Don't let the puppets and props fool you. There is more to telling a good children's story than funny faces and silly voices. Storyteller Jim MacLachlan thoroughly researches his subject, as well as his audience, and plans his presentations for a smooth execution that appears spontaneous.
SUNDRIDGE – In his years of teaching, Jim MacLachlan made good use of his skills as a storyteller.
“I used it as a way of getting into classes, of connecting with students,” said the Sundridge resident.
As a principal, MacLachlan further honed his skills by watching the storytellers who visited his school, learning their tricks and spotting their mistakes.
“Sometimes, I’d be impressed,” he said. “Sometimes I’d think that I could come up with something as relevant and effective, or more.”
The idea continued to germinate until his retirement, about five years ago, when MacLachlan embarked on months of research into becoming a professional storyteller. He also developed his first story. While you might be used to the moral coming at the end of the story, it is really the first step in writing one. In order to market a story to schools, it needs a relevant message.
“At that time, bullying was a big issue we were dealing with,” said MacLachlan.
From that topic, he developed the Odd Sock Twins, one of the staples of his repertoire, along with How Emma Hollingshead Changed the World, a story about character education. His current project is about smoking cessation. In it, a girl persuades her father to kick the habit by making him a science project. He is currently in the research stage, working with public health units and other organizations.
“I’m hoping in a month or so it will be ready to go,” he said. “Then I’ll offer it to schools.”
MacLachlan estimates he has made about 110 to 115 school appearances. In each case, he has told his story as though it happened at that school on that day. Connecting with the students is paramount in telling a good story, and by using a few simple tricks to personalize the tale, MacLachlan makes that connection. It begins ahead of time, when he enlists a couple of students to join in the telling. He also talks to a few students and teachers, in order to work a few familiar names and recent school events into his presentation. And he always makes sure his music and pop culture references are up to date. It all sounds simple, but the effect is amazing.
“Suddenly, I’m not just a storyteller they’ve never heard of, coming into their school,” he said.
Storytelling also varies with the age of the audience. For the younger children, MacLachlan is more dynamic. He frequently kneels at their level, employs puppets to a greater degree, and includes some silly jokes. The joke is often on him, whether he gets socks thrown at him or he’s forced to do a silly dance. It’s all part of winning over the audience.
“Something happens to me that’s funny, so they get to laugh at me,” he said.
And while it might appear that the joke is on the storyteller, he’s really in complete control. That is the other secret to being a good storyteller – know where the laughs are and where the action is. Those actions that get the little ones up and moving are actually breaks, built into the story to give them a chance to stretch their legs and get comfortable.
Allowing an audience to become uncomfortable is just one of the pitfalls of storytelling. Number one on the list of things a storyteller shouldn’t do is ask open-ended questions. Audience participation is important, but asking any question with more than a yes-or-no answer is a sure way to lose control of the room. Kids all begin to shout answers, and pretty soon the teachers are trying to get everyone settled again.
“There are no open-ended questions,” said MacLachlan. “Basically, from beginning to end, I’m in charge of the entire story.”
When he has really connected with a group, whether at a school, public library or other setting, that is when MacLachlan gets his reward. It’s that point in the story when he can pause, and the room is silent.
“They’re all waiting for the next word,” he said. “Everybody wants to hear what happens next.”
For a storyteller, nothing is better than seeing people really enjoying a story.
“It’s just wonderful to see that, whether it’s a group of eight or 488,” said MacLachlan.
But MacLachlan has only begun to explore the possibilities of storytelling. As a board member of Algonquin Child and Family Services (ACFS), he and other directors are looking at storytelling as a tool for organizational development. He pointed out that there are many day-to-day events in any organization that could be incorporated into stories that will motivate, inspire and instruct. With adults, as with children, the best way to get a message across is to present it in a way that is relevant, easy to assimilate and entertaining. Take the principles and put them into practice in a fictional situation.
“It’s far more effective than just reading off fact sheets or making Powerpoint presentations,” he said. “Rather than getting into a bunch of how-to things, tell the story.”
The group involved in this project has already begun to gather information from the staff at ACFS last June. One exercise yielded some interesting results, showing a number of common threads running through their individual experiences. From such threads can be woven a story that will resonate with people. ACFS has powerful material on which to base stories. The board occasionally receives letters of thanks for the help that the organization has provided. Whether it be an autistic child making a breakthrough in communication or a family that is able to function with a new set of routines, there is much to inspire people.
“There are some wonderful stories, because that’s the nature of the organization,” said MacLachlan.
The same principles that work in schools and non-profit organizations can also be applied in the corporate world, where storytelling can be a powerful training and motivational tool. In a world filled with electronic information and communication tools, MacLachlan knows that this ancient art has lost none of its power.
“People want to be able to get an effective message across, and one of the ways to get an effective message across is to tell an effective story.”
Editorial
