Storytelling 101 | The Script and Your Audience

The actors lucky enough to grace the stages of Second City know this first hand. If you’ve ever watched an episode of Saturday Night Live, you’ve seen a Second City actor. They’re good. They have a spark that is not often seen in their contemporaries. They know something that perhaps the “regular” actor doesn’t. Maybe it has something to do with this quote taken from their almanac of improvisation:

“Be willing to embarrass yourself. If you are not willing to embarrass yourself onstage, you will never ever achieve greatness as an actor.”

When I approach teaching children, I come to the table with the same thought in mind. I know that if I’m not fully committed to the role or the story, even to the point of foolishness, my audience of children may not come along for the ride.

Over the past several years, I’ve realized I keep saying the same things when it comes to storytelling. These next few posts will cover those.

The Script

Every story starts with words. These are words either given to the storyteller in a script or words that she has developed on her own to share a story on her heart. Either way, when it comes to knowing your story, you should have a good knowledge of what you want to say.

If the story doesn’t rely on more than one person to tell it, I’m not as concerned with a word-for-word memorization of the script. I’d rather that the storytellers have an intimate knowledge of the story. I want them to own it and make it their own.

If the story does rely on a host and storyteller to share the story, I want for the communicators to rehearse together at least once or twice before class and have an idea of what they will say and when they will say it. I’m fine with them owning the script and using words they would normally say if the script gives that freedom.
Storytellers should know the script well enough to tell the story without notes. If you do not have to constantly look at your notes, you will be able to engage the kids by looking them in the eye, coming down on their level, and showing your credibility.

Communication is the goal. The kids should leave the environment knowing a story from the Bible and how that story impacts their life. The better you know that story, the clearer those biblical truths will be communicated.

Hint:

I know the schedules my storytellers face each week. I don’t expect them to study their script for an hour each day leading up to the weekend services. Rather, I’d rather that the storytellers immerse themselves in the story.

We always include the original passages for where the story takes place. I want for them to read through the story in the Bible and see where in context this story fits.

I encourage them to take 10-15 minutes every day and read through the script. By the time Friday or Saturday night comes around, they will have a good idea of where they want to take the kids on their journey of discovering the truths in Scripture.

Audience and Delivery
I find a fine line exists when people communicate to children. Slipping into that not-so-but-almost-baby/child talk-thing is too easy for many of us. However, I’ve heard it said to respect your audience because their collective intelligence is greater than your own.

Storytellers and hosts should always respect their audience. Just because the audience consists of kids doesn’t mean the kids don’t care. They do.

They know when you’re not prepared. They know when you’re talking down to them. They will turn on you at a moment’s notice.

Storytellers should be wary of a condescending tone of voice. It’s a non-verbal cue that comes too easily.  If the story is told with excitement, the storyteller will engage them without talking like she’s trying to engage them.

I love for my storytellers to personalize their examples. When a storyteller does the prep ahead of time, she will have no problem having a story from her own life ready for the application at the end. Storytellers just need to keep in mind that their examples need to be age appropriate for their audience.

Confidence goes a long way. Confidence is shown in the way the storyteller speaks and they way she carries herself. Storytellers will find that as they share their script with confidence, kids will see past them and focus in on the story. And really, that is the point.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at bringing the script to stage through dramatization, characterizations, and the often mis- or un-used dramatic pause.