Serving ‘bread and amusements storytelling’

‘Bread and amusements’ eventually enslaved the Romans to their barbarian invaders. ‘Bread and amusements storytelling’ can eventually enslave users to their brain invaders. I’m not telling you a new story here.

I’m not against technology. I’m against using technology where it causes degeneration. We don’t need to revolutionize the way we tell our stories, we need to tell them. Why have many people stopped telling stories? Because many people have stopped listening to them and started listening to ‘bigger’ stories, ’stickier’ stories created and spread through manipulation and platforms more forceful than the skillful achievement of one person or the natural pace of word-of-mouth. Fireworks makes everybody excited and some a little afraid as long as they last a few minutes. More than that, once or twice a year, takes away the meaning from the human-size events of life. Fireworks are a metaphor in this post – skillfully prepared, strategically situated to impress.

Storytelling is highly interactive, improvisational and social. Notice the difference between story and storytelling – not the same thing and a common swap that appears in MIT’s announcement like it appears in many other places. Audiences are already active participants in the storytelling process. In fact, without the presence of an audience, our art does not exist because its outcome lives only in their imagination; bombarding it with dramatic visual events well prepared, degenerates people. Lately, God has a keyboard and the only reason for something to die is running out of batteries. Humans don’t need help bridging real and virtual worlds – we created them even before modern technology existed…

How can someone come to the conclusion people need help telling stories? In the technological world – easily, just browse through any website that invites user-generated stories and you’ll find something that looks like this:

Now, that’s called lending an ear…

In the room sat the last storyteller on earth…

Snap!

Don’t worry, that is not going to happen. Storytelling will never die. Unless humanity vanishes completely. Many have this concern though, and the question is who and why?

One group that decided to take care of the issue announced it’s action plan on November 18, 2008:

The MIT Media Laboratory today announced the creation of the Center for Future Storytelling, made possible through a seven-year, $25 million commitment from Plymouth Rock Studios, a major motion picture and television studio that is expected to open in 2010 in Plymouth, Mass.

With the establishment of the center, whose research program begins immediately, the Media Lab and Plymouth Rock Studios will collaborate to revolutionize how we tell our stories, from major motion pictures to peer-to-peer multimedia sharing. By applying leading-edge technologies to make stories more interactive, improvisational and social, researchers will seek to transform audiences into active participants in the storytelling process, bridging the real and virtual worlds, and allowing everyone to make their own unique stories with user-generated content on the Web. Center research will also focus on ways to revolutionize imaging and display technologies, including developing next-generation cameras and programmable studios, making movie production more versatile and economic.

You don’t say… I thought to myself when I saw this. “And they and their robot lived happily ever after…”

What is MIT’s concern? where do they see a problem with storytelling? Is it lacking something?

Why do they think we need to revolutionize the way we tell our stories?

Why do they think that leading-edge technologies will make stories more interactive, improvisational and social?

Or transform audiences into active participants in the storytelling process,

Or help them overcome the impossible (maybe they believe so, I don’t know) cognitive task of bridging the real and virtual worlds,

And grant them back their birthright to make their own unique stories with user-generated content on the web?

You can sense, and you are right, that I’m asking these questions with a sarcastic voice. But still, I’m asking these questions. In lack of response (until now) from MIT or anyone close I can try and answer these questions myself.

Answers coming soon. If you would like to suggest any you are welcome. Keep in mind though that I’m looking for the reasons behind the actions, the ideas that set off this initiative in the first place. If anyone from MIT would take part in this thread, I’ll be much obliged.

The story pattern I used for helping the children create a story for the StoryBox

Hoping to help others, I’ve uploaded a diagram and an explanation about the pattern to Storytelling Coach II – its the second exercise on the page, just scroll down. Using a story they know or telling them a story, showing them the pattern and helping them to find it in the story you have just told, makes it very clear.

Storytelling, Technology, Social Media, Marketing – prelude

I’ve been reading through this blog’s stats to find out what the people who arrive here are looking for. As it seems, most of you are looking for coaching exercises. That’s great if I know you are actually putting them to test and finding some of them useful for you and your students and colleagues. I’ll be great full to hear about your experiences, please write me, even short notes.

