Story Telling

Capturing and keeping my attention

Captivate the Audience!

Good stories captivate the imagination and attention of teens and provide an excellent way of getting Bible concepts and truths across to them, and in communicating values and ideas in an easy to understand way. Stories teach about life and persist in the memory.

Stories Work!

Stories work and the Bible is packed with them. Jesus confirms this by all the parables He used and taught. To be a good story teller, first find stories that are suitable for your audience's age, interest and Christian maturity. Generally, they should not last for more than five to ten minutes.

Be Descriptive!

Avoid just reading a story, but make it alive because the Bible is real and true! Make your story descriptive so that the audience can visualise the story in their imaginations. Know the story by heart and then rehearse it until you can tell it with confidence. Picture it in your mind to make it real to yourself and hence to others.

Keep Eye Contact!

No matter what you say, it is much more effective if you look directly at the people you are speaking to as storytelling is a shared experience.

Be Expressive!

A monotonous delivery drains the life from the best story. Aim to know your story well enough so that you to maximise its dramatic and emotional appeal. Work out where atmosphere and excitement can be built up by a pause or by speeding up your story, and suspense can be created by dropping your voice to a whisper.

While you speak, use your body to act out the story with gestures and facial expressions.

Create Interest!

Approach your story from a fresh angle and create interest with historical details and place settings.

Practice!

Storytelling skills improve with practice, so practice your story until you can tell it with confidence.

Apply!

Finally, know the story well so that you can concentrate on driving home the spiritual truth or application. Pray for God's anointing and tell it for response and action.

God Bless!