The Future of Storytelling is In Its Past (Part One)

I have been intrigued by some online conversations lately about the past and future of corporate storytelling. I will be writing a few more posts about this subject. Here's my first post.

The future of storytelling for business and nonprofit work is in its past. The foundation of storytelling has not changed. The need for storytelling has not changed. There is a reason that "how to tell a story" is a major Google search term.

Let's define some terms. "Story" exists in many forms. Beginning, middle and end all create a narrative "thing" that can be expressed through a variety of mediums such as dance, written word, digital audio and video and then, yes, storytelling.

"Storytelling" is another term we keep tossing about these days. To tell a story you need at least two people together at the same time: the teller and a listener. Without the storyteller in the room with the audience, you do not have storytelling. You have another expression of story. Without an audience in the same place as the storyteller, you may also have another expression of story, but it's not storytelling.

How you express story is your choice. As a storyteller, I have also used story in video, podcasts, on the page and in audio recordings. Those are not storytelling. Only when I can be with my audience, when I can see and hear them breathing, laughing and responding am I storytelling. Storytelling techniques are not digital techniques.

So, the past of storytelling was/is in the hearts and souls of millions of listeners. These millions of listeners heard the story proclaimed, saw the storyteller as real and human and participated in the creation of the storytelling event.

In that past, storytelling took one more leap into the next breath of the future. 2000 years ago, 200 years ago, 20 minutes ago, story moved forward in storytelling.

So now, we're abuzz with the buzz of "storytelling" for business and nonprofit use. After 25 years of doing this, I have seen the groundswell rise until we have a cacophony of experts, guides, coaches, conferences and strategists all ready to speak about story. Business owners are desperate to know what is the newest and latest technique to bring storytelling to their clients.

Look to the past. Storytelling is a relationship and conversation. It is an agreement between at least two parties to delve deep into the way "what if" became "what was" leading to "what will be." To business and nonprofit leaders, I ask you: what is your face-to-face relationship with your clients and customers? Are you still "we" to their "them?" Can any of your customers put a name to the storyteller they've met in your company?

Are you filling the conversation with noise? Is there a chance for your clients to meet a real person or are they forced to run only through your gauntlet of the social media cocktail-party and look-at-me loud videos?Are they lost in your forest of customer service? Where in your plan is the person-to-person live interaction? The future of storytelling is its past: converse with your customers. Tell and be heard. Hear and be informed.

In the past, storytelling taught the values of the community. Storytelling gathered the tribe to hear and feel the history of the group. Storytelling laid the groundwork for new innovation not because of the sophistication of the story but rather the listeners' ability (need?) to touch and interact with the mind of another live, in-the-moment storyteller. A story is an expression of "this was." Storytelling opens the door to "this could be."

If you want to move forward with storytelling for your business, you need to embrace this basic human need: "I need to talk with someone." The future of storytelling for your organization lies in its past: human interaction trumps noise. Stop being noisy and move to interaction.

I think we need to keep at the many ways to express story as I listed up at the top of this article. But don't call them storytelling. Rather, teach every member of your company the stories of your group. Teach them how to bring forth the stories of your collective past and to catch the stories as they continue to happen. Teach them to speak those stories to each other and clients.

The future of business storytelling is in its past and foundation:
people to people,
voice to voice,
face to face.

******
The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach. Photo courtesy of http://www.fotolia.com/ .

Video: How to Use Gestures in Storytelling and Public Speaking

Here's a brand new, eight-minute video on using gestures in storytelling and public speaking skills. We are thinking about making a series of storytelling techniques videos. Storytelling for teens? Storytelling for business? This is a prototype we assembled here in the office. (I said "we" like I have a monkey in shirt pocket.)YouTube of course botches the quality of these things but you can see a High-Quality version at YouTube or I can get you the 1.7 Gig version if you want it. Don't watch it in full-screen. Eww.

Have fun watching. It was fun to make. Any of you video production people want to joint venture with me on a project? Ahem.




The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Are Videos Really Storytelling?

Over at Kathy Hansen's excellent blog, A Storied Career, she posted a very popular video that's floating around the Internet. It's a visual explanation of the financial crisis. I truly enjoy Kathy's blog and think she's one of the few quality and consistent bloggers for storytelling out there.

