Improving Your Storytelling

1. Storytelling is a dynamic balance of imagery, audience, and self

The storyteller stands vulnerable and alone between the audience and the story, every shortcoming as noticeable and potentially as troubling as a dark smudge on a crystal windowpane.

The storytelling triangle. At the heart of storytelling lies a delicate balance between three key elements: the story itself, the audience, and the storyteller. This dynamic interplay forms what's known as the storytelling triangle. The story represents the content and imagery being conveyed, the audience embodies the listeners' needs and reactions, and the storyteller serves as the conduit, bringing the tale to life.

Balancing act. Effective storytelling requires constant adjustments to maintain equilibrium among these elements:

• Story: Clarity of imagery, structure, and meaning
• Audience: Engagement, understanding, and emotional connection
• Storyteller: Authenticity, presence, and adaptability

The storyteller must remain attuned to all three components simultaneously, making real-time decisions to ensure the narrative resonates with listeners while staying true to the story's essence and their own artistic vision.

2. Effective storytelling requires flexible attention and authentic presence

Being there requires a physical presence, of course, but it also calls for your intellectual, emotional, and imaginative presence. It implies that you actively coordinate all the artistic and practical elements in the storytelling event.

Flexible attention. A skilled storyteller's attention constantly shifts between four layers:

1. The story: Imagining and conveying events, emotions, and meanings
2. The audience: Gauging reactions and needs
3. The self: Monitoring physical and emotional state
4. Judgment: Making decisions to balance the other three elements

This flexible attention allows the teller to respond dynamically to the unfolding event, adjusting pacing, emphasis, or even story choice as needed.

Authentic presence. Beyond mere physical presence, effective storytelling demands intellectual, emotional, and imaginative engagement. This authentic presence enables the teller to:

• Fully inhabit the story world
• Connect genuinely with the audience
• Adapt to unexpected situations
• Convey the story's deeper meanings and emotions

By cultivating this holistic presence, storytellers create a more immersive and impactful experience for their listeners.

3. Understanding your Most Important Thing (MIT) guides storytelling decisions

The Most Important Thing may influence your decisions about such diverse elements of your story as participation, characterization, props, and even whether you stand or sit while telling.

Defining your MIT. The Most Important Thing (MIT) is the core meaning or message you want to convey through your story. It serves as a guiding principle for all storytelling decisions. To identify your MIT, ask yourself:

• What do I love most about this story?
• What draws me to it?
• What do I most want to communicate through it?

MIT-driven choices. Once you've identified your MIT, use it to inform various aspects of your storytelling:

• Story structure and pacing
• Character development and voices
• Use of props or visual aids
• Physical movements and gestures
• Audience interaction and participation

By consistently aligning your choices with your MIT, you create a more cohesive and impactful storytelling experience. This focus helps maintain the story's integrity while allowing for flexibility in response to audience reactions and other situational factors.

4. Oral language offers multidimensional expressiveness beyond written words

Oral language can simultaneously present a word, a tone of voice, a facial expression, a gesture, a posture, an eye direction, and an orientation in space. Each of these elements represents a dimension of communication, and the various dimensions can reinforce each other to produce something more powerful than that of words alone.

Multidimensional expression. Oral storytelling harnesses a rich array of communicative tools beyond mere words:

• Vocal elements: Tone, pitch, volume, pacing
• Physical elements: Gestures, posture, facial expressions
• Spatial elements: Movement, positioning, proximity to listeners
• Visual elements: Eye contact, gaze direction

These dimensions work in concert to create a more nuanced and immersive storytelling experience.

Advantages over written language. Oral storytelling's multidimensionality offers unique benefits:

• Simultaneous communication of multiple meanings
• Enhanced emotional conveyance
• Immediate audience feedback and interaction
• Flexibility to adapt in real-time
• Creation of shared, communal experiences

By mastering these various dimensions of oral language, storytellers can craft performances that resonate on deeper levels than written narratives alone, forging stronger connections with their audiences and bringing stories vividly to life.

5. Learning stories naturally through repeated tellings enhances performance

The process of telling the story assisted us to imagine the story more clearly and thoroughly.

Natural learning process. Rather than relying solely on memorization or rigid practice, storytellers benefit from a more organic approach to learning stories:

1. Tell the story informally, multiple times
2. Pay attention to listener reactions
3. Refine and adapt based on feedback
4. Allow the story to evolve naturally

This process helps internalize the story's structure, pacing, and emotional beats more effectively than rote memorization.

Benefits of repeated tellings:

• Deeper understanding of the story's nuances
• Increased comfort and flexibility with the material
• Discovery of new insights and connections
• Development of a more authentic, personalized telling style

By embracing this natural learning method, storytellers cultivate a deeper relationship with their stories, leading to more engaging and dynamic performances. The story becomes a living entity that grows and adapts through each telling, rather than a fixed script to be recited.

6. Performance anxiety can be managed and even harnessed for better storytelling

There is good news about fear. Here are the headlines: Half of what we call performance anxiety is useful, and the other half has no relationship to reality.

Understanding anxiety. Performance anxiety in storytelling stems from two sources:

1. Excitement/Readiness: A natural, beneficial arousal that enhances focus and energy
2. Fear: Often based on irrational thoughts or past experiences

Recognizing the difference allows storytellers to harness the positive aspects while managing the negative ones.

Strategies for managing anxiety:

• Process old fears through emotional work
• Focus on the present reality, not imagined threats
• Cultivate relaxed confidence through preparation
• Use physical techniques like deep breathing and yawning
• Reframe anxiety as excitement for the performance
• Develop a pre-performance routine to center yourself

By addressing anxiety proactively, storytellers can transform nervous energy into a powerful tool for enhancing their performances. This shift in perspective allows for greater presence, authenticity, and connection with the audience.

7. Building a support team is crucial for storyteller growth and development

Knowing how to create and maintain your support team, therefore, is essential to improving your storytelling.

Types of support. A well-rounded support team for storytellers may include:

• Rehearsal buddies: Peer coaches for story development
• Planning partners: Help with goal-setting and accountability
• Emotional support: "Feelings buddies" for processing fears and doubts
• Skill-specific coaches: Voice teachers, movement experts, etc.
• Administrative helpers: Assistance with business aspects

Benefits of a support team:

• Motivation and accountability
• Diverse perspectives and feedback
• Emotional encouragement
• Skill development and refinement
• Time management and productivity

By actively cultivating a network of supporters, storytellers create a nurturing environment for their artistic growth. This team approach helps overcome common obstacles, provides valuable insights, and sustains the storyteller through the challenges of developing their craft. Remember that building and maintaining these relationships requires clear communication, mutual respect, and a willingness to both give and receive support.

Last updated: April 11, 2025