How to learn to tell stories?

Dear student of Storytelling,

actually, all of us can already tell stories, freely told aloud without a written text. The foundation of storytelling is daily communication. How often do we tell the plot of the last movie we saw, or what adventures we had on our last vacation, and what we have dreamed? Therefore, we can already tell stories, can't we?

Dr. (phil) Norbert Julian Kober, narrator, professional trainer and founder of the Goldmund-Erzählakademie.

There are many people we might call "born storytellers", people whose every word we hang on, even when they tell a very short anecdote. These "born storytellers" have not taken courses, but could they handle a one-hour program in front of 100 people? Maybe yes, but perhaps no.

Giving you the confidence to tell your stories in a suspenseful, satisfying manner requires continued education.

Learning to tell stories is a process in several steps.

The future storyteller must learn

what makes good stories,
how to structure the arc of the story to keep up the interest and suspense,
how to present the protagonist so that each listener wants to know how he or she will approach the adventure and achieve the quest,

and then …

how to bring the story to the "stage," which includes the storyteller learning how to use his body and his speech in a natural way.

Additionally, the storyteller must learn to express his own emotions and mental pictures for the story. The secrets which lie in each story, no matter how small, want to be discovered and experienced.

The philosophy of the Goldmund-Erzaehlakademie (Goldmund Storytelling Acadamy) is based on the idea that every person can become a good storyteller, if he or she has learned the tools of the trade and practices them during telling. Of course, there is hardly another art form which depends more on the personality and uniqueness of the student, since those qualities are the basis for success as a storyteller. For this reason, we attempt to illuminate the special qualities of each student, also because sooner or later an inner dialog must occur in regards to the contents of stories. That does not mean unnecessary psychologizing, but a conscious process of trying to anchor the emotional content of stories in one's own life, in order to become an authentic storyteller.

The Stiftung Erzaehlen (The Storytelling Foundation) recommends the Goldmund-Erzaehlakademie (Goldmund Storytelling Acadamy), and we treat this trust with great care.

With friendly storytelling greetings,