6 Things I Tell Every Storyteller

A while back on my personal blog I did a post on the 6 things I tell every worship leader. I thought I would do one for every storyteller. Our church is blessed to have storytellers who have done what they do for years, but what I have found that makes good storytellers great storytellers is that they are constant learners.

Here are some practical tips I give our storytellers no matter how long they have been at it.

1. Internalize the script – I don’t tell them to memorize the script because I have found there is something so powerful and profound when people take the script, internalize it and express it through their own experience and in their own style. I have one storyteller who makes every week a production with actors, props and scenery to boot, and the kids love it. Another finds incredible personal illustrations to highlight their point, and still another uses props and vocal intonations to captivate the kids. Take the truth, leave it unchanged and add the uniqueness of you.


2. Maintain eye contact ALWAYS – Anytime you look down at a paper in your hand you place an impenetrable wall between you and those you are ministering to.


3. Be over-animated – you always come across more subdued than you really are.


4. Bring your Bible up with you – Put the sheet with the Bible verse in your Bible and read from that if you must, but preaching from the Bible reinforces that these are more than stories in the mind of the kids you are speaking to.


5. Use peaks and valleys – Few things create tension for a story than proper use of vocal inflection. Most people are comfortable with one particular vocal range. The problem is that kids get used to your “normal” voice. If you want kids to be on the edge of their seats, speak softly and then build up your story and the anticipation as you get much louder.


6. Elevate Christ – Make sure that every story points the kids to a place where they can see the greatness of God, where they realize and recognize their need for a Savior. When it comes to the application portion, think of practical illustrations for young kids and older kids, making sure that you not only reference Christ but help kids understand that Jesus is everything.