Fans Forever: Five Ways Audiences Feel Loved

One moment is enough to transform an audience member to a storyteller’s fan.

Here are five ways to make that happen for you:

1. Arrive early and leave late

2. Build a large story repertoire

3. Share impromptu stories

4. Thank the audience

5. Show ways to keep in touch

Arrive early and leave late
Though I need time to set up my portable backdrop and do a sound check, having at least ten minutes before the performance is enough for me to mingle with the audience members.

A couple times I have gotten lost while going to a gig and I did not have the chance to chat. The shows still started on time while I attempted to focus to do my best, but I was frustrated that I had missed a chance to know the people before so as to make sure I was telling the right stories for the right time.

After the applause of the show, I stall in putting down my portable backdrop. Often this is the most memorable part of the whole experience. This is the time when shy children stand by their parents for a few minutes, inch towards you, stand in silence for a few more minutes, and finally open their mouths with questions or exclamations like, “I want to be a storyteller, too!” Perhaps you relished in the wide eyes and open mouths while you told. This is satisfying for the storyteller to be sure, but if you rush too quickly to leave, then how else will you know your influence?

Build a large story repertoire
A storyteller’s path starts with one story, though it is the building of more stories that creates a storyteller’s legacy.

When you are starting out as a teller, it is okay to have one, two, or three tales. Yet, there will eventually be the necessity to have so many stories that a 3-inch binder would not be enough room to hold them.

One English storyteller, Taffy Thomas, knows thousands of stories and could be ready at a moment’s notice to tell any one of them. I am not close to that level, though I strive to be so prepared. This would be my way to say to my audience, “I care enough to try to have the best story for you.”

Be comforted that you will always feel like you do not have enough stories in your repertoire. As long as repertoire grows, then you are fine. Taking time to read stories or at least keep a journal every day could be enough to progress in this area.

Share impromptu stories
With all the preparation in building repertoire, some storytellers overlook the power of an impromptu story.

Recently I told stories at IKEA, a Swedish home retailer company, and I asked some of my storytelling friends if they every performed at this company before. Tim Ereneta joked that since much of IKEA’s furniture is assembled together, that my performance could also include an “assembled story”.

For my first session at IKEA I did exactly that. I asked what three things the audience wanted in the story. One boy said, “A monster!” while a girl said, “A fairy!” A second girl shyly asked, “A mermaid?”. With the three things suggested, I was about to start when a boy called, “And a lion!” I smiled and teased that I said only three things but I would see what I could do. In the end, I had the monster as the main character who told his monster family that he wanted to be a fairy and so started the adventure.

On the feedback forms, many chose the last story as their favorite. When the audience is a bigger part of the story, they feel like their ideas matter and are excited to see what us as storytellers will do with those ideas.

Thank the audience
So you had a wonderful time with the audience. Now what? Thank them! One of my last lines to them is some sort of appreciation remark such as “You’ve been a wonderful audience” or “Thank you for being part of the storytelling experience.” It only takes a few seconds to say yet the moment is lasting for everyone.

Show ways to keep in touch
Hopefully this will not be the last time you ever see or hear from that audience again. Giving business cards, sharing email list sign-ups, and selling storytelling items makes it possible for this relationship with the audience to continue.

If you have an account with Facebook or have a site like MySpace, then you may even want to announce this to the audience.

Some storytellers are shy about promoting themselves and may look at pushing sign-up lists as self-centered. Then what must be awakened is the fact that this may have been the first storytelling experience that some or all of the audience members have ever had.

Without a business card, how can they ask you how to be storytellers themselves or perhaps to invite you somewhere else so others can have their first storytelling experiences? Without an email list of knowing upcoming shows or events, how can they pursue this newfound experience? Without storytelling items to buy, how can they share this memory with their family besides the brief moment you had with them?

As you consider audience members as your friends, they will also treat you as a friend. What’s more, you will be a fan of them.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com
http://www.yesalliance.com

Storyteller's Social Networking: Top Three Sites

The Internet has a way of rolling out the red carpet for professional storytellers to network and make the right connections with colleagues or potential sponsors for gigs.

The number of free social networking sites can be overwhelming, though there are three that support storytellers the best:

1. Professional Storyteller through Ning



2. LinkedIn



3. Facebook

Professional Storyteller through Ning
This site was created on January 24, 2008 and already displays much potential in its activity and membership. Dianne de Las Casas, known as a marketing guru in the storytelling world, said that this network “is for professional storytellers, people who make their living in the field of professional storytelling—performance storytellers, workshop leaders, teaching artists, recording artists, and authors.” Of course, if your goal is to become one of these kinds of people, then your participation is welcome.

Once you sign up and create a password, you have a page for your profile. You can give a link to your website as well as write some paragraphs about your background much like online directories found through some storytelling guilds or art councils. Your picture can be uploaded so viewers can put a face to a name.

Under the forum option, you are able to get an almost “Dear Abby” advice column feel from fellow storytellers. If you want to find stories for a certain holiday and are unsure where to look, you can post your request on the forum. If you want to share marketing ideas that work for performing artists, then you can ask for guidance. Anything you want to ask relating to the art, you are invited to share.

