The art of story telling
Get some top tips on story telling before heading out to tell local primary schools the story of Wenlock and Mandeville
Telling a story is not at all the same thing as reading it. When you tell a story, you are the main character. Without a book or script between you and the audience you can make lots of eye contact, stand up, sit down, walk around, add some dramatic moments…it’s up to you.
There’s no need to learn all the words off by heart, but you should try to keep as true to the original as possible.
Here’s some tips
Remember your aims:
- to introduce the children to Wenlock and Mandeville by telling them the story of how they were created
- to have fun and inspire the children to get involved with more London 2012 activities
Know and remember your audience
- they are young and have shorter attention spans
- they respond well to humour
- they like to be involved in the action – can you give them a signal or respond to kep moments in the story?
- they can get very excited, so don’t go too wild of you’ll have trouble with crowd control!
Find your voice
- speak clearly, slowly and loudly enough for everyone to hear easily. Don’t shout, but project your voice to the back of the room
- practise using different voices for different characters and moods
- vary your pace and add in dramatic pauses and tension
Props
- if you want to sit in a ‘story teller’s chair’ drape it with a piece of fabric to make it look special – old velvet curtains are good
*have at least one large picture of Wenlock and Mandeville for the children to look at as you tell the story
Practise
- read the story, watch the film and listen to Michael Morpurgo reading it. Copy the techniques he uses if you think they should suit your style.
- read the story out loud a few times
- when you have learned the story, try telling it to a friendly assistant – someone else in your story telling group, or a younger brother or sister
- now practise telling the story again, but this time adding in some dramatic moments and/or props
