Coaching Youth Storytellers by Kevin Cordi

Storyteller and educator Kevin Cordi gives tips for coaching students in storytelling.

A storytelling coach helps the storyteller improve his or her story. You do not have to be a professional storyteller to coach a student. Simply listen attentively and involve the student in the process. Keep the following suggestions in mind, and you will be an effective coach to student storytellers.

• All students can tell stories.

  Though each may be proficient in different aspects of the art of storytelling, students naturally love stories and want to improve their storytelling. Realize that you are coaxing out a natural skill and desire.

• Coaching is a positive experience.

  Whether students receive comments from peers or teachers, feedback should always be positive and/or constructive. If students know what to expect from coaching, they will not be embarrassed by the situation.
  

• Sometimes a student is not ready to be coached.

  Never force a student to engage in a coaching session. Wait until the student asks for help. Spend more time on the act of storytelling before rushing into a coaching session, so the student feels competent as a storyteller. Once the student is ready, make sure they feel they are contributing to process and that their feelings are respected.

• Praise first, then suggest

  . If you begin feedback with constructive suggestions, students may not hear you praise the positive aspects of their storytelling. You are coaching people with real feelings. When working with students—and even adults—the story is not as important as the teller.

• Be specific with praise.

  Saying “good job” does not help the student improve. Instead, saying something like, “I really enjoyed the voice you used for the wolf, and it was enhanced by the snarl,” is more helpful.

• Goals may differ.

  Ask the student, “Why are you telling this story?” Your goal might be to prepare a student for a performance, but the student may be telling a story to honor his mother or for a special occasion. Listen to your student’s goals and help him or her guide the story in the right direction.

• Encourage risk-taking in order to see progress

  . Persuade students to try out new voices, new ways to bring a character to life, and new beginnings or endings. These experiments may evolve a clearer direction for the story and the storyteller.

• Review progress with the storyteller during and after the session.

  Give feedback whenever necessary. Don’t provide feedback at only the end. Immediate feedback enables the student to focus on improving a particular aspect of storytelling.

• Outline goals for the next session.

  Come up with three goals at the beginning of each session. After each session, evaluate the student’s progress and come up with goals for the next session. This helps students see how far they’ve progressed and what they should continue to work on.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Cordi, a professional storyteller, is also a storytelling and writing teacher in Ohio and California. In 1994, he formed Voices of Illusion, the first high school storytelling troupe in the country. He is the Executive Director of the National Youth Storytelling Olympics. He had told and taught stories in over 25 states as well as Japan and England. Visit Kevin Cordi’s site, YouthStorytelling.com.