Check out this interview with Dr. Howard Suber, of the UCLA Producers Program. One part that stood out to me was his answer to the question, “What do all great stories have in common?” Dr Suber responds: The word “but.” Which is to say inexperienced or poor storytellers structure their material with the words “and” or “then.” So “They did this, and then they did that, and then they did this, and then they did that,” which produces an episodic…
Just read a great post, A Refresher on Storytelling 101, by JD Schramm. Here are a few of my favorite parts Parachute in, don’t preamble. The best storytellers draw us immediately into the action. They capture our attention and set the tone for a unique audience experience. Avoid opening with “I’d like to tell you a story about a time when I learned…” Instead, drop us into the action and draw the lesson out later. This is a huge challenge for…