“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” Muriel Rukeyser, poet
While at the WOMMA Summit, I’ve attended a keynote presented by Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva). Kitchen Sisters are masters of storytelling. They have talked to us about the art of storytelling and shared these 10 tips with the audience:
- Give a story a face
- Tell a backstory, it’s what people will tell their friends
- Stories beget stories
- Your audience wants to be galvanized, to participate, to get involved
- People love knowing about something secret, underground, below-the-radar
- Remember the rule of 3: secret, unexpected, below the radar
- Summon the elders, they are the best storytellers
- It’s all within 10 feet
- Funny is good
- Heart is even better
Here are some additional thoughts I jotted down:
- Use visuals and drawings to tell stories, they are powerful
- Use silence in your storytelling, it brings people to you
- The audience wants to go on a mission and get involved
- Memories, music, sounds, places – key parts of storytelling