I disagreed, in this case, that the video was storytelling. Regarding the video and digital storytelling, my casual comments I left were:

It's informative.
It's useful.
It's fun to watch.
It's a great video experience.
It's educational.
It's a way to understand a complex subject.
It should be seen by many people.
It's something that I am glad that I watched.
It's something that deserves attention.

It doesn't need to tagged as storytelling to make it valuable. It stands well on it's own as a powerful video that serves a good purpose. It has value as art in its use of video.

If everything is storytelling, then nothing is storytelling.

It's not storytelling.

A hammer is no less a valuable tool just because it's not a screwdriver.

This video doesn't have to be storytelling in order to still be excellent.

And it is excellent.

Kathy, you have illustrated the a real issue: Just what is storytelling?

For me, storytelling takes people. I have videos on YouTube of me doing storytelling, but the videos are *not* storytelling. They are video records of my storytelling and they pale by compare to the video quality and technique of the above video you posted.

We do a disservice to both storytelling expertise and video expertise by not treating each to its own unique charism and definition.

I can talk about the financial crisis by retelling (speaking) the stories of others or using world tales to illustrate the meaning. A program of these stories, used to frame the video above, would be a powerful evening of conveying an idea through the dual communication methods of storytelling and video.

If I had to attach a shelf to a wall, I would have different tools to choose from based on how I wanted the shelf attached. I could use a hammer, screwdriver or glue gun, for example. Each is a different way of getting to the same goal.

If I had to talk about the financial crisis, I could choose different tools based on how I wanted the audience to understand the issue. I could use oral storytelling, writing, video or dance. Each is a different way of getting to the same goal.

I shall stop rambling now.

Let's stop calling all communication storytelling. Let's recognize that there are many ways to get a message out and storytelling, the one-to-one even-in-a-crowd oral technique (or ASL), is one very exciting way. Let's not dilute everything into one single pool called storytelling. Let's value the many ways to express story.

Having practiced and taught the art of storytelling for many years, I think it's the most effective and cost effective way to communicate. However, I know that all art forms (video included) are equally important contributors to the conversation.

By the way, add Kathy's blog to your regular reading. It's that good.

The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Halloween Video

A small Halloween tale for you. "Two Farthings" by the Brothers Grimm.








The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Stone Soup Noodles

Took a day off last week to create some soup with my helpers, daughter #4 and cousin #3.

We made spinach noodles, vegetarian soup and chicken soups.

Since I tend to think in narrative and story, I kept being reminded of the STONE SOUP story. Here's an audio version in the podcast from the ACT!VATED STORYTELLERS There is some background information at WIKIPEDIA but like many wiki entries there, not everything is correct. I am pretty hard -pressed to find a Grimm Brothers' version of this story. I think it is better traced through stories from Eastern Europe in variants such as "nail soup."

If you have not made home-made noodles before, then let me guide you. Follow the pictures above. You'll first need to create the dough, consisting of flour, spinach, eggs and olive oil.

We use a hand-cranked pasta machine that requires more hands than one person has. We end up with four long stretches of flat noodle dough. These are then run through the other end of the machine to cut them. When they are cut, some of them still stick together and get hand-separated by the assistants. As they lay on the drying racks, they become a tunnel of noodles, as you can see here by the spelunkers.

While the noodles dry, the soups are attended to. You can see our two pots of soups going at it in the pictures above.

Once the noodles dry, it is time to cut them down to size. They can stay long, but for soup we trim them down with kitchen scissors. There's a picture of the pile there.

After a little more drying, the noodles go into the pot of boiling water just as any pasta would be cooked. Noodles made this way cook very quickly, about 3 minutes vs. the 8 for packaged product.

As you can see by the last picture, noodles must be slurped to really get the full effect.

Making noodles is a time-intensive process and will be an occasional treat at our house. Cost-wise, we're looking about the same as packaged pasta although the flavor is decidedly different and better. However, the memory-making and education/learning components of doing a project like this with children is above and beyond the discussion of cost and time.

So, want to connect story to lesson planning? How about stone soup created in the classroom? How about noodles created as part of the that process?

Stone soup and spinach noodles. Now, there's a story.

Free Storytelling ECourse

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Use the form on this page to get started today. You’ll get your first lesson in a day or so.


The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Every Business Needs the Power of Storytelling

“But I don’t need corporate storytelling, it has nothing to do with my work.”