Yet I know there is another reason for this blog winning its reputation, that being a rather shaky title on the web as it changes daily. The first one to notice was Tim Ereneta followed by Eric James Wolf and later on I found my name mentioned on various sites and my definition for storytelling written not far away from here on the sidebar, cited on SlideShare presentations and in various other places. I’m happy for all that and thank you people for giving me a reason to continue writing about this stuff and not keeping it for myself.

What I’m talking about I’ll tell you in a minute but one personal note first. Please read it – it’s important:

English is not my first language and writing not my preferred form of expression. I’m also not exactly THE model for “little girls must be seen but not heard” – maybe because growing up in London and hearing that sentence for the first five years of my life made me want to kick… on the other hand, if you will meet me in person, you’ll notice that my bold and passionate character is well integrated into the habit of keeping good manners and politeness. Why I’m I telling you this? don’t take offense from my written words. If you’re not sure, ask me. I have the feeling that some people feel I’m too harsh. That could be true considering WHAT I write, but not when it comes to the way I treat people – I care for the human race very very much.

That said, I’m getting back to the reason this blog started in any case – this is an Agora. In ancient Greece it was “a place for political assembly; marketplace or public square used for public assemblies.” I’m standing here, trying to ask the difficult questions and search for the answers. Can’t stop it, it’s part of my nature and I enjoy being curious. Talking about storytelling, I’m involved with it in any way you can imagine and my days are split between the art in it’s purest form and all it’s implications. I mean – all.

I’ve chosen to start a long thread of posts about storytelling, technology, social media and marketing mainly because so little has been properly brainstormed in public about these connections and I see some alarming, wonderful and hilarious possibilities there. You should know as a background opening note, that I am directly involved in all of the above, this is not only about long distance theory, but I promise to try and keep things orderly and connected to the work of others.

You are all invited to take part – this is an Agora, let the holy mess begin. First post coming soon…

The StoryBox project – field report, Zichron Yaakov Israel, part six – storystorm and farewell

Ilan took a bunch of stories home, wanting to deepen his own experience with the box and its stories. He came back to school suggesting they will read some of the stories together. The stories were written by students around the same age so the issues were close to their heart. They went through three stories before breaking into a stormy conversation about the content, the ideas, the characters, the writers, the issues at hand mentioned in the stories. Ilan was very pleased to see how the stories written somewhere else ignited such a conversation in his class.

The next time we met we had the whole class again. We took them to the drama class and asked them to select an object or garment from all the treasures Ilan gathered there, keeping in mind it is something they have stolen. Stealing has passion attached to it. Then we wanted them to tell their partners who they stole it from, why and what they intend to do with it now that it is in their possession. We used window frames as the telling platform, moving them quickly one after another telling through the windows. Then I practiced with some of them how you flesh out a story so the little bits of information could turn into anecdotes. Most of them participated rather easily and were willing to try and get better.

On Friday we met again. We are close to the box departure so we have to start tying loose ends. We took their photos, got their names in English and told them what was going to happen next. We don’t want (and neither do they want) to give up on the creative product. So the box will leave with their stories and the tiny box project, and the clip will be sent later on, after we conclude the work.
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The box left today on its way to Spain with three items we added in – The tiny StoryBox tiny project, a handwritten story prepared by one of the girls and a booklet with all their stories (15), pictures and information about Zichron Yaakov.

The StoryBox project – field report, Zichron Yaakov Israel, part five

We have stories! Today they finished writing them so the meeting was mainly about writing, prompting and writing again. Ilan asked me to bring the box, “It has a magical influence,” he said. It does. As they wrote I was looking for a matchbox Nathalie told me about and I found it. Two of the boys were finished so I gave them the tiny box, told them about the girl who made it, the girl from Switzerland who didn’t have a story and asked them if they would write one for her. Since we had only about 20 min. left until the end of the day, they decided it would be a good idea to launch “The Tiny StoryBox Tiny Project”

They wrote a beginning, we’ll write some instructions and place the matchbox into a slightly larger tiny box so it can be its own project for others to continue. I hope that by the time it gets back to Kevin the girl will have a story…

Then Ilan took me to see the drama class – he is the school’s drama teacher and his students, the same kids we are working with, were preparing scenery he thought using as a background for their storytelling. It’s a small warm space.

