One of life’s most powerful skills is the gift of telling stories. A well told story can make us happy, sad, or angry. A poorly told story can be both boring and painful to experience. Humans are hard-wired to record both the monumental events of life and the small, everyday moments.

The oral storytellers tradition is as old as the language itself. Stories have primarily existed in the verbal realm, preserving and passing knowledge across generations before being canonized in print. The ancient epics were true of this today. Your family history, your company’s history, the stories you tell that define and shape your identity are all stored in your mind and shared through your actions and words.

A well-crafted narrative can keep the people, values, and life lessons you hold dear alive and give you the power to influence your children, your employees, and others.

There are many reasons why we respond to stories. We are often drawn to something.

• what or whom the story represents;
• how the story reflects a core part of who we are (or who we want to be); and
• what the story could be —because we don’t like the reality of what the story is .

How do you tell stories that stick in your mind and in the minds of your family, friends, colleagues, and clients?

That is exactly what you will learn. From parents to professionals, there is the art of telling a story. The course shows the tried-and-true methods experienced storytellers use to develop and tell engaging, entertaining, and memorable tales. In 24 lectures, Professor Hannah B. Harvey demonstrates how to master the art form’s basic principles with the same witty, dynamic energy that has made her an internationally recognized professional storyteller and award-winning educator.

Even if you never set foot on a stage, knowing what a professional storyteller does in the process of crafting and delivering a tale allows you to enhance the stories you tell everyday. Teachers, lawyers, clergy, coaches, parents, and anyone who wants to understand the power of stories to capture hearts and minds will benefit from the lessons presented in this course.

Find Your Own Story

Professor Harvey believes that the act of creating a story performance is a chemical process that involves talking, writing, playing, and rehearsing.

You will begin your exploration of this interwoven chain of events by examining the relationship between you, the story, and the audience.

This course shows you how to build tension and capture attention. You will get tips and techniques for finding, selecting, and preparing stories, whether they are based on your own experiences, time-honored folk tales, or beloved family yarns.

You may be surprised to know that there are many small decisions that go into telling a good story. A richer picture is painted when you say the door. creaked It was stated that the door creaked open. The latter allows the audience to fully visualize what you are describing.

You will also learn.

• choose expressive language;
• craft compelling characters;
• refine your narrator’s point of view;
• shape your story’s plot, structure, and emotional arc;
• develop imagery, vocal cues, and intonation; and
• use body language to connect with your audience.

There is so much more. Professor Harvey tells you how to make the past feel present, to take on and off ramps to gracefully enter and exit stories, and to use devices such as repetition and audience participation to lure back listeners.

Beyond Happily Ever After

Part intellectual study of the history of narrative. The art of telling a story. The hero’s journey to the fairy tale is one of the hidden meanings. You will look at classic story structures and characters. There is a woman named Cinderella. They have lasted across time and cultures.

Although fairy tales were never intended for children, their characters and situations serve as a mirror in which children see themselves. As you look at the story. The Little Red Riding Hood is red. To examine the themes of temptation, heroism, good, and evil, you will realize how real the fantasy world can seem for children and the many ways fairy tales fulfill children’s needs.

Children are reassured by fairy tales.

• their feelings are valid;
• although they struggle with contradictory desires, it will all turn out OK in the end; and
• if they “enter the woods,” they can overcome the temptations that the woods represents.

Practice Makes (Almost) Perfect

Many lectures feature exercises that get you moving to develop your stories and make them more enjoyable for you to tell and your audience to hear. At no point in the process will you be expected to memorize your stories word for word. The interactive activities and side coaching sessions of the professor are designed to make you comfortable enough with your story to tell it naturally and make impromptu changes as needed.

Professor Harvey’s warm-ups, activities, and rehearsal ideas are an effective way to harness performance anxiety and get prepared to be playful and spontaneously.

When you are thinking on your feet, doing the exercises ahead of time will help.

In this course, you will learn that there is more to story than meets the eye. telling It is not about that. listening To adapt your language, body gestures, and voice to accommodate the changing dynamics and atmosphere of your audience.

If the unexpected happens while you are telling a story to a roomful of kids or giving a presentation, you will learn what to do. The practical considerations of using props, PowerPoint, and microphones in various scenarios are just as important for performers as they are for business professionals.

An Unforgettable Experience

An absolute treat for the heart and mind, this course is complemented by clips of accomplished storytellers practicing their craft at festivals, as well as Professor Harvey’s own personal tales about growing up in Appalachia, which range from the sincere to the downright hilarious.

She brings her unique perspective as a scholar-Artist to this endeavor, grabbing hold of your attention from the start and never letting go, which is exactly what you will learn to do with your own audience by the end of the course.

Whether you want to improve your skills in the classroom or around the water cooler, it’s up to you. The art of telling a story. It has the answer. The methods are the same even though the context may change.