Assignment 2 – Storytelling Presentation

Due Date: Session 8 - 12

Value: 10%
You will sign up to present a short storytelling presentation (4:00 – 5:00 min) during session 8 – 12.
You will tell a story to the class that has happened to you or what you are going through now. The story
can be about a turning point in your life, the first time you did something, or something that has
happened to you, or a significant conversation. It should be engaging to your audience (us!) and should
have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

TIPS
You may want to start off with a line that grabs the audience’s attention.
No: “So I was thinking about climbing this mountain. But then I watched a little TV and made a snack and
took a nap and my mom called and vented about her arthritis. After hearing her complain I thought
about it again and decided I’d climb the mountain the next morning.”
Yes: “The mountain loomed before me. I had my hunting knife, some trail mix and snow boots. I had to
make it to the little cabin and start a fire before sundown or freeze to death for sure. This is a story
about the time I…”
No meandering endings
They kill a story! Your last line should be clear in your head before you start. Yes, bring the audience
along with you as you contemplate what transpires in your story, but remember, you are driving the
story, and must know the final destination.
No rants
This is for your therapist, unless the anger is coming from the character
No essays
Your eloquent musings are beautiful and look pretty on the page but unless you can make them gripping
and set up stakes, they won’t work on stage.

NB: storytelling must be no longer than 5:00 minutes, nor any shorter than 4:00 minutes. Five
percentage marks will be deducted for every one minute outside these limits. So make sure
you rehearse and present within the 4:00 - 5:00 minutes.
After the storytelling presentation, the presenter may want to answer questions from the audience. The
day of your presentation, please upload a copy of your story (as a PDF file) to our Moodle e-learning
portal.
Good luck!