I was in a city across the country from me and I was teaching the corporate storytelling version of my “Storytelling 101" presentation for a large company. The training had been designated as a “not mandatory but we want you to be there” event, so some people came to the meeting just a bit hostile.

During the break, I was, umm, sitting in the bathroom and behind a closed door. That’s all I will say about that. Just know that those who came in could not see me. Two other men entered the bathroom and as they washed their hands, they began to talk about how “stupid” it was for them to be there at storytelling training. “What do I need corporate storytelling for?” the first man asked the other and continued with other gripes.

I stepped out of the place I was sitting which I think shocked the first guy. Perhaps surprised to see me and a bit embarrassed about griping about the speaker behind his back, the first man then started in on me about “what could a storyteller teach me?”

Washing my hands, I asked him, “So, what do you do here?”

He then went on to explain that he directed the process where the company secured new buildings. He told me about how they have to help the decision makers understand how the building will be used, not just how much it costs. He then told me about one particular building they acquired that was now used to help families work through long-term illness saying, “What a difference it makes in the lives of people.” The pride of his work was clearly reflected in his conversation.

I said, “You know, that was a great story you just told me.”

He stopped, took a long look into the mirror and sighed. He knew I had caught him in the proof that every area of every business uses storytelling. He knew that he had just used storytelling to tell me about his work.

This executive looked right at me, mumbled, “Oh, (censored)” and walked out the door.
My new corporate friend was very attentive the rest of the training session.

No matter what your company is about, I would be honored to train you and your staff in the power of corporate storytelling. Please let me know how I can help you.

The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

How to Craft a Story

The essential nature of crafting a story is simple. It applies no matter the final audience, from audience of children to corporate training seminars.

1. Start at the end. “Why am I telling this story? What is the point of my story?” Your listener may not hear the same point, but what is your point?

2. Break the story into parts for “Episodic Telling.” Don't memorize words, rather move through sequences of the story.

3. Dump the parts that are not essential to answering the questions in #1.

4. Use simple words to assemble the parts of the story into one flowing narrative.

5. Tell it to someone. Get feedback. Refine.

6. Repeat

The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Story. Interruption. Storinterrupry. Interrustoryption.

Is some of this ADD we're seeing our fault?

The more I work as a performing artist in schools, the more I think we (the adults aka the system) are somewhat to blame for this ADD (attention deficit disorder) epidemic.

There are exceptions, but during the last year as a storyteller, I've noticed the following are rather standard at every school in which I have performed or done a residency:

...Classrooms placed next to the choir and orchestra rooms- with that constant noise coming in and out of classes that are not music classes.

...Adults who use whistles a bit too much.

...Adults who, while I am performing, walk right in front of me as I am speaking.

...Bells, tones, chimes going off continuously during sessions.

...Unplanned, verbal, over-the-speakers announcements given in the middle of sessions.

...Militaristic guarding of who can and can not walk around, near, through or about locations, doors, and sidewalks. Cafeterias are guard-dog-like guarded from who may and may not step into those spaces.

...Cavernous Cafeterias/Gyms, poorly designed for sound, being used for school presentations, with echoes and reverb so bad I had to move parts of the shows.

...Children, lots and lots of children, being called out of presentations to go to yet another piece while the first piece they are watching is ongoing.

...Story interruption story interruption storyinterrupstory stinterrutory storyinterstoy storyinterstory story interrupstory interruption. story. bell.

...Adolescent students slamming energy drinks as if they are drinking bottles of water.

...Computer tech people talking on phones while performances are going on.

...Teachers who talk, in small groups in the middle of the audience, the entire time the children are watching the performance. Woe to the presenter who dares correct these teachers, too.

...Adults who yell at entire assemblies of children for not being quiet right after the presenter asks them to participate.

...Corn-syrup laden treats given to children as "after school" snacks.
I enjoy doing the school shows. In being honest, however, the distractions are so bad in some cases that I have trouble concentrating with my own version of ADD and Fog. How do we expect children to survive this? If our corporate offices ran like this, there would be meetings about efficiency and solving the "noise crisis."

I understand that teachers are, usually, doing the best they can in these situations. And I know that ADD, in some cases, is biological. It will be interesting to see how many people leave me flaming comments before they even read this last paragraph. I'll get to rest my case then.

