clothes or a type of car, a story teller's style is obvious to anyone listening.  I remember my third grade teacher reading The Black Cat, by Edgar Allen Poe to our class on Halloween, with the lights turned out.  I never forgot this frightening story, the apprehensive experience of listening to it in the dark, or the author, Edgar Allen Poe. Remember that it is your "Unique Style" that makes or breaks the overall presentation. Decide who would best be telling this story... and be them!

WOW EFFECT

3. The "Wow Effect" in story telling is really your ability to gradually build your story to natural highs.  In musical terms, it is the ability to crescendo to a strong cadence at the right times.  A good story can have any number of "Wow Effects", but many  stories spread them out in order to build the excitement to a number of smaller plateaus, finally ending with a grand climax.  Other stories, however, have only one, single, "Wow Effect", usually held back until the very end of the story.    This type of story telling demands that the story be interesting enough to hold the audience's attention until the big ending... but it can be quite effective.  Next we must consider your "Unique Style."

PUT IT TOGETHER

5. The final stage of effective story telling is "Putting It All Together." This means the following:
A.  You have a great story to tell.
B. You will be telling it through the use of any medium you choose.
C.  You have selected your "Target Audience," and have designed this story telling experience to impress them.
D.  You have built one or more "Wow Effects" within your presentation.
E.  You have implemented your own "Unique Style." 
F.  The final step is to enjoy telling the story.  Your passion is the most important ingredient that will connect you to your target group.  Have fun!