How To Tell A Story

Narration is an art that comes naturally to very few. To tell a story in the most captivating and entertaining way is not an easy task. The storyteller should have a gripping style to woo the interest of the listeners and hold it intact, till the time the story is complete. It is even more difficult to successfully narrate a complete story to children, though they are very fond of fictional tales. Children have a very erratic attention span and one needs real talent to glue them on their seats, while the story is being told. A good story-teller is the one who is capable of delighting both the young and the old audience alike. Read the article to know some valuable tips on how to tell a story and enthrall your audience.

 

Irrespective of the age group of your audience, it is very important for the narrator to engage the listeners. One can ask any of the questions related to the story to keep the audience involved, for instance asking the listeners the location of a place or the meaning of a certain phrase. The more involved and engaged your audience is, the deeper connection you will be able to develop with them. The heart of the matter is that it is the audience who will decide how articulate and communicative you have been.

 

Being animated and lively becomes extremely important when the audience is too young, or mainly comprises of kids. A vibrant style of story telling will hold the attention of children. Move your hands and do actions for a consistent interest of the young audience. Remember, you loose the thread with the first dull moment of the story. Kids can be the most challenging audience to entertain and only a very animated story teller can grasp their attention for a long duration.

Make sure that the interest of your audience doesn’t begin to dwindle at any point. Reigniting interest in the same story is next to impossible. Continued attention is difficult to garner, especially if the story is too long. Try to enchant the listener right from the very beginning. If the audience is spellbound right from time the story opens, there is a great chance that you will easily survive any hiccups later on.

 

Eye contact with the audience is indispensable, if you want to be a successful storyteller. Some people have a tendency to look anywhere, but in the eyes of the audience, while narrating a story. It can be the biggest turn-off for the listeners, no matter how captivating your story is. Look into the eyes of the audience and shower your attention on each on of them. Do take care not to get fixated on one person only.

 

If your story is humorous, take care not to laugh too much on your own punches. Let the audience laugh, or you may appear like a fool laughing on something that may not even be remotely funny. The audience is the real judge of humor entwined in your story. So, let the people decide. However, do not keep a very serious face as well. You need to look amused, but not on the edge of rolling with laughter.