Good Preparation: The 4th of the 7 Techniques Utilized by Effective Public Speakers & Storytellers

1. Good Eye-Contact

2. No Distracting Motions

3. Good Enthusiasm & Expression

4. Good Preparation

5. Good Use of Voice & Good Volume

6. Appropriate Talking Speed

7. Good Use of Body & Hand Gestures

This article will address the importance of making good preparation before you perform.

Storytellers should spend a sufficient amount of time practicing their stories. Some great places to practice include performing in front of a mirror, in the shower, in the car, or in front of a friend or family member. Additionally, it can be very instructive to listen to a tape recording you have made while performing the tale or watch a videotape of the performance. Scrutinize each hand gesture and your use of body language. Listen to your phraseology and other word choices. Analyze your use of dramatic pauses and your performance style. Did you spot any places where the performance could be improved? If so, polish your skills. Practicing and fine-tuning your story performance leads toward perfection.

Should I Memorize A Story?

Should I memorize a story? Obviously if you recite a poem, it should be memorized word for word. If the language of a story is so uniquely beautiful that there is no way it could possibly be improved, than yes, the story should be memorized. Otherwise, my bias is to say no. Do not memorize a story.

There are some people who insist on telling a tale word-for-word from a story or book. As one of their listeners, I have trouble painting fully fledged story scenes. Instead, I can almost see the blank ink written on white paper. For me, the story just does not flow or feel life-giving. On the other hand, when stories are told based on an outline or storyboard, it sounds a lot more fluid and compelling.

I personally never memorize my stories. Sometimes, I will memorize the first sentence of a story to get myself started or a last sentence to wrap up the story at the end. Sometimes, I will memorize certain key phrases or words that are very striking. Other than that, I do not memorize my stories. Instead, I internalize a story to such a degree that it is almost like I am describing for the audience the scenes I see in front of my mind's eye.

In any case, practice, practice, practice your story until it feels well-honed and of performance quality. Ideally, you want to internalize this story to such a point that you feel like you know it like the back of your hand. This is extremely helpful as strange things can sometimes happen that can cause you to be distracted from your story line. The oddest experience I ever had was while performing for this one East Tennessee High School class. I was telling the compelling African tale called "The Giant Who Transformed Into A Handsome Man." I was about halfway through the story when one of the boys suddenly had an epileptic fit. The teacher and several of the boys jumped up to perform well-practiced rescue measures. Then while the teacher took the boy into the hallway to walk him around for awhile, the rest of the class sat back down. I was absolutely stunned and had totally lost my train of thought. One of the boys kindly said, "You left off at the point where ... ." He proceeded to list off what had last occurred in the story. Phew! Instant recall. I repeated his words and then I was off and running as I continued the second half of the story.

Use Of A Mindset

A Mindset is an introduction to the story that lets the audience know what they should be listening for. A mindset could be as simple as the story title and author and the words "Once upon a time" or "A long time ago" or as complex as a brief tantalizing statement of the theme of the story.

For example, in telling Jack tales, give some background on where and how they originated.

If it is a Civil War tale, ask a member of the audience if he or she can identify the time frame of when the war was fought. This will give the audience a perspective of how long ago the story took place.

Perhaps you are telling the story called "The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf." You could introduce your story with the following mindset: "This story is about a little boy who got into big trouble when he told a lie. Just listen to find out what happened to him."

What is my rationale or motivation for using a mindset? Every audience member needs time to look the speaker over to check out appearance and speech patterns. If a speaker launches right into his or her story, the audience may miss those important first sentences. Use of a mindset avoids this problem.

How Do I Add Polish To A Story?

There are several things you can do to add polish to a story. Make certain you make eye contact with the audience members. Use expression with your face and your voice. Your body and hand movements should be coordinated to the story-line. Work with the appropriate volume and modulation of your voice.

Your job is to polish the story to such an extent that you enable the audience members to suspend their disbelief as they listen. The story needs to feel so real for you that you make it real for your listeners as well. Obviously, you need to know the sequence of events in the story. Do you have a beginning, a middle, and an end to your story? If you have the ability to do so, plan voices to fit the characters of your story. Use appropriate talking speed for your words and sentences. Utilize dramatic pauses between some words for effect.

If you make a mistake in the story, keep going. Unless you alert the audience to the fact that you made a mistake, many of them will not have noticed. If possible, work your mistakes into your story so it looks as if it was intentional. Even if that is not possible, keep going anyway. "The show must go on." Most audiences are very forgiving and supportive. Please be aware that your audience wants you to be successful so that they don't have to be bored.

Don't get too attached to a certain reaction from your audience. Just because one audience group or several groups laughed at a certain place in your story, don't let yourself get thrown off if the next group simply smiles. Each audience has their own special dynamic that can't be predicted. It depends on the size of the group, the age of the audience members, and many other elements. Usually, they are still enjoying themselves whether they laugh or stay silent and alert. Go with the flow!

Make certain your story is not too long so that you don't lose the attention of your audience. Stick to the point of the story. For example, my grandmother told me family stories from the time I was a little girl. One of my favorites was "The Golden Pencil," a Civil War love story involving my great-great grandmother Salome. When my grandmother told the story, it took up to an hour as she went off on several tangents as she told. When I got permission to add this story to my repertoire, it took me a long time to whittle the story down to just sixteen minutes.

Most important of all, always leave the audience wanting more! No matter how wonderful a storyteller is, if he or she goes on for too long, the audience will leave with a negative impression and a bad attitude about ever listening to that performer again.

There is no fast way to be well prepared to tell a story well. It takes practice. It takes time. It takes a skill set. However, I feel sure you will find that the time and energy investment is absolutely worth it when performance time comes. Harnessing the energy of the audience as you tell a well-crafted tale is one of my biggest joys in life.

=========================================================================
Return to Hub page for "Storytelling Tips & Tricks Hub page."
=========================================================================