From here on we have several tasks we would like to complete:

Practice telling the stories so we can have a storytelling session. It will be recorded on video.

Translate the stories into English and create a printed version. The translations will be made by two of the kids, another will take everybody’s photos and another will edit and print the booklet.

Take one of the stories (Ilan will choose which one), turn it into a mini-play and rehearse it. This will be a good experience for those who will feel too embarrassed to tell their story. The play too will be recorded on video.

Ilan is going to write a piece about Zichron Yaakov which has a special story. We are going to take the entire class to main-street which is an historical site and shoot some photos and video.

If they will manage to do it on time, some of them want to create comics and a statue. These too will be documented in digital form.

We’re going to check if we can invite the local press, so if that happens, it will join the rest of the material. Ilan told them about the local press and they went “Duhh..”. “Tell them about Chanel 2 and you’ll get them listening,” I was joking and then one of them asked another, “Why don’t you tell your uncle about this?” turns out this kid’s uncle is a well known interviewer on national TV and a really cool guy… we’ll see.

All this material will be edited into a video-clip. Two of them are going to write, play and record music for it. One of the fathers, a professional video man will help us edit the digital material. The clip and the story-booklet will be placed into the StoryBox, the rest will stay here.

The StoryBox project – field report, Zichron Yaakov Israel, part four

By now we have a bunch of 15 raw stories. Some of them need polishing; others are looking for a sufficient ending. Since we knew that this time we will have only one hour to work with the kids, we decided to do two things – find a creative expression that will travel together with the stories and do some kind of warm-up on the way to actually telling the stories to others. Like in standing in front of other people and talking…

Fear is what I wanted to avoid. A little fear can turn into excitement so that is where I was aiming at. I gathered four very basic exercises and grabbed my large red spaghetti spoon. When I met Ilan he was concerned about splitting the class. His colleague didn’t come to school so he had no one to send the kids who do not participate in the project to. He was preparing some kind of alternative activity he would lead while I’m working with the rest but still was uncomfortable with “the authorities”. We decided to invite them all in and play it by ear.

8:15 AM is not a pretty site when you are 14…. They looked as if they were shoveling coal for the entire night. Action and energy were required, “ok, push all the tables to the wall, bring your chairs in and let’s sit in a circle!” they actually did it Some of the kids who are not part of the project looked concerned, “don’t worry,” Ilan said, “you can take part, you are invited.” I told them we are going to warm up to the possibility of telling a story – without telling one today, just preparing. Holding on to the spaghetti spoon I looked at the kid sitting next to me in the eye, asked for his name and said, “here Amit, and when you grab the spoon you need to look at me and say thank you Limor. Then you pass it on the same way, with the same text, switching names and looking at each other while the interaction takes place. Naturally.”

The first few had great difficulty meeting eyes. But as we proceeded they managed to keep it with occasional giggles. I asked them how it was. They realized that looking at a person for a short interaction was not a habit most of them were acquainted with – they are not used to paying attention this way, it felt embarrassing. I asked them to go for a second round aiming to succeed as a group. The flow and attention were their mutual responsibility which is the case in storytelling. No power game, no begging for attention. They did it very well this time; they too could sense the slight shiver which appears in the presence of truth.

The second exercise went a different way, inspired by the “Academy Award Acceptance Speech” from Raising Voices by Judy Sima and Kevin Cordy. “ze grrande spaghetti prize” was granted to each and every one of them, young chefs who participated in “the younge chefe natsionale competitione.” I did the commentary announcing their wins by name and what we wanted to see was their reaction to the announcement. No words, just a single gesture that will make us understand what they feel receiving such a prestigious award. It was fun and Ilan took it slightly further demonstrating what a clear gesture is so they could be more accurate and effective.

