The tempo of storytelling should usually be faster than the normal
speed of conversational delivery. Listeners like to feel the story is
progressing. Action must take place. You can emphasize this feeling of
progress by telling the story briskly. To use a rule of thumb, if it
takes you four minutes to tell the story the first time you try, work
until you can tell the same story in only three minutes.
Practice the Story
Stories improve as they are told and retold. Needless details drop out.
Interesting additions are included. The fables, the folk stories, and
the fairy tales that compose so much of our good literature, are very
old and have been passed along by word of mouth from generation to
generation. Do not think that it is possible to tell a story just the
way you want it told on the first attempt. Not until about the tenth
telling will you reach proper efficiency.
Avoid Unimportant Details
Do not clutter up a story with side issues, unimportant characters, and
general confusion. Keep the story to its lowest common denominator. One
woman would begin a story by saying, "I want to tell you about my visit
to my sister in Chicago. She's my youngest sister (not needed for the
story) - has a brother-in-law who works in Salt Lake City (way off the
point). He's rich, believe you me. We want to go see him next year, if
he's home (you are lost completely by now), but he may be taking his
vacation in Alaska (as if you care). Oh, yes, I started to tell you
about Bertha (by this time, you are looking for a way out). She's my
youngest sister, did I tell you that? (You cannot remember and do not
care.)
If one says he is a poor storyteller, what he is saying is that he does
not know how to tell stories. Practice here makes perfect.
Be Enthusiastic About Your Own Story
We all know the storyteller who begins, "I guess you've already heard
this one, haven't you?" Or the storyteller who appears so uninterested
in his own story that we can't work up much enthusiasm ourselves. You
do not wish to go too far and laugh too loudly at your own jokes or
take yourself too seriously, but, as the stimulus, you cannot expect a
response from your group unless you radiate enough energy to cause a
reaction.
Half of the success in storytelling lies in the power of suggestion. If
you suggest to your audience that this particular story is a good one,
then you have won half the battle.
Summary
Remember that you will have to "borrow" most of your stories from
someone else. Shakespeare borrowed nearly all of his plots and yet was
very successful. If you hear someone else tell a particularly
interesting story, jot down the essentials and then practice telling it
yourself until you have put it into your story repertoire. The
communicator who has a story to illustrate his point will never be at a
loss to explain himself.
