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The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals

By: Hannah B. Harvey, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Hannah B. Harvey
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Editorial reviews

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Publisher's summary

An absolute treat for the heart and mind, these 24 lectures demonstrate how to master the art of storytelling, offering insight into the process of crafting and delivering a tale to enhancing the stories you tell everyday - to your children at bedtime, in your conversational anecdotes, and in your presentations at work. Teachers, lawyers, clergy, coaches, parents, and anyone who wants to understand the power of stories to capture hearts and minds will benefit from these lessons.

You'll discover practical methods for building dynamic tension and capturing - then maintaining - your audience's attention. You'll acquire tips and techniques for finding, selecting, and preparing stories, whether they're based on your own experiences, time-honored folk tales, or beloved family yarns. You'll also learn to choose expressive language, craft compelling characters, refine your narrator's point of view, shape your story's plot, structure, and emotional arc, use body language to connect with your audience, and more.

Part how-to workshop, part intellectual study of the history of narrative, these lectures feature exercises that literally get you moving to develop your stories and make them more enjoyable. Professor Harvey's interactive activities and "side coaching" sessions are designed to make you comfortable enough with your story to tell it naturally and make impromptu changes as needed. You'll even learn what to do if the unexpected occurs while telling a story to a roomful of kids or giving a presentation, and about the practical considerations of using props, PowerPoint, and microphones in various scenarios.

©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Some good tips and annoying mannerisms

I bought this hoping to improve my own storytelling skills. Professor Harvey did have some good suggestions for preparing stories that may prove useful to me. She also had quite a few annoying habits that set my teeth on edge.

In many of the lectures, she asks us to "give ourselves permission to play" by changing the stories around. After the dozenth time of hearing this inane phrase, I wanted to swat her.

She also seems to be sabotaging her own authority by negating her instructions with a concluding snort (as if she is saying "Can you believe I said that?").

I was also annoyed by her frequent use of the word "faery", pronounced "FAEEEE- REEEEE", which she tells us she learned in Scotland is the correct pronunciation. I think actual Scots might beg to differ with her.

This course did provide some ideas worth pursuing, but I think the cost (in time and annoyance) was not worth the benefit (a few good ideas). A list of bullet points would have served me better.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great course

The course is worth the time, even if you don't have anything to do with story telling explicitly.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Kept my attention

Instructor kept me engaged, attentive and ready for more. Many topic are covered which weave into the story-telling process.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good pointers

This was an enjoyable listen with many good pointers on verbal storytelling from phrasing and pacing etc., to body language, using voices, and other similar aspects. The narrator presents points and their importance clearly, and is easy to follow.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enlightening!

I teach acting and performance for magicians and speakers. This course provided a delightful second point of view and helped me think of things in ways I had not done before. Fun, eye opening and delightful.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Examples

Nice examples of how to improve your public speaking for beginners and professionals. I recommend.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptionally informative

If I had a fairy godmother of storytelling it would be her, great work and advise.
Live long and prosper

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It's good, a asolid listen

What did you like best about The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals? What did you like least?

I liked the discussion on tone, speed of voice, and musicality of voice. The yoga discussion can be skipped through.

Any additional comments?

Thought provoking, a good listen

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Make you bedtime stories shine.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you are interested in making the stories you tell deeper, and your performance more entertaining while telling them, this may help you.

I do believe this would be much better with a hard-copy of at least a syllabus.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

HOW TO BECOME A BARD !

Any additional comments?

Great Audiobook, very practical, the PDF also it is amazing.Lot of people complaint here because they were expecting a course on "how to write". It is not. It is an amazing course about... HOW TO BECOME A BARD !!! Oral Stuff. Telling stories like a badass !!!

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