The third exercise touched the embarrassment issue again. I presume you all know the exercise where the person comes over to the storytelling space, takes it with intention, stands in front of the audience and keeps standing there while receiving applause. They were really ok there. Then we spoke about it a little and that was enough for this part.

Creative expression was our second issue. Since all the class was there and participated, we had the opportunity to bring the “outsiders” back into the story. We asked them to take part in the creative idea, since it will require a lot of work. Nobody resisted. “Storytelling is the main creative expression form in this project,” I said, “but doing some more would be nice since it can travel.” They had many ideas – pictures, video, play, short book, comics, PPT, statue, music & song, video clip. We asked them to think where they could contribute the most and wrote down their names accordingly.

Through Facebook chat with Nathalie Jendly I realized there was stuff in the box we missed, some of it which she hoped will be continued by others. We didn’t really get to see all of it. Ilan felt he wanted to take some time with the box and its stories, without his students. So we are going to meet and look through all the material.
It might be a good idea to leave a clear message for the next story-keeper about things you want them to relate to. Next time we are going to return to their stories.

The StoryBox project – field report, Zichron Yaakov Israel, part three – the box arrives!

I was overwhelmed by my own excitement when the box arrived. Although aware of the power of its mechanism, it influenced me and Ilan all the same. It arrived and immediately I sent Ilan an SMS “tell them the box is here”. I had to leave home and an hour later received a call from him, “where are you?! I’m walking around your house trying to find a window I could at least see the box through!”

Ilan had to wait until we met again. I peeked in, to find a fabulous surprise – a hand-knitted box from Yellow Springs Ohio. It was packed to the lid. I found the binder with instructions inside, moved some stuff around, read some stories. Eventually I decided to wait until Friday too.

I got to school early, some of the kids spotted me carrying the box, “but I thought it would be special” they said. “This is just the cover you are seeing, wait for the bell,” I replied. The other teacher wanted to bring all the kids from both classes in. We agreed. Knowing some of the material might get messed up we gathered tables in a long row for the participants to sit around and all the rest were standing behind them. Material could not leave the table and needed to get back to its original binder. Ilan, being a performer, spotted the tension of anticipation. He went for historical drama style and after a few opening words asked for tremolo…. He got a massive tremolo from the kids and dramatically pulled out the box and placed it on the table in front of him.

There was silence and then this kind of “duuhh” reaction. The boy sitting next to Ilan said, “This is hand-made!” “Yes,” said Ilan, “someone took this seriously….” He opened the box and started pulling out stuff. Second after second, the room was changing as material passed along the table. After a couple of minutes they were engaged, looking for signs for themselves. If I can try to guess what it was, it was evidence about the reason to participate.

“Wow, look at the investment,” said one, “this was written by a group of 5-6 grade students, this is for babies,” said another. I spotted out a batch of stories created by older kids, “listen to what this young woman says here,” I started reading. They realized she was older than them. The matter of age was settled. The CDs attracted them and they ran to the computer. Most of it was adult work which dropped their interest in a second. They were looking for kid’s work. A few minutes later some of them were engaged reading stories out of the various packages. Those who are fluent with English were reading to others.

I watched the group that was standing around the table. They were silent, observing. None of them walked out, they just stood there. “I’m not sure this event makes you want to step out of your decision not to participate,” I said, “but if we will decide to create a local box I’ll remember to re-invite you.” This was the right moment to send them back to the other class. A couple of them asked if they will be able to join in their stories later. I agreed under the condition they will walk through the process with Ilan, myself or one of the participants that will agree to help them.

We collected the material back into the box and it was time to start working on their stories. Ilan gave them the printed guiding documents and we set off. “But I can’t” “but I don’t” there they were again, singing the same song… I told them again of my impression – this was getting boring. I asked one of the kids to work with me, face to face in front of the entire group. Using the guiding document and prompting questions, he had a basic pattern of a story and an idea in less than 3 minutes. They got it. Pencils met papers and off they were into their imagination. Occasionally someone was stuck. Ilan and I moved around the table, sitting next to them and helping out with questions that guided them to the next answers.

