Fundamentals of Storytelling

Storytelling refers to the art of using words, images, sounds, and other elements to create a narrative that engages an audience’s imagination, emotions, and intellect. This session discusses storytelling and approaches to employ for collecting water stories.

1. The Power of Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful form of communication that involves using words, images, sounds, and other elements to create a narrative that captivates an audience’s imagination, emotions, and intellect. It has been an integral part of human communication for centuries, serving as a means to convey experiences, share knowledge, and evoke emotions.

Stories hold great significance because they are not only memorable but also persuasive. They have the ability to engage people on a deep level and allow them to form connections. In certain cultures, stories are passed down through generations, allowing people to develop meaningful connections with their environment. This connection enables individuals to appreciate and protect limited resources, such as water, which are vital for their well-being.

For a story to be effective, it should be authentic, trustworthy, and relevant to the audience. Authenticity ensures that the story is genuine and resonates with the audience’s experiences and values. Trustworthiness builds credibility and fosters a sense of belief in the story. Relevance ensures that the story is relatable and meaningful to the audience, making it more likely to resonate with them.

Overall, storytelling is a powerful tool that enables individuals to connect, learn, and inspire change. It allows for the transmission of knowledge, the evocation of emotions, and the formation of lasting connections between people and their environment.

2. Elements & Structure of a good story

a) A Subject or Topic

A Subject Line/Topic: The subject line or topic of a story is the main idea or theme that it revolves around. It serves as a guide for the storyteller and helps in capturing the audience’s attention right from the start. A compelling subject line sets the tone for the story and creates curiosity, making the audience eager to explore further. Sample topics adapted from the WaterStories guide for consideration include:

• Water and Humanity
  Water is often integral to culture. It affects how we interact with the environment around us, where we choose to live, and it is central to many festivals, prayers, and offerings. Water amazes and inspires us as artists, poets, and writers. And, rely on water resources to have fun! Think about how often we go to the water’s edge for recreation, rest, and relaxation.
  
• Availability of Water
  The availability of fresh water is a basic need for communities. In the past, people settled in places with adequate water. Today, tens of millions of Americans continue to make their homes along the water’s edge.
  
• Water as a Critical Resource
  Water is a shared resource. It flows between communities; the water used upstream is also used downstream. But it is not always shared equally. Water’s usefulness – and our unquestionable need for it – makes it a valuable commodity. Disputes over access and availability of water happen regularly, throughout the world, our country included. These disputes often lead to a difficult question for a community to answer: Who owns the water?

b) The Three Cs

The three Cs of storytelling refer to the important elements that make a story engaging and impactful. These are: character, conflict, and conclusion

• Character: Characters are the individuals or entities that drive the story forward. They can be fictional or real, and they play a crucial role in connecting the audience with the narrative. Well-developed and relatable characters make the story more compelling and memorable. In the case of WaterStories, characters refer to the community member you intend to interview. Some questions to consider when selecting characters include;
  • Relevance: How does the interviewee relate to the story’s theme eg water?
  • Goals and Motivations: What story is the interviewee trying to tell?
  • Diversity and Inclusivity: Does the interviewee offer a new perspective or experience?
  • Role and Function: How do you feel during or after listening?

• Conflict: Conflict is the central problem or challenge that the characters face in the story. It creates tension and drives the plot forward, keeping the audience engaged. Conflict can come in various forms, such as internal struggles, external obstacles, or clashes between characters(Smithsonian Guide). Sample questions to evoke the conflict through your WaterStories include:
  • How does the character feel about water in their community?
  • How are they affected by changes in water levels?
  • What does the interviewer think water should be used and not used for? Why?

• Conclusion: Change is some aspect of reality becoming different in a particular way. Change must occur in a story. In the beginning, the inciting incident introduces a change to the character’s life. In the middle, the characters must face conflict and, when they do, things change around them and possibly within them. In the end, something must have changed from the beginning and this change led to the resolution (Smithsonian Guide for Storytelling). You must choose which change to include in your story based on how meaningful the change is (Adapted from the Museum on Main Street Storytelling  Guide).
  • What do you wish people remember from your story? Why?
  • If you had the power to change anything about our approach or views on water, what would it be?

3. Pixar’s Approach to Storytelling