Tips for Telling Ghost Stories for Halloween or Anytime

Effective ghost story telling is an art and requires practice so why not start preparing for a scare show this Halloween. With a little preparation and thought, you can create a ghost story telling tradition of your own. Of course, it does not have to be Halloween night to tell a good ghost story.

1. Choose a good story.

Whether you choose a classic, create your own or search through the internet libraries of ghost stories, make sure that you have a good story. It shouldn't be too long or wordy. It must engage your audience immediately, if it doesn't, you will lose their attention whether they are 6 or 60. The conclusion must be satisfying and somewhat believable. If it doesn't connect the dots or seems to abruptly end, it will leave your listeners unsatisfied.

2. Tailor your story and techniques for your audience.

As you decide the story to tell, you should also think of your audience. Determine the essential elements that make your story scary. It should not only be descriptions of blood and guts. Feel free to tweak and adapt the story to your audience. If it's an old tale that you think your teenagers won't relate to, modernize it. Change the setting, the language and the characters. You are in control.

3. Create a spooky setting.

Sit in a circle or half-circle to create an intimate feel. It can take place indoors or outdoors but it should be dark enough that you can't see outside the circle but light enough to see each other's faces. If it's Halloween, the glow of jack-o'lanterns in the background will create an eerie natural lighting. If appropriate, play some music in the background.

4. Dress up for your role.

You may wish to dress up as a ghost or scary creature to tell your tale. Or you wish to wear the attire of one of the main characters of your story. Or it might just be scarier yet to tell it in your everyday clothes.

5. Modify and vary your tone as you tell your tale.

As you tell the story, use an expressive tone. Nothing deadens a story like a monotonous voice. You should raise and lower your pitch at appropriate times during the story. You may be whispering at one point and yelling at another. If there is dialogue in your story, create distinctive voices for the characters so that your listeners will be able to tell them apart.

6. Use gestures and facial expression to convey added meaning to your story.

Your facial expression and hand gestures are just as important as your voice. They add meaning and credibility to your story. If a character is holding an axe in the story, you may want to demonstrate the way she is holding it. If a character encounters a foul odor during the story, you want to show that with your face. Your audience will not only be listening to your story, they will be watching you.

7. Maintain eye contact with your audience.

If you look at your audience in the eye as you speak, they will be more engaged. They are also likely to find your story a bit more believable.

8. Create sound effects for key points of your story.

You can do this yourself or recruit a partner. Instead of telling your listeners that door slammed closed suddenly, make a loud slap or better yet have a secret partner slam a door closed in the room where you are.

9. Pause for dramatic effect.

Find the highly suspenseful moments of the story where your listeners will be attentively waiting to find out what happens next and then pause. Pauses can also be effective when you want the listeners to imagine the scene, for instance, if you have just told your audience that the teenagers entered the empty and silent house, pause. Let them hear the silence and imagine what it looked like inside that house.

10. Practice practice practice!

This last step is the most important. Practice first alone. Plan your story telling and try it out. Listen to yourself. You may find that you make mistakes or confuse events in the story or forget some of the story telling tips discussed here. Then practice your story telling on your brother, your mom, your wife, your best friend or whoever will listen. Something that seemed easy to understand or follow when you were practicing alone might be confusing to a listener. Don't just ask them how it was, watch and listen to their reactions. Then adjust and practice some more.