COMM0014: Blog #2 – The Moral of the Story

This week we focused on learning the basics of storytelling, and the characteristics that contribute to a successful story.

The end of the story is the best part, so why save it until the end?

Don’t! In this digital age, attention spans are pretty short. If interest is created about your piece through your headline, don’t waste it by starting out with a bunch of fluff and useless information. The opening paragraph of your story should include the most important information. From there you (as the storyteller) can add the less important and more detailed information – this form of organization gives the moral of your story a better chance at being told. Moreover, ensure your story has direction. Keep in mind what you want the end result to be as this will help your story stay on track.

How you communicate is important.

As the storyteller it’s your job to make sure your content is engaging for your audience and provides them with a sense of value. Your story should be clear and concise, free of grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. It’s also important to have an active voice in your story, don’t be passive as this is often less interesting and unclear for your audience. Lastly, don’t be afraid to revise! You may not tell our story perfectly the first time, but it will get better.

One thing was abundantly clear from this week’s lessons – no matter what happens, storytelling and communication are here to stay.

Do you have any tips and tricks for your personal storytelling style? I’d love to hear them – leave a comment below.