sensations of taste, for all of these senses add to the story’s reality, facilitating your own visualization
of the story, and, consequently, your ability to communicate those images that best involve your lis-
tener.
Instead of just giving the factsof the story, the addition of detail helps communicate the experi-
enceof the story. By visualizing it yourself, you permit the listener to participate more meaningfully
in the experience and the message inherent in that experience.
- Make an Outline of the Story
You do not need to write out a story verbatim, hold it in your hand, or read it out like an actor faith-
fully reciting a Shakespearean script. It may be easier to develop a story outline and then elaborate on
it in a way that allows you to communicate collaboratively with the child, thus permitting a more in-
teractive process. To help establish this outline and know where the story is going it may be helpful
to ask yourself four basic questions:
■ What is the outcome of the story?
■ What are the steps or processes to reach that outcome?
■ What is the challenge or problem that begins the story?
■ What character can match the listener and reach that outcome?
Since a story does not become a story until it has an ending, I find it helpful, in outlining a story,
to begin at the end. An example of a story beginning at the end occurred when I made a recent phone
call to Tracey Weatherhilt, a school psychologist who generously shared time and conversations in
the planning of this book. Her secretary answered the phone, “Department of Education.” While I
waited to be connected to Tracey, the on-hold music came on—and what happened next made this
telephone conversation into the story worth repeating. From the Department of Education’s phone
I found myself listening to the Pink Floyd song “The Wall,” which goes: “We don’t need no educa-
tion. We don’t need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers, leave those kids
alone.” When Tracey came on the line and I told her the story she had a good laugh, saying, “Wait
till I tell my colleagues about that!”
We both had a story to tell because of the ending:an anti-education song heard while on hold
with the Department of Education. Without that, there would have been no story to tell and I would
not have this example to highlight that the ending is what makes the story. I will discuss the planning
of the story’s outline in greater detail in Chapter 16.
EFFECTIVE STORYTELLINGGuidelines for Effective Storytelling 21
EXERCISE 2.5
■ Tell a story to a child.
■ Then tell it a second time, bringing in the five senses to add color to the sky, fragrance
to the flowers, and sounds to the animals.
■ Retell it a third time, this time bringing in the emotions and feelings.
■ See how each story feels for you and observe the impact on your listener.