“My very first lessons in the art of telling stories took place in the kitchen . . . my mother and three or four of her friends. . . told stories. . .with effortless art and technique. They were natural-born storytellers in the oral tradition.“
– Paule Marshall –
Introduction
It’s getting dark outside. As the sun has lowered itself behind the forrest, the trees have grown taller. Their spindly shadows have stretched out further and further, swallowing the land with their fingers. Some people fear the dark. But this evening, it excites you.
You and your friends are gathered around a fire, which is contained in a dilapidated stone pit that has existed for many summers. An older man, overseeing the misfit bunch of campers that you are, clears his throat. Everyone turns their gaze towards him. He’s going to tell the story again – the one about the ghost that haunts these woods. You’ve heard it before. You practically know it like the back of your hand. But every time you hear it, it chills you with excitement. Especially with how he tells it. The way he pauses for dramatic effect and looks you directly in the eye… it makes you feel like you should be watching your back rather than the storyteller in front of you…
We all love a good oral storyteller. There is something magical about how they can draw us into their verbal narrative. They are like snowflakes. Each storyteller is unique, yet each one interesting (okay, so maybe a few are absolute bores, but each are unique.) But the best part about oral storytelling in general? It’s incredibly accessible – anyone can do it! It requires no money and no additional tools, just your imagination and willingness to practice. So come along and discover why you should consider doing it more often!
Personal Benefits
Oral Storytelling requires you to introspect and use your imagination. It’s a brain exercise just as much as it is a verbal one. And imagination isn’t exclusive to fictional storytelling, mind you.
To recall a story, you have to spend time reflecting on the event, considering what the setting was, who said what, why they said it, how they said it, what you thought about what they said. In the case that no one said anything, you have to think about body language, what people were wearing, and the sequence of events that made it memorable enough to share. Then your imagination gets to fill in the gaps or exaggerate parts of the story to make it more entertaining without missing the point or becoming disingenuous.
Oral Storytelling also boosts self-confidence. Getting up and speaking in front of anyone is nerve-wracking. In fact, sitting down and speaking in front of anyone is also nerve-wracking. It seems like it’s the talking-to-people-part that wracks our nerves the most. So how do you not let yourself get so wracked? Practice and exposure. The more you tell stories orally to others, the better you’ll become, and the more confidence you’ll gain. Hopefully, overtime, this means you will find yourself less wracked in the nerves.
Another benefit is how it increases your communication abilities. To tell a good story, you have to be good at speaking clearly and precisely. You also have to be aware of your body language. And then you must be aware of what information is worth leaving in the story and leaving out for the sake of time and not losing your audience’s interest. If you practice telling a story orally and trying to keep other’s engaged and practice these skills, you will find these skills are very beneficial in other places in your life too.
Social Benefits
Oral storytelling creates a deep connection between the narrator and the audience. It’s a story straight out of the mouth of a person to your ear.. There is nothing in between. No screens, no pages, no music.
There is also a unique connection that happens across generations through oral storytelling. To hear a story that has been carried down from person to person over generations, makes it as if you were hearing something directly from your ancestors. Oral Storytelling is also very important for making connections from a person of an older generation to a younger person (such as grandparent to grandchild). Since stories and illustrations resonate with us all from a young age, the stories our elders tell are deeply important to grasp the lessons they want to teach us from their experiences.
Many cultures in the world rely on oral storytelling to pass down traditions and history, especially where writing is not available. Pen and paper have not been available to everyone for most of history, and so telling a story with the intention of it being passed down was the only way to persevere it.
The Uniqueness of Oral Storytelling
Oral Storytelling is the most “human” of the storytelling media. It requires no technology. I think it will be the only form of storytelling that will remain untouched by A.I. Perhaps A.I. will be used to create podcasts and radio shows, but it will never be able to touch the a person-to-person interaction. That’s about as human as you can get.
Improv skills are fostered while telling an Oral Story. Unless it’s a story that you’ve rehearsed telling a million times, you most likely will find yourself having to think on your feet. You will have to think about what you are saying and how you are saying it in the moment. You will also have to take into consideration the context in which you are telling it in and who are telling it to. Even if you have practiced the story, you will often find that as you are telling it to another person in real-time, you have to adapt it to fit the context. Or, you may be struck with sudden inspiration about how to improve it. Unlike a movie or a book, oral stories is not set in stone. They change to some extent with each reiteration.
Both of these facts lead up to on final point: Oral storytelling will the most authentic version of yourself that you can get while storytelling. With nothing in between you and your audience, the story will be the most immediate version of you anyone can get from a storyteller. While most other storytelling media requires whole teams to create it and multiple drafts until the final product, there’s none of that in oral storytelling. It’s just you saying what’s on your mind in real-time. How unique is that?
Conclusion
Oral Storytelling is the most accessible and human form of storytelling media. Yet, it is taken for granted. We should embrace the stories told by those around us and the ones that came from people before us. While we live our lives, we should be intentional about trying to tell a captivating story while engaging in conversations. We’ll form more memories and deeper bonds this way. So, what are you waiting for?
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