Effective Storytelling( WRT Jobseeker)

Effective storytelling is a fine and beautiful art. Knowing and applying the basics of storytelling will strengthen your stories.
Finding stories:
Start with simple stories, then as your experience grows, be sure to explore and branch out. With time you will probably find many kinds of tales that will interest you personally.
Characteristics of a good story:

*A single theme, clearly defined
* A well developed plot
* Style: vivid word pictures, pleasing sounds and rhythm
* Characterization
* Faithful to source
* Dramatic appeal
* Appropriateness to listeners
Take the story as close to them as you can.
Keep it brief and simple- pare down to the heart of the story.
Describe the characters and settings, and help them sympathize with the character's feelings.
Preparation:
Once you settle on a story, you will want to spend plenty of time with it. It will take a considerable period of time and a number of tellings before a new story becomes your own.

Read the story several times, first for pleasure, then with concentration.
Analyze its appeal, the word pictures you want your listeners to see, and the mood you wish to create.
Research its background and cultural meanings.
Live with your story until the characters and setting become as real to you as people and places you know.
*Learn the story as a whole rather than in fragments. Master, and then simplify, its structure to a simple outline of scenes. Don't try to memorize it, though you should always know your first and last lines by heart!.
Map out the story line:
The Beginning, which sets the stage and introduces the characters and conflict; the Body, in which the conflict builds up to the Climax; and the Resolution of the conflict.
Observe how the action starts, how it accelerates, repetitions in actions and how and where the transitions occur. If simplifying or adapting a story, do not alter the essential story line.
Absorb the style of the story: To retain the original flavor and vigor, learn the characteristic phrases which recur throughout the story.
Observe the sentence structure, phrases, unusual words and expressions.
Practice the story often - Even when telling an old and familiar story, you must use imagination and all the storyteller's skills to make it come alive. Use your imagination to make the story come alive as you prepare.
If you are convinced - your listeners will be too.
Delivery elements:
Sincerity and whole heartedness (Be earnest!),
Enthusiasm (This does not mean artificial or noisy excitement),
Particular Oral Storytelling Skills:
A Storyteller’s skills include: emphasis, repetition, transition, pause and proportion.
Use your voice to create the atmosphere or tension as the story progresses.
Use gestures and facial expressions add much to the visualization of the story. Be sure they are appropriate and natural. Practice them!
Pacing involves both the volume and rate at which you speak, and the progression of the action in the story. Dialog slows a story's pace down, while narrating action speeds it up.
Most importantly --- relax and be yourself. Develop your own style - one you are comfortable with.
Some attention keepers:
Many factors affect the attention of your listeners. A storyteller always needs to be sensitive to his audience and may need to regain their attention before continuing.
Involvement or participation:
Use volunteer(s) from the audience in your story. Or have the audience participate in hand motions or making sound effects. Or responding with "chants" or refrains
*A distinct change in your pace, voice, or mood.
*An unusual or unexpected twist in the narration.
*Throw-away lines or asides work well as does comic relief.