About Audio Storytelling

Welcome back! Listen up, literally. Lets talk about how vital Audio is in storytelling. How powerful Audio Storytelling itself can be. Have you ever listened to the radio, an e-book, or a podcast that you just couldn’t turn off? There are actual techniques that audio storytellers use to keep your attention. If you have time, take a listen to Ira Glass on Storytelling. There are a few different parts to the series, I’ve linked part one above.

So, you may be asking, how does one become a good storyteller?

• Don’t forget the basics: In any story, there should be an identifiable, chronological order of events taking place. Sometimes the events are not in chronological order, but to talk about the actual subject of the story is, of course, vital to the telling being complete. One thing that Ira Glass notes repeatedly is the use of anecdotes. An Anecdote is a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. He emphasizes this to stress the point that a story shouldnt be too long and boring.
  • In every story, Glass also emphasizes the use of suspense. Even if the story you’re telling is the most boring and simple series of events ever heard; repeating details and drawing the listeners focus in is important. Make the listener think that the story is building up to something, even if it may not be. Keep the wording constructed in a way that has the audience constantly raise questions about the subject.
• Moment of reflection: The moment of reflection is essentially the point of the story. It could be a life lesson, a moment of clarity, ect.. For a story to be complete, the listener needs a sense of why they listened to the entire thing, especially if its on the boring side. Ira again emphasizes the use of anecdotes, as long as the storyteller makes sure there is a moment of reflection.
• Content: Now this may sound rude, but picking the right story to tell is important. Not every story is going to be interesting. Ira says that half of his job is searching for a good story to put together, and crafting it is a whole section on its own, just wait.
  • There are cases where the story is interesting, and the interviews are great…but its just not working, for whatever reason. Ira Glass says in his video that every time a story is recorded, its trying to be bad, and its your job to make it good.
• Failure is essential to success: As I said earlier, sometimes a story just does not work. This doesn’t necessarily mean its a bad story, or that the teller is bad, but just that there can be no improvement without mistakes. According to the professionals, if a storyteller is not failing all the time they are either doing something wrong or they are incredibly lucky.
• Tone: The narrators tone. Unique, individual, vital. Every narrator has a different way of telling stories, just keep in mind how to be engaging.
• Background sounds: To keep listeners engaged and enhance their understanding, its a good idea to add music and sound effects behind an audio story. Not too distracting, and not too scarce..

At this point, if you’ve been following my blogs you know that I am an Communications and Digital Studies major at UMW. The major things that I have learned from Glass and other resources about Audio storytelling techniques will stay important throughout my career. One thing I should mention is that every storyteller/narrator has a different style, but if they keep good techniques and hard work in mind, the story will be good.

In my opinion, some of Glass’s advice is a bit harsh, but he is a professional in the feild. Failing is not a bad thing, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Good luck going forward and implementing some audio storytelling techniques in your own life. Even if it’s just at the next family thanksgiving and you want to talk about your life, keep them hooked, practice some of these tips!