Connect: The Power of Storytelling
Stories have been used to hand down learning and knowledge for thousands of years. A good story engages our curiosity, emotions and imagination.
Stories are part of our daily lives, in the anecdotes we tell to our friends, the books we read and the films we watch. Stories are also recognised as an important way of connecting with any audience and storytelling is increasingly used in workplaces, advertising and fundraising.
Stories are the way we understand and make sense of the world we find ourselves in. Stories take many forms, but they usually have some elements in common. Rather than a list of dry facts, stories have a narrative or sequence and they introduce people or characters. We respond to stories, particularly when there is emotional detail, and remember information given in story form much more vividly.
This aspect of storytelling – presenting a different perspective of the world – is important when it comes to connecting with each other. It gives us an opportunity to learn from another person’s experience and it can shape, strengthen or challenge our opinions and values. When a story catches our attention and engages us, we are more likely to absorb the message and meaning within it than if the same message was presented simply in facts and figures
Tips for creating stories using the Powerhouse Collection
G.L.O.S.S is a great way for new or nervous public speakers to find their way through the intro and start talking. It provides presenters with an easy to remember roadmap for what they want to say, and is a great way of settling a group on a guided tour and getting them to give you the reigns to lead them. It is an efficient way to get housekeeping info across and then engage audience and lead them into content of the tour. Resources / Props/ Exhibition
Introduction (0-2mins)
-Welcome to the group
-Intro Self
-Grab attention – Who wants to know what it was like in the olden days for kids!? (I’m sure you can do better than this but you get the idea Ashleigh!)
–Link to previous learning – I see we have a mixed group here; I see lots of children, who are with adults – who ALL once were children too! Who here has asked the older people in their family about what it was like when they were children? (they might have a quick story to share) It’s interesting isn’t it?
–Outcomes – “Well… on this tour we hope you’ll get an idea of how some of the amazing objects in the museum’s collection affected or even changed the lives of the children living in times gone by, sometimes back even before anyone who is alive today, can remember. (This should be brief, punchy and enticing!)
–Structure – (visitors will relax about the parking metre / the kid they have to pick up etc and be able to settle into the tour, if you tell them how long it is going to last) The tour lasts about 20 minutes; feel free to ask questions as we go – we’ll be walking around and looking at some key objects and finishing up over there POINT
–Stimulate audience – (The guide will have to make on the spot assessment of what will engage this audience depending on their age group / interest level / intellectual capability) So, what’s your favourite object so far? Who loves trains? Who likes fairground rides? (This should be FUN!!)
This doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s purpose is strictly functional. It’s a set of directions for you to follow when creating the final product. Like a blueprint. Think about what stories you will tell at what location.
Write in plain, conversational English.
When writing the narrative elements of your script, you want to write in conversational speak, not how you would write a formal paper. Practice speaking it out loud to see if it sounds too formal.
Format for easy reading. Use different colors, fonts or callouts to visually differentiate the elements of your script. You also want to
ensure the timing is exactly right.
Make it short. Cut out any unnecessary aspects of your script. Attentions spans are short. Make sure you get to your point before you lose your audience’s interest. For a tour, remember that people will be standing while listening to your tour. Be respectful of their feet and make it short. Entertaining, but brief.
Narrative nonfiction is not made up. It is fact-based. The details added to
bring the story to life are pulled from research – first-person interviews or documents like letters. Any descriptions of the setting or events are created using first-person accounts and an understanding of the time period based on research. The characters are real people and their personalities are simply brought to life by what we know about their hopes, dreams, demeanors, etc
Characters give a human face to any story. They experience the story for the audience. The more the audience knows about a person in the story, the closer they feel to that person. This empathy is important because, through it, the audience can get emotionally involved and be that much more affected by it.
- Theme of tour
-Audience Type:
-Objective: - Objects that articulate this theme:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e. - Beginning: Introduce the tour
- Middle: Sharing stories about the Object
-Main points to relay about the Object
-How these main points relate back to the overall theme
-Questions to ask about the Object. End: Invite others to share their stories -Question to engage general visitors:
–Question to engage younger audiences:
–Question to engage enthusiasts:
In the video below, Mike Brian explains how stories impact the human brain in ways that help us to retain and recall more information. He also explains why stories engage our imagination, leveraging both sides of the brain to create a lasting and personalized visual experience.
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