Other benefits include downloading video or audio samples of your stories, sharing pictures in a slideshow format for your colleagues and potential sponsors to see, and keeping in touch with tellers around the world.

LinkedIn
Beyond connecting with professional storytellers, this site allows you to reach 150 plus industries, as it promotes “your professional relationships are key to your professional success”.

This is a chance for you to “be found” by potential sponsors. Over 17 million professionals already use this site so can you imagine how many would love to meet a professional storyteller?

If you are a storyteller who wants to build your connections in the education field, then you could meet principals, teachers, professors and more through LinkedIn. Performing for company celebrations could be a more common venue for you.

When signing up, you will be encouraged to invite others to join the site as your “connections”. These should be people you know well and could recommend to others if asked about them. Being part of LinkedIn already has the impression that you will open your network to others so that others could help you.

Part of your profile page on LinkedIn includes a recommendation section in which you could praise peers or peers could compliment you for all Internet surfers to see. Testimonials sometimes are easier to ask from others when part of a social network.

As your connections/friends invite others to LinkedIn, then you are able to view whoever your friends know. If you would like to be introduced to someone your friend knows, then you can send an email request. Suddenly a stranger can become an acquaintance and, eventually, could transform into a friend. The likelihood of a storyteller being hired by an acquaintance or a friend is much higher than being hired by a stranger.

You will find more success with this social networking tool if you are willing to share your contacts before you ask to be introduced to others.

Facebook
Started up by college students in a dorm room, this social network has rocketed in popularity to over 20 million people. Many schools and colleges use it as a way to have an online yearbook since pictures and videos could be posted. As a storyteller, you could use these same features to promote your art. As in the other networking sites of Professional Storyteller and LinkedIn, you invite others to be your friends.

I enjoy the “Events” part of Facebook where I can announce my storytelling concerts and workshops. I can send specific online invitations to these events to my friends on Facebook (with request of RSVPs) or even to the whole Facebook network.

Wherever you live, you can choose a network so that people nearby could see your storytelling events whether a “friend” or not. For example, I am part of the Ogden, Utah network. Any other person who chose the Ogden, Utah network could click on “Events” and see my listings.

If you ever wanted a type of fan club for your storytelling, this is the perfect venue to build one. After a performance for an 18-30-year-old group, you can announce that you have a Facebook account and that you would like to keep in touch if they sign up on your email list.

Several applications are available to download to make your Facebook page a fun place to visit from virtual aquariums to digital growing plants to activities that promote storytelling. My Facebook page has the application “StoryLine”, which allows me to write a couple sentences to kick off a story while another person continues the same story with a few more sentences. This group storytelling experience could go on forever. Meanwhile, you may develop some great story material for performances.

Finally, you can join other groups that spark your interest. I have chosen to join groups connected to storytelling like the following:

Storytellers in the Facebook Universe

The Society for Storytelling

World Storytelling Day

New Voices Storytelling

Storytelling for Children

Fan Club for the Art of Storytelling with Children Podcast

So whether you join one or more social networking sites, the advancement of your art is inevitable. By connecting to one person you connect to the world.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com/
http://www.yesalliance.com/

Microphone Manners: Loud & Clear Ways for Pros

As the microphone rests on the stand, waiting for you to grab it, confidence swells because you know the show will be successful.

Or will it be?

Before a single story is shared, the audience is keenly observant to your comfort level with the microphone. The people may not have a pad of paper to dock points on your stage presence yet judgments are made.

Storytellers tend to fall in one of three categories--

1. The “No-Mike-for-Me” Teller
Some storytellers avoid the microphone completely unless begged by the emcee or of the hard-of-hearing in the audience. These tellers strain their voices for 30 minutes or more assuming their vocal chords are powerful enough to reach 25 to 100-plus people. These tellers seem to be shouting their stories rather than telling their stories. Little do these tellers know that projected voices tend to make stories monotone; a whisper is almost shouted and a shout is practically the same volume as the narrator/character’s regular voice.

2. The Eardrum-Buster Teller
Then there are the storytellers who “eat” the microphone. They do not trust the device to pick up sound. The microphone is so close to their lips that unpleasant sounds are picked up such as dry mouth clicks and smacks to the extra “pah” on any words that start with the letter “p”. Audience members may be seen with cringed smiles as they attempt to ignore the technical difficulties.

3. The Smooth and Professional Teller
These are the storytellers who grab the microphone and, as they tell their stories, the microphone seems to disappear from the stage. The words are still being sent across the room so that all in attendance can hear, only there are not any technical distractions to take audience members out of the moment. If there are times of fuzziness or echoes in the sound—known as feedback—then these tellers acknowledge this problem to the audience, pause the story, and then continue the story when fixed. The audience then leaves the auditorium with respect for the teller’s stories and for the teller’s grace.

Obviously, a storyteller wants to be known as smooth and professional. Here are some “loud and clear” tips to achieve this status:

• Request One or More Sound Checks

• Discuss and Choose Microphone Options

• Plan for the Worst and Dream for the Best

Request One or More Sound Checks
In society it is good manners to put out your hand to welcome another person. For microphones, the etiquette is no different. You need to put your hand out to the microphone and see if the two of you will work well as a team on performance day. If you rely on your own sound system rather than others, then this step is done before the purchase of equipment.

