Why Stories?

Storytelling enriches our lives, our understanding of our world and each other....

Since the beginning of human history there have been stories. They are the way people have communicated for generations.Long before written language and in most cultures, stories were told to teach lessons, pass on traditions and history, and to entertain one another, creating a shared community experience for all ages.

Today people still enjoy a good story. Research shows that people learn information and retain it more easily when it is encompassed in a story rather than in a lecture or other forms of communication requiring rote memorization of facts and ideas.

Who are stories good for?
  • businesses
  • schools
  • groups
  • libraries
  • fundraisers
For what occasions?
  • training classes
  • seminars
  • workshops
  • outdoor education
  • entertainment
  • writing classes

Although stories are now passed via many different types of media, storytelling by a live storyteller is still the most effective way to engage an individual or group. The direct eye contact and interaction between storyteller and audience creates a dynamic atmosphere where each listener's own imagination actively participates in the formation of every scene of the story.

Thus a storyteller becomes the guide that helps the listener to visualize another place, time or situation. The connection between storyteller, story, and listener can be quite powerful, evoking thoughts and emotions that result in a transformative experience for an individual and an entire audience.

These experiences are useful in many situations, especially because storytellers incorporate a variety of techniques to involve all types of learning intelligences and ages. This invaluable service is extremely effective across school curriculums, in personnel training within organizations, and in businesses.

Storytellers also help others to tell their own stories, boosting and clarifying communication skills and group interaction.

Storytelling works for outdoor education as well as indoor workshops and for pure entertainment value.


Debra Ballou, storyteller