Writing and Telling Your Own Story - 6 weeks

You don't need to be a storyteller to tell your story, all you need is a willingness to share a bit of yourself and your knowledge.

When I was young I often begged my grandmother and grandfather to tell me the stories of how they lived and what they did. I wanted to know all about them and where they had been. I wanted to know about a time when things were easier or different. Now that I am a grandmother, I remember how important it is to pass on the stories. This class will help you write and tell your own story.

In this workshop we will explore the hows and whys of writing and telling your own story. You will be given the opportunity to ask questions and share your knowledge. You will have the opportunity to tell your story with the written or spoken word.

Storytelling had its beginnings way back into that space between darkness and light. Between sound and silence. It is the first traditional Art form. The first oral way of communication. In the beginning was the word. Words have power and the spoken word has a power that is unimaginable.

Traditional oral storytelling has its beginnings as far back in time as spoken language. People came together to tell the tales of their days and of their ancestors. People used story to pass on the traditions and the knowledge they carried. People still do.

Storytelling is a powerful tool in business. Storytelling is a powerful tool in the healing arts. Storytelling is a powerful tool in learning. Storytelling is a powerful art form. Storytelling is many things and is used in many ways.

In this beginning workshop, we will learn the basics of the oral tradition of storytelling. We will learn to find and chose a story for our own. We will learn the many ways to learn the story and practice it for telling. By the end of the 6 weeks we will be sharing stories and hopefully excited about learning and sharing more.

In this intermediate level workshop we will work on honing our storytelling skills. We will spend time researching stories and learning how to tell which stories want to be told once and which ones will become our signature tales. Whether we tell our own stories or folk tales and legends, it will be our goal to develop and deliver our stories so our audience willingly accepts the gift of story that we offer them. When possible we will take a field trip to see other storytellers perform. We will finish this 6 week class with a public performance.

Have you ever just zoned out when someone was talking and then had to respond to one of their questions?

Have you ever tried hard to say what you wanted to say but felt like you never got a word in edgewise?

Do you catch yourself interrupting all the time just so you can say what you think is important?

Would you like to be the kind of person others want to listen to?

Effective Listening takes skill and practice. When you become an effective listener your voice becomes more easily heard.

This workshop will teach you effective listening and soon you will find your words carry more meaning to the ones you listen to.

There are 60 minutes in an hour, 1440 minutes in a day and 10,080 minutes in a week. Everyone has the same amount. You can't sell minutes, you can't give them away, you can't lose them. Only you can choose how you use your minutes. No one else can spend them for you or take them away from you.

Effective time management doesn't mean always being on time even though that is a quality we all aspire to and feel guilty about. Time management doesn't mean always doing what others think you should. You can do nothing at all and be managing your time.

This workshop will give you some effective guidelines on managing your time in the ways that will make you more efficient and effective at the same time accomplishing the things that are the most important to you.