Arriving 45 minutes to an hour early to a performance gives time to play around with the sound. If a microphone needs to be exchanged for whatever reason, this may give enough time to make the switch. Ideally, you would have at least two sound checks with the first check a day or more before the performance and second check the day of the performance.

If I will perform at a nearby venue for the first time, I like to meet the sponsor a month or two before the performance day and check out the sound system. I can take notes as to the types of microphones available and determine if feedback will be a problem. For farther venues, I must rely on the sponsor’s opinion of the sound system.

When testing the microphone, some people are tempted to “tap, tap, tap” it. They may have seen other people—even professionals—do this technique but, of all things to do, tapping the microphone is the most damaging to the equipment. As you want to have your microphone in happy order as long as possible, then test the microphone by saying “1-2-3” or—better yet—sharing pieces of your story.

Discover how well the softest and the loudest parts of your story sound when using the microphone. Normally, the microphone is a good six to eight inches away from your mouth. For whispers you may need the microphone brought a couple inches closer while shouts may require to put the mike at arm’s length.

Discuss and Choose Microphone Options
Be aware of how you present a story to the audience when figuring out what type of microphone to use.

Questions on choosing a microphone:

1. Am I a stand-up or a sit-down storyteller? How much do I move my body while standing or sitting?

2. Do I prefer the use of two hands or could I still effectively tell the story with one hand?

3. Are there any other options of microphones in the first place?

Corded or Non-Corded Microphone with a Stand
This microphone could work for both the storyteller who plans to stay in one spot of the stage or for the storyteller who wants to move around.

Whether staying still or moving about, the best stand is the one that has two beams—the first is vertical from the stage while the second can be adjusted to dramatic angles. Make sure this second beam is always pointing up. The same rule applies to the microphone itself. Always aim the microphone up. For shorter people or sit-down tellers, sometimes the second beam and/or the microphone are mistakenly angled toward the floor. This gives a psychological feeling that the microphone is in control rather than the teller. The downward angle also upsets the acoustics in the room.

If you plan to stay in one area, then you will not need to hold the microphone so this frees both of your hands despite if you stand or sit.

I usually take the microphone off the stand so I can hold the microphone roughly six to eight inches from my face regardless if I turn my head to the right or to the left. Of course, holding the microphone limits me to one hand in telling the story. If I already know I will have a corded or non-corded mike, then I practice telling the stories with one hand.

For a corded microphone, I quietly unwrap its cord from the stand. I have seen other storytellers unwrap the cord from the stand while jumping into a story. This action is distracting. The audience will not mind waiting some seconds for you to be ready. The pause actually builds excitement and anticipation, which could only improve your reception with the audience.

Since I do not use the stand, the proper thing to do is to place the stand far enough behind me so I have room to move. When my story or program is done, I accept the applause for a moment, turn around, pick up the stand, and return it to its original place. As there may be another performer after me, this is my way of showing respect. Even if I was the sole performer, the emcee may return to the stage and need everything in order.

Lavalieres
If body movement is really important to you as a storyteller, then you may prefer the lavaliere. This type clips to your shirt while the battery pack is often clipped to your belt, slacks, or skirt. If there is no where to hook the battery pack, then some storytellers bring a small bag that hangs diagonally from their shoulder. The bag is about the size of a pocket and usually matches the storyteller’s outfit.

Lavalieres are not recommended if you wear a low-cut blouse or shirt as the microphone is best situated close to the bottom of your neck. Some storytellers wear vests, sweaters or even suit coats, and so clip the lavaliere to the side. Later these tellers wonder why the sound system was so bad. Unless you always speak on the sides of your mouth, center the microphone.

Please note that while you have both hands for performing, you must still be aware at your head’s direction in comparison to the microphone. You may need to turn your whole body if you want to face the right or left. If you only turn your head to the right, then your storytelling will suddenly get soft (unless this is your intention). This does not mean you have to dip your chin. If someone is over the amplification system, then that person may be able to adjust the power.

Plan for the Worst and Dream for the Best
You may adjust the microphone perfectly and still there are problems. The batteries could run out or the feedback could be impossible to fix. Bringing extra batteries could fix the first problem, but what of the second?

While telling a story, sometimes it is easier for us to “plow through” when we have technical difficulties. We pretend the problem is not there. We may be able to ignore, but our audience often cannot. Feel free to pause when there is feedback. You may even address from the stage to the sponsor or to the sound tech guys to fix the problem for you. It may be a few minutes before everything is in order, but your audience will thank you.

To prepare yourself for these situations, you could practice your stories and have a friend make “crrrrr” sounds as if a microphone went crazy. Then you can practice pausing and addressing the imaginary sound tech guys.

The night before I tell, I like to visualize the perfect storytelling concert. Part of the dream includes how I handle the microphone with ease.

Perhaps the next time you see a “No-Mike-for-Me” teller or a Eardrum Buster teller, you can shake your head, tap them on the shoulder, and guide them to be smooth and professional--like you.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com
http://www.yesalliance.com