The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Roadblock #3: Echo Chambers

Let’s continue the “10 Roadblocks to Your Success as Professional Teller” series. Today I am writing about number 3: You are talking to the same people over and over again who are talking about the same subjects over and over again.

In looking through my latest copy of Storytelling Magazine (no online options as it is a printed magazine you can get only as a membership benefit or paying the $7.50 each cover price), I was scanning all the advertisements for storytelling festivals. Going from festival ad to festival ad, you’ll see mostly the same featured faces. Miss a storyteller this year at your festival? Fear not, because they’ll be back in two to three years.

Very frequently, we are hearing the same voices. Most are talented. But they are the same voices. The same sounds reverberating at our audiences. It is an echo of the echo of previous events.

Storytelling, festivals and otherwise, suffers a bit from an “echo chamber” effect. To help explain what I mean, I looked for a good definition online. I found one in Wikipedia, the best source never to be believed: Metaphorically, the term echo chamber can refer to any situation in which information, ideas or beliefs are amplified or reinforced by transmission inside an ‘enclosed’ space.

There are a number of conversations going on about storytelling, but they are behind closed, protected doors. Tim Ereneta writes much more eloquently about these things than I do. Some of the most common of these groups are the Storytell listserv, the new professionalstoryteller.ning.com and Storytelling Magazine. There is the Festival circuit as mentioned above. On the local level, you probably have a guild you participate in. I am part of all these lists and groups.

In most of these online groups, there are few fresh new discussions. Safe topics and queries get rehashed. There is often a fine sense of community once you find your way past the virtual gate, once you learn the rules. Community is valuable, but does it spread the word and power of storytelling? Mutual admiration is good and sometimes deserved, but there is little real critique of the work of storytellers both near and far. Part of this gentleness is due to the usually generous nature of we middle-aged storytellers. However, the other part is in fear. “If I make a direct statement, someone might do the same thing about my work.”

For example, in trying to develop a recognized Storyteller.net award system for storytelling recordings, the biggest problem was trying to find a panel to judge submissions. I am unwilling to be a panel of one like other award programs use. I could not gather a panel as not one storyteller wanted to be identified as part of the group that passed opinion on another storyteller.

First: “Your CD is great!
Second: “YOUR CD is great!”
First: “Oh, thank you. Your CD is great.”
Second: “Thank you, your CD is great too.”
First: “Oh, really? Yes, your CD is really great.”
And on and on and on, echoing down the line.

As I listen to other tellers describe things to me directly, it appears to me that many storytelling guilds in the U.S. are simply social clubs. There is much patting on the back, much nurturing, much caring community. Guest speakers are always other storytellers who do little to rock the boat or bring in fresh ideas. After the meeting, it is lunch and snacks. “I will say nice things about your storytelling so you’ll say nice things about mine.”

In these enclosed spaces, in these echo chambers, storytelling withers.

Generally, I do not think any of these groups or membership in them are a problem. What is the problem is our collective lack of outreach to the world. What is the problem is our fear of critique. In testing our new “Outside In” coaching method, the biggest challenge is having the coaching group have a non-apology-wrapped opinion about the work of another teller.

I suggest that we open the doors and windows, let the echoes out and begin to hear new voices or old voices in new ways.

New Conversations In Our Guilds
Invite guest speakers from outside of your storytelling group and indeed from outside of the storytelling artform. Stop separating the “youth tellers” from the adult tellers, throw them all into the same room at the same time. Invite such people as accountants, yoga teachers, marketing consultants, musicians, theater critics, painters and others to attend. Learn from them. Maybe you will even end up teaching them.

Find new ways in your guild to coach each other, being fresh, supportive, honest and challenging. Make this article a subject of your next meeting. Hash it out, own what’s real, congratulate yourselves if these thoughts do not apply to your group. Try something new if your guild has become an echo chamber of warm-fuzzy thoughts.

New Conversations In Our Festivals
Fight to eliminate the “regional teller” or “new voices” labels. Sure, bring in one of the circuit-riding hired lips. Have fun as most are lively, talented folks. Then, fill the rest of the event with your own local talent, talent you are growing in your freshly-refocused guild meetings. Remember the theater critic from the paragraph above? Invite them to the festival and hope they write about you or talk about you in their newspapers, TV and radio programming.

