Leadership Journeyman, Week 3

 

This week we will be learning about STORYTELLING. I adore a good story -- I think we all do, wether we are conscious of it or not. Stories are told all around us, ALL THE TIME.

Study/Learn

Storytelling goes way back, like we studied last year in history, oral stories were the way histories and traditions were passed down for hundreds of years! During the era of history we are studying this year storytelling continued to play a great role, the storytellers were entertainers! Today we have so much easy access to stories on TV, thousands of books at our fingertips, youtube videos and on and on. Back then a troupe of actors who were skilled at telling stories in entertaining ways would band together in traveling groups and share their stories. This was a trade of the era, though it was a hard one as you were always traveling from town to town to earn your keep. 

Today people still make a living telling stories, and one of those ways is in line with your entrepreneurship class -- marketers are storytellers! They tell stories about their brand, they tell stories about themselves, they tell stories to connect people to whatever they are selling and when it's done well, it's the most powerful marketing strategy out there.

One experiment called the Significant Objects experiment had two men studying the power of story in marketing and sales. They bought 100 cheap, junky items from thrift stores and garage sales -- anything from a porcelain angel with a broken wing to a box made out of popsicle sticks -- and asked professional writers to give each item a story. The stories were as varied as the writers and the objects and the two men posted the items on ebay, but this time with the story attached in the description of the product.

Those items that were purchased for a total of $128 sold for $3,612 just by giving them a story! (if you find this fascinating or want to read some stories and see some of the junk, you can click here: https://significantobjects.com/)

So, we are going to do an intro to storytelling course this week and pick up some storytelling skills.

We're going to start by brushing up on our storytelling knowledge. I would like you to:

• Create an outline in your commonplace book about "How to Tell a Great Story" and read the following articles, adding what you learn from them onto your outline. Showing me your outline/notes will be your ticket into class. 

• Read this article on storytelling:
  https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-become-a-great-storyteller#6-tips-for-becoming-a-great-storyteller

• Read this article on what to avoid when storytelling:    https://www.fastcompany.com/40567260/want-to-be-a-great-storyteller-first-break-these-habits

Know/Understand

We are now going to craft a story that you will tell to the whole group during journeyman. Here are the action steps to take:

• Choose what kind of story you will tell. A family history story? A personal story? A funny story, anecdote or story of overcoming a challenge? You can retell a scripture story or a children's story. You could google myths, fables, folklore, fairytales or legends and use those as your stories as well. You can definitely use a story that we are familiar with (such as a bible story or fable) but note that this will require putting it into your own words AND really focusing on how to make it interesting because we will already be familiar with the story.
• Write out your story in your own words, I would like it to be between 450-600 words, NO MORE. We mentioned a story mountain in class and if you're not familiar with that then know it is a basic format for a story. I'll include an image here if it's helpful, note that this is just ONE type of structure for storytelling.

• Finally, now that your story is written, you need to practice TELLING your story. The most well-written story can still be a bore to listen to if it's not told with energy, pauses and voice inflection. I would like you to tell your story to three different adults, three different times and get feedback each time. Ask them what you can do to improve your story and your presentation.

Once you have done all that you are prepared for journeyman! Come ready to participate in our storytelling festival as we share our stories together as a class :)