The Art of the Tale:
Five Storytelling Secrets for Pastors and Teachers
by Steven James

 

You’ve seen it happen.

 

You get to the point in your message where you’re about to share a personal experience with your listeners and you say those six simple words, “Let me tell you a story…”

 

And everything changes.

 

People lean forward. Children actually look up instead of coloring in their programs. Even the adults stop checking their watches to see how much longer the service is going to take.

 

There’s nothing like a well-told story to grab people’s attention and feed not only their minds, but also their hearts.

 

Whether you want to preach an entire narrative sermon, or simply improve the messages you currently give, here are some tips that will help you tell stories more poignantly and effectively than ever.

 

Key #1 - Let the story speak for itself.

 

I heard a story about a dancer who danced an incredible program. After she finished, one of the women from the audience approached her. “That was an amazing dance,” she said. “I was moved to tears, but I just have one question—what did it mean?” And the dancer replied, “If I could tell you what it meant, I wouldn’t have had to dance it.”

 

Some things cannot be explained, summarized, analyzed, or tied up with a neat little bow.

 

Sometimes explanations aren’t sufficient.

 

Think about the story of The Prodigal Son. What is it about? What’s the theme? How would you explain its message? Is it about love? Yes. Grace? Yes. Repentance? Judging others?

 

Yes, yes. Salvation? Decision making? God’s sovereignty? Man’s free will?

 

Yes to all of the above.

 

And more.

 

A story is always more than its explanation. It overflows its explanation in every direction. It has more depth, detail, passion, and truth than any description could ever contain. The only way to really convey the complete meaning of The Prodigal Son is to stop trying to explain it and just tell the story.

 

So when you tell stories from scripture, or from your life, let the story do the talking. I’ll bet you’ll soon discover what Jesus modeled—the less you explain a story, the more impact it has.

 

Key #2 - Stop telling your listeners what happened and start showing them who struggled.

 

Think of the time when Jesus visited Mary and Martha’s home. Mary sat reverently at Jesus’s feet while Martha got stressed out trying to get the casserole ready in time for dinner.

 

Here’s the thing: I know I’m supposed to be more like Mary. I know that. Of course I do, but the problem is, I don’t identify with her.

 

To be honest, she kind of annoys me. She’s too good. Too perfect.

 

I see more of myself in Martha, the one who has a rough time of it. I can relate to Martha’s struggle, but I have a harder time identifying with Mary’s perfection.

 

We identify with the person who has the struggle.

 

So when approaching a biblical text, rather than asking, “What happens?” or “What lesson is this story trying to teach?” try asking, “Who in this story struggles?” Then tell us about that.

 

When you discover who has the struggle, it’ll lead you into the heart of the story’s meaning.

 

Key #3 - When you tell stories from your life, always be the mistake maker.

 

Your listeners don’t want to hear about your successes, they want to hear about your screw-ups. We want to hear about how you took your knocks and learned something important that shaped your view of life. So think of times when you were naïve, overconfident, or unprepared. Those are the stories we want to hear.

 

For example, if you say, “When I got married I knew my wife was going to be an awesome mate… as soon as I got done changing her,” everyone in the audience is thinking, “Oh, man. This guy is going to get hammered big time.” Or if you say, “When I first started out as a pastor, I knew I’d be able to start an international ministry that reached millions of needy people in six weeks or less…” people will smile. They know you’re about to learn something the hard way.

 

To come up with good stories from your life, think of your wounds and struggles, or your discoveries and moments of realization. Show people that you are the mistake maker rather than the problem solver; the recipient of grace rather than the savior. Show the reader your weaknesses. Emphasize not how you triumphed, but how you floundered.

 

Key #4 - Never tell the same story twice.

 

Pay attention to what’s happening right now. Don’t worry about how the story is “supposed to go” or how it went when you were practicing it. Notice how it’s going now, and respond to how your listeners are responding to you.

 

A technically “perfect” story may fall flat. Why? Because listeners would rather hear a storyteller who connects with them, who touches them with the story, who communicates with them, than watch someone go through the actions of telling a story that they don’t feel a part of.

 

People are turned off if they think every gesture, pause, and vocal utterance is identical this time to the last time you told the story. They want you to tell the story to them, not to an imaginary bathroom mirror. They want you to experience the story with them, sharing its warmth, spontaneity and humor.

 

If you polish a knife too long, you’ll only make it more brittle. It’s the same with storytelling. Practice until the story is sharp, then stop. Don’t over-polish your stories or they’ll lose their edge. The best stories are well-prepared, but yet contain an air or spontaneity. A good story is told with freshness as well as polish. Neither is absent. So focus on responding rather than reciting.

 

Key #5 - Pretend Less; Believe More.

 

In an acting class I attended, the instructor had us approach a shoe from across the room while blindfolded. We were supposed to pick it up. One by one my classmates shuffled across the room, bent over, and reached down. No one was even close to picking up the shoe.

 

Then it was my turn. I walked across the room to where I thought the shoe was. I knew the show was right beside my foot. I bent over and confidently closed my hand… on air. I was shocked. I felt again. No shoe.

 

After removing my blindfold, I joined the rest of the actors and the instructor walked over to me. “Steven, why did you close your hand when you reached for the shoe?”

 

“Um, I really though the shoe was there.”

 

“That’s right, you did,” he said. “And that’s how much you need to believe your stories when you tell them.”

 

I hadn’t practiced closing my hand, hadn’t even planned on doing it, but I believed so much in what I couldn’t see, that my body simply responded as if the shoe were there. The best storytellers don’t pretend. They actually imagine the story happening, and then naturally respond to it as it unfolds around them. So step into the stories you tell.

 

And then reach for the shoe.

 

 

Steven James has a Master’s Degree in Storytelling and leads seminars on effective communication all across North America. He is the author of the award-winning book, The Creative Storytelling Guide for Children’s Ministry as well as more than twenty other books, including the critically acclaimed book Story: Recapture the Mystery. His first thriller, The Pawn, will be released at bookstores nationwide on September 1, 2007.

 

For more information about his speaking and writing, please visit www.stevenjames.net