By the way, the idea that “if we do not book XYZ teller, then we won’t have an audience” is letting fear dictate your festival or event roster. Remember, when you started, no one knew who XYZ was. And if XYZ teller joined a monastery tomorrow, took a vow of silence and never spoke into the echo chamber again, would you shut down your festival?

New Ways to Communicate In Our Online Presences
Keep participating in the closed groups if it helps you. And, for every few postings you have in these groups, post something on your open, public Blog that the general public can read, see, agree or disagree with and learn from. Be a visible storyteller. Develop a thick skin and put yourself, and your opinions, out there. Develop a professional “social network” right out in public, where young people and others can see we are active, real and engaged. Post your videos and stories for all to see and hear.

We have lots of “niceness” echoing in storytelling. Why not knock down some walls and let’s have some “freshness” resounding as well?

(The illustration at the top of this article was done by www.gapingvoid.com. Warning: don't go there unless you can handle adult language and directness about marketing.)
The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

We Join Orville Fisk as He Buys a Camera.

Orry, knowing that many cameras are good for those who love photography, seeks out a new camera. We join the conversation between O.F. and Them:

OF: I would like to buy this camera you are selling for $85.

T: No, you have it wrong. That camera is only $20!

OF: That is a great deal! It’s a nice camera and even does some things the other camera does not do.

T: I am glad you like it and it is a good deal.

OF: Okay, here is my $20. When will I get my camera?

T: Right after you pay the store membership fee of $65 dollars.

OF: Wait you said it was only $20.

T: Right, it is. Just $20.

OF: So, just take my $20 then.

T: No, pay the $65 store fee first.

OF: But, wait, I asked you for this camera at $85 and you just said it was $20. I am confused.

T: Oh, nasty rumor. See, the camera is just $20 but you have to be a member of our store to get that.

OF: So, it’s $85 for me to have this camera right now.

T: No, you are not listening. It’s only $20.

OF: So, then what happens to my $65?

T: We send you a guidebook a few times a year with articles about taking pictures. And you get a discount when you come to the picture-taking convention with the folks who invented photography.

U: But, I can get those articles online for free. And some of those inventors don’t use digital cameras.I just wanted the $20 camera.

T: Now wait, you’re not one of them go-it-aloners are you? If you are not with us, then you must be the problem. We have to keep this pretty store open. You are a Trouble Maker, Mr. Orville Fisk!

OF: Ugg, okay. Here is $85. May I please have my camera now?

T: Yes, here it is, your $20 camera.

OF: It’s a nice camera! Now, since this is digital, then I will see my pictures right away, right?

T: No, we have to approve the pictures you are taking. That takes about 24 hours.

OF: Why do you have to approve my pictures?

T: Because someone once took a picture of some Latin words scribbled on a wall. And many people don’t understand how to take pictures. We have to help them.

OF: What?

T: Never mind, you wouldn’t understand. We’re a big giant store and you are just a big giant individual and they wouldn’t send pictures of Latin words to you.

OF: I am confused.

T: Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy your $20 camera. Here is your receipt.

OF: It reads "$85."

T: You must be reading it wrong, you paid $20 and $65, not $85. And don’t believe those nasty rumors.

The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach. Typos included at no additional charge!

Roadblocks to Your Storytelling Success

In 2008, I will have been a storyteller for 22 years. I actually have press clippings back even further to 29 years ago. Storyteller.net is currently celebrating its 10th year of service. In those years, I’ve watched storytelling grow and change. There are many things to celebrate. There is also tremendous room for growth, growth that our art form desperately needs.

Many years ago, when storytelling was much younger and even more “boutique” than it is today, I wrote an article about resolutions for storytellers for our then very new, very on-the-edge Storyteller.net. You can read it at Storyteller.net.

In those years since, storytelling has changed. Or at least it should have. There are more tellers than ten years ago. There are more of these tellers calling themselves professional. There are more people who want to become professional storytellers. We’re seeing a glut of “boomers” who are leaving their previous careers and jumping into storytelling. At least weekly, someone writes me at Storyteller.net to ask, “How do I become a professional storyteller?” Some of these new folks are making a smooth transition. Most are not.

