Storytelling Workshop

I just attended an awesome storytelling workshop put on by Cathy Miyata.  I did not know exactly what to expect going in, but knowing Cathy I expected something fun and interactive.  My expectations were met and were surpassed.  We spent the bulk of our morning learning various storytelling techniques by actively retelling a story.  At the start of the story, we focused on remembering key details and points that were necessary for the flow of the story, while also incorporating our own personal details.  We worked on eye contact and audience participation as a way to keep listeners engaged.  As the story progressed, hand actions, voice, and animation all became important to our storytelling.  As the morning progress and we became more confident with our abilities and more invested in the story, we work on our body positioning. Whether sitting down or standing up, it is important as a storytelling to appear confidant and engaged.   I never really realized how much ones posture could affect storytelling.  For the end of the story, we work in larger groups, taking turns retelling the story.  I found it very inspiring to listening to others speak.  It is amazing how much we all grew as storytellers within the span of a couple of hours.