Storytelling: Impromptu Delivery with Image

Purpose

This is entertaining exercise on getting delegates to quickly think of a story to tell based on a visual prompt. The options allow you to bias the exercise based on what you want delegates to practice on. They can then get feedback on their storytelling.

Objective

Based on an image given and the chosen storytelling style, make an impromptu story and read it to others.

What You Need

• Computers and access to the Internet
• Optional sample images
• Access to printer

Setup

• Ask delegates to search the net and choose three interesting and funny images. These must be images that can lead to a story, don’t have an obvious story and are general enough to be interpreted in different ways. You can optionally show a few images to illustrate what you expect.
• Allocate 5 minutes for delegates to find the images.
• Once chosen, ask them to print their three images.
• They should not show these images to each other.
• Ask delegates to place these images face down at the centre of the table.
• Allocate 5 minutes for this part.
• Ask delegates to pick an image form the pile one by one and deliver an impromptu story about the image they have picked.
• You should dictate the style of the story given. Choose from one of the following for the whole exercise:
  • Make it funny
  • Make it engaging
  • Make a dramatic
  • Make it suspense
  • Make it a murder-mystery
  • Make it into an outrageous tabloid story
• Allocate 3 minutes for each delegate to deliver the story.
• Once all delegates have delivered their stories, ask them to vote for the best story they heard and identify why they thought it was good.
• Follow with a discussion.

Timing

Explaining the Exercise: 2 minutes

Activity: 5 min selecting images + 5 min printing images + (3 min * N) storytelling = minutes 34 minutes for 8 delegates.

Group Feedback: 15 minutes

Discussion

How difficult was it to tell a story about the image you picked? What strategy did you follow to make your story interesting? What did you think of other stories? What was the most important lesson you have learned from other delegates’ stories?