SMART Volunteering-Storytelling Guide

-19- Some preliminary exercises Story about a scar (Betty Rosen 1988) Target group : Mixed background adult, beginners Objectives : Telling a personal story Material : Chairs Shape : Working in pairs, seated Duration : 10 minutes Content and procedure : This is a very easy way to start telling personal stories. Everybody can tell a story about this. The group goes into pairs and tells a story about how they got a scar on their body. One starts telling about their scar and the other partner tells his or her story when the first one has finished. Everybody has a scar on their body. Often these are perfect stories, they have what it takes – a clear and distinct structure, they are dramatic and recognizable. Improvised stories Target group : Beginners to advanced Objectives : Acquiring confidence to make things up Material : None Shape : In plenary circle or small groups Duration : 10 minutes Content and procedure : - Option 1 : « Fortunately/Unfortunately » - Tell a story in a circle, each person speaking for 1 to 2 minutes and finishing with either ‘fortunately’ or ‘unfortunately’ as they pass the word to their neighbor. - Option 2 : « Interruptor » - Demonstrate this in plenary circle first, before breaking up into pairs. Start an improvised story. Somebody shouts out a random and unrelated word and you as the storyteller have to integrate this word into your story (as quickly as possible). Then, and only then, somebody else can say another word that you have to weave in as well. Keep going with your story until everybody has thrown in a word, then say ‘no more words’ and wrap up the story. Have students do this in pairs. - Option 3 : « New choice » – working in pairs; Person A starts an improvised story, at any point, Person B can say « New choice » and Person A needs to change the last thing they said. Example: • A: … and the prince went into the forest to look for the young girl • B: New choice! • A: ...and the prince went up the highest mountain from where to oversee the whole kingdom and from there see his love… • B: New choice! • A: ...and the prince decided to sit down on the market place and not move until he would have heard news from her… [continue story].