All of these Emails and coaching over the last decade have given me a unique overview of storytelling. Coupled with another decade of workaday storytelling, I see a broad picture of what storytelling is in today's world. For this article, I am speaking to those who are trying to make any portion of their income through the art of storytelling. Although some of these items I’m listing below apply for those who might be using storytelling as an adjunct to their primary career or to the hobbyist, many of these are laser-focused for the working tellers.

For this new year, here’s my updated list the blocks for professional storytellers. Take what you need from it. Leave the rest behind.

Over the next few weeks, I will be diving deeper into each of these with more content. For now, here is the list, in no special order:

1. You aren’t finding your niche. Your work does not stand out from any other teller.

2. You are not balancing the three circles of storytelling: business, artistry, technical.

3. You are talking to the same people over and over again who are talking about the same subjects over and over again.

4. You rarely seek out coaching and when you do, it’s solely the “nurturing” type.

5. You are still not using the Internet.

6. You are not investing your money into your professional development, i.e. your business.

7. You are waiting for what is a very small portion of the storytelling world to acknowledge you.

8. You have let storytelling become your spirituality.

9. You haven’t learned the difference between being an actor, a speaker and a storyteller.

10. Especially for U.S. and Canadian tellers, you are telling too many disconnected and without-context personal stories.

One Less In 2007.

2007 lost several storytellers. Some known by all. Some only known to a few.

Chet Ambrose was one of those. He passed away in July 2007. As he told me, he was the youngest of 5 brothers, with his oldest brother being in his late 90's. He was a retired school teacher and administrator and LOVED telling stories to children.

He never made it to be a festival teller. Wasn't a "Dragon Teller." Wasn't on a committee of Elders, 'cept at his own local church. Wasn't on the hay wagon back in TN way back when. I guess he wasn't successful by our sometimes myopic organizational viewpoints. I don't even think he was in the NSN. He was a member of Storyteller.net.

But he made a big difference in his telling to the children who heard him.

He wanted his stories posted to Storyteller.net so that his big brothers could "hear them and read them." His big brothers?! Chet was 77!

Come take a look at his page at Storyteller.net. Listen to his stories. Read a few. Click over to the site that his family made for him when he was still here and then have updated after his death. It is an interesting website and look at how storytelling effects/affects in a local circle.

http://www.storyteller.net/tellers/cambrose

We lost other storytellers in 2007. We miss them all.

Peace. Life is good. And fleeting. Love 'em while you got 'em.

New Video: Rapunzel

Courtesy of the good folks of the Talk Story Festival in Hawaii, I've got a WHOLE bunch of new videos to share with you. So, bandwidth be damned, here is the first of several I can offer you. DON'T repost this, but feel free to have others come here to see it. My take on Rapunzel is here for you now in a video that is compatible with Ipods, Itunes and QuickTime, which is probably on your computer at this very moment. Get the video by clicking on this link right now. WAIT for it, it's a huge file. Patience.

More about TalkStory in a future blog.

October 2007 PodCast from Storyteller.net Is Here!

It's time for those late October seasonal storycasts and you're in for a treat. You can listen now when you click here!

This Storyteller.net Amphitheater Podcast features storyteller Jeff Gere telling "Daddy One Shark" from his CD "Haunted Hawaii, Volume 1."

You'll hear from Storyteller.net director Sean Buvala as he retells the Grimm tale of the "Willful Child" recorded live at one of our "www.storytellingatborders.com" events. Sean also shares a coaching moment about asking your clients for their stories.

Kevin Cordi lends his theatrical flair to the multi-voiced version of "The BabySitter" from his CD "The Road to Urban Legends." All CD's are available in the store at Storytellingproducts.com .

Also featured in this podcast is a recording of "Into the Hall of the Mountain King" by the "string metal" band of "Judgement Day." Their website is at www.stringmetal.com. Permission sought. Permission given. Way cool.

You can find us at Itunes as well! Find our previous podcasts all listed here

Press Release: The Arizona Storytelling Guild Offers Free Workshop

Press Release
Use date: October 2-October 22, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Synopsis:
The West Valley Tellers of Tales Guild changes its name to the "Arizona Storytelling Guild" and offers a free workshop on the "how-to" of storytelling, October, 22, 2007 in Avondale, Arizona..

