Story-telling as a community learning experience has been practised by people around the world for countless generations. In an age of television and video games, encouraging children and young people to sit, listen and understand has never been more useful as a means of promoting good learning and thinking skills. 

Many parents read to their children, especially while they are very young. Yet, this is only one half of the story-telling experience. After all, the best stories are those drawn from one's own life experiences, involving real people, not just characters on a page. Further, story-telling is a mutual process; the teller describing emotions and situations for the listener to use in forming their own mental images. And because stories told from experience or drawn first-hand from the imagination are unique, they receive extraordinary attention from children, which they wouldn't otherwise give to a repeatable experience. Stories told from the heart are magical, precisely because they don't come with a rewind button. 

How can we all learn to become better story-tellers? Here are some simple ideas - 

Use simple stories with key ideas or themes - Using a story that is too complex or detailed will be disorientating to the listener. Instead, choose stories that emphasize key ideas or themes, such as friendship, discovery, giving etc. 

Include image-friendly vocabulary - Some words will be easier for children to form images from then others. Draw up a list of words - adjectives, verbs, nouns - that are especially colourful, interesting and engaging. Then, try to find places in your story for a selection of these words. 

Describe the landscape of your story in detail - Give plenty of context for your story. If, for example, its backdrop is a jungle, spend a few moments describing the trees, ferns, plants, snakes, insects, colours, heat, atmosphere. 

Try to commit the story to memory - Use your own mental imagery skills to help you do this. It will mean you don't need to rely on notes, and can maintain eye contact with your audience throughout. Of course, stories drawn from your own life experiences will be easiest to frame and use. 

Go through a practise run first with a friend - To build confidence, and prevent errors that might steal the story of its flow, practise telling the story to a friend. Ask for feedback. Discuss the imagery and emotions of the story. 

Don't dissect the story with explanations - The listeners will draw their own lessons and understanding from each story. Dissecting a story immediately after its telling causes it to fragment in the listener's mind. Instead, have a moment's silence following a story to allow listeners to absorb the story's meaning. 

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