After the first round we asked them to walk deeper into the stories, finding more details and motivations for the characters, realizing what exactly the drama in their stories was about, assuring them that the weirdest characters can make a great story if they only have a reason to strive meaning they are alive. The room became quiet as they were all engaged in writing and Ilan was shining, “I’ve never seen this sight in this class. Let’s not disturbed them, stay a little longer if you can …” occasionally one of them said, “we’ll, I don’t have any more,” and we had to make them understand that yes, this is work. It takes time to create and write down your ideas. They wanted to make sure they were not asked for a final draft, “no,” said ilan realizing we might get that song again, “just the ideas the way you see them in your imagination, as they happen.”

The bell rang. It was the end of the day. Ilan was greeting them for the weekend while happily packing 15 stories into a binder, almost not believing his eyes. We decided not to let it wait for a week. He will go through the material to see if the stories really needed some help and we’ll meet again on Wednesday. The shorter part of the session will be about eliciting the main creative idea – that will be attached to the written material. The longer part will be a storytelling session. They are about to tell their stories in front of the group and we will be teaching them some techniques.

Since the box is packed and heavy, and still needs to travel quite a lot, I’ll be sending Kevin some of the material. After observing their behavior with the material I have some guidelines:

Mass is important but 10 binders or 6 binders are the same for this purpose.
Media grabs their attention. Yet, they are looking for kid’s work not professional stuff, especially if English is not their main language.
Creative expressions are great.
The photos in the binder are important. Place photos of people too, not only story boxes. They are curious to see the people involved – kids, adults, anyone.
Age counts. If they are young teens they want to know the work is for big guys not only for young kids.

All for now, more to come.

The StoryBox project – field report, Zichron Yaakov Israel, part two

We managed to pass the threshold. We had fifteen eight grade students in front of us, most of them boys. They were feeling uncomfortable still, shooting remarks at each other across the room. I moved forward and presented them Kevin’s two prompting requests “Tell us a story about being “boxed” in. Tell us a story about leaving the “box.”

Forget it. They had no intention of telling anything. “Oh,” I said, “I don’t mean a STORY, just ideas. What do these questions connect to in your life? Feeling or being boxed, leaving the box…” the boys started a round of giggling. I knew what they were thinking about, “yes, that too goes under the umbrella of this metaphor if you would like to share.”

One of the boys gave it a shot, “knowing that a teacher is behaving in a wrong way and knowing that you have no one to bring this to.” I wrote it down on the board. “Being so cross with your folks that you run away from home,” said one of the girls, “I did that you know” she added. “Well, I see you’ve returned,” said I, “so something happened there too, relating to the box idea.” “Well,” added another boy, “sometimes things larger than you happen, you are cross because it is out of your influence, so walking out of the box is managing to accept.” I asked Ilan to take over while I was writing. The accumulation of ideas on the board, this tiny legitimizing act that accepted everything they said, invited a blessed rain of ideas. They were shooting faster and faster, being honest, creative, funny and not afraid.

One of them came up with the idea, “sometimes things get so bad that you know that the only way to break out of being boxed is through war.”

Now, I don’t know who will be reading these words. We Israelis know that being in war most of the time does not keep us favorable in the eyes of most of the world. Many see us as militants. That is not where that boy’s idea came from at all. It did come from existing in this place and knowing that sometimes, whether you like it or not, war is inevitable. I said to them, “you know, his idea seems difficult but it is not the first time someone noticed it. I want to tell you a story.” I told them “the bird that fought war” and if you have never heard about this story, find it. They listened closely. There is not much to say after such a powerful story.

The room was ready for ground rules. Rule number one: anyone is allowed to say anything. Rule two: in order to support rule one, whatever is said during the box sessions will never be held against the person who said it. Everybody had to agree, including Ilan and myself. And it was agreed.