Avondale, AZ October 2, 2007- Reflecting a renewed energy and a new focus on the many uses of the storytelling art form in all areas of life and work, the longstanding "West Valley Tellers of Tales" has changed their name to the "Arizona Storytelling Guild" (AzSG). To begin their new season of guild events and training, the Arizona Storytelling Guild will offer a no-cost "Storytelling 101: An Introduction" workshop on Monday, October 22, 2007. The two-hour workshop is open to all adults and teens who are interested in storytelling for entertainment, education, health care, business narrative and cultural development purposes. The Storytelling 101 workshop begins at 7:00 P.M. and will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 11460 W. Hilton Way in Avondale. The hotel is just south of the I-10 freeway off of 115th/Avondale Boulevard. For more information, please see the website at http://www.arizonastorytelling.com or contact the office at 623.298.4548.

"Storytelling is a universal art form, transcending just children's entertainment to initiating and promoting change and learning in business and educational settings," says Sean Buvala, the director of events for the Arizona Storytelling Guild. In addition to being the lead presenter for the Storytelling 101 workshop, Sean is a veteran of more than 20 years of national storytelling. Returning from a national tour that included Hawaii, Illinois, Texas and Indiana, Sean will lead the participants in discovering the essential skills of storytelling as well as the myriad of applications for the storytelling arts. Buvala says, "Storytelling really is the mother of all art forms. We'll help folks explore that concept in a fast-paced and fun workshop."

"Changing the name of the guild to the 'Arizona Storytelling Guild' reflects our desire to invite more people to the diversity of storytelling. We're more than just a gathering of friends who love story. We're a coalition of artists and learners who use storytelling in all facets of our life and our careers. We hope that many more will join us, from hobbyists to professionals, to understand how to use storytelling in the places of their lives. We always have a range of skills present at any meeting, from beginners to professionals. There's always great energy around our discussions of storytelling," Buvala added.

The October 22, 2007 workshop is free of charge for all non-members. Membership in the non-profit AzSG is $25 per year and includes a variety a benefits. Potential members and guests are always free of charge at their first meeting before joining the guild. Non-members who who wish to attend various functions throughout the year are welcome to do so for a nominal fee of $10 per event. For more information about the AzSG, please see the website at http://www.arizonastorytelling.com or call the office at 623.298.4548.

September 2007 Podcast from Storyteller.net

Our latest Storyteller.net free podcast is now available. The podcast features excerpts from Storyteller.net director Sean Buvala’s keynote presentation to the Avondale School District’s Staff Gathering. Some 700 people enjoyed Sean’s stories and commentary. The September 2007 podcast includes the stories "The Emperor and the Dragons," "Catching Fire," "The Story that Does Not End," "Crow can Taste Good." There’s a "coaching moment" on how to get people to turn off their cell phones, too. Sponsored by Storytellingproducts.com. This pod cast features storytellers Sean Buvala and Buck P. Creacy.

Listen in when you click here now. You can find the podcast at Itunes. You can find our previous podcasts at this link here.

The CDs and books mentioned in the podcast can be found by clicking these links:

Eleven Nature Tales by Pleasant Despain

Three Minute Tales by Margaret Read MacDonald.

Heart Stories From the Wrong Side of Town by Buck P. Creacy

Seven Ravens: Unvarnished Tales from the Brothers Grimm by K. Sean Buvala

Digital Storytelling vs the Oralists?

Interesting blog read.

Just adding to this: However, in my opinion, digital storytelling in the classroom is an easy sell. Speaking in broad generalities: Traditional, spoken-style storytelling is a much harder sell. Read books to kids? Teachers do that. Use PowerPoint and Video in their classrooms? Teachers do that. Use storytelling which are person to person narrative processes between students and the rest of the world? Not yet and there is very little understanding of why we "oralists" would want to be or even have a place in the classroom.

Digital storytelling is an easy sell. We've been doing it since filmstrips and slide projectors. I took classes on it back in the 80's. Two of our schools in our school district just got new "smart" classroom buildings. By reading the news, you would think that communication has just now been invented since kids can "participate" in their classes.

Yep, give me an artist-in-residence week with your kids, allowing me to teach and coach storytelling. Your writing scores will go up, your reading levels will go up and your kids will participate in ways you never thought possible. And you won't once have to plug anything in. And, what I teach them will be used across the curriculum. It's completely portable and can be duplicated by all students regardless of a student's economic situation.

Try that with digital storytelling. You can't.