So now we had a board full of ideas, but I wanted a theme. Why? Because the ideas on the board were the off springs of known situations, fragmented real-life narratives. A theme would re-start their imaginations and might elicit new stories. So I asked them if they can see connections and marked the ones they noticed with arrows. Eventually we could all see a clear “hub”. I asked if they could name it and one of the girls came up with the brilliant idea “helplessness and the ability to take a decision”.

Generating new ideas

The board was wiped clean; I placed the theme in the middle and asked for new ideas. A story about helplessness and the ability to take a decision can be a story about… and again, I wrote down their ideas. Now it was time to show them how stories are created. I told a folktale and then wrote down “time & place, characters, objects/artifacts, idea” and asked them to tell me where in the story they recognized those four. That was relatively easy and we got to the understanding of what makes the story’s hero too.

I told them my request for our next meeting – take one of the ideas from the board, imagine a story that could resonate it and give me the place, characters, object… I could not finish the sentence because they were going, “but I can’t” “but I don’t” “but I have no ideas” “no time”…. Ilan, that until this moment was thrilled by their participation and ideas walked in, “this is enough. We are sitting here together for an hour, you are all doing a brilliant job and suddenly a crash… we promised to help, so we will.” They stopped and I asked how they would like to receive our help. One of the boys thought it would be good to receive a guiding document. Something that will guide them through the process and this too was agreed.

Now we knew that we found the way to engage them and at the same time could smell the story pattern – two more challenges to go until we reach the dramatic peak…

The StoryBox Project – field report, Zichron Yaakov Israel, part one

Several years ago I asked Kevin Cordy for the StoryBox to arrive to Israel. Several years later, here it is.

Since the box can stay for only a short while, I decided to keep it close to where I live and find a class educated by a storyteller. Ilan Inbar, a colleague of mine who educates an 8 grade class here, agreed to collaborate. After presenting the idea to the school’s headmaster and relevant staff he got their permission together with the request to present the project to both 8 grade classes.

We decided to start before the box arrived so we will have enough time to go through any preliminary procedures and a minimal worthwhile process. The date was set and I came to school to meet the kids. Both classes gathered in one room. Ilan and I prepared a meeting plan, decided what we want to tell them and in what way. I spoke a little, Ilan then told a story and I asked the kids for observations “what is this about? How does storytelling work” I got some answers, some of them really good but the general atmosphere was difficult. I told a story and as usual when stories are told – they were hooked. We spoke about the benefits – and again, the response was very dull.

There was this big gap between the level of involvement while listening to storytelling and the ability to communicate the idea of participating in a project which is about storytelling. I wanted to hear their thoughts and asked for them. In a way, I interpreted their body language and preliminary reactions as, “Duuuh, not cool…” but when they started answering something else was revealed. “I can’t” “I’m not able to” “I don’t know how to” “I don’t have the talent to” “I don’t have” etc.

This community, if can be called a community, is highly competitive. Many families are very able financially, one or both parents working in the HighTech industries. Almost everything in these kids daily life is fast-going, competitive, mercy less in a way, myself.com. They were afraid. I promised Ilan and I will give them everything we know in means of knowledge, support and hand holding. If this has turned out to be a challenge, we were here to help them walk through it.

The meeting was over. Ilan was exhausted. He has been meeting this behavior coming from them since the first day of this school year, but he was hoping storytelling and an international project would get something else out of them. On the other hand and quite obviously, we had no intention to give up so quickly. We realized the request to present the idea to the larger group was a mistake. Ilan decided to speak again with the kids, this time only to his class and with the intention to invite some of them to a privet talk. Especially those he saw as able concerning the task at hand.

He did. By now, the box was already on its way from Ireland. I arrived to school a week later to meet Ilan’s class. Again they were somewhat uneasy with the idea. I told them my experience from the previous meeting. They listened with heart. Ilan asked those who really don’t feel like they would like to be part of this to join the other class for the next hour. Some of the kids got up and left and he was ok with it. Some stayed. Some were curious to see who will stay and some who walked out were called back by him. “Give it a try,” he said, “I think you can be great with this stuff,” and they stayed. Eventually we had a group of fifteen in the room.