There is a lot of advice, information and great books (I personally have always referred to my old marked-up copy of Roger Schank’s Tell Me a Story) about the art of storytelling. We always find a way to use them in our programs, since I think they are among the most powerful and hardwired ways to teach. Stories are important tools for learning for a lot of reasons, this one from Roger Schank’s book in particular:

“We would like to imagine that we learn from the stories of others, but we really only do so when the stories we hear relate to beliefs that we feel rather unsure of, ones that we are flirting with at the moment, so to speak. When we are wondering, consciously or unconsciously, about the truth, about how to act or understand some aspect of the world, then the evidence provided by others can be of some use.” (P.78)

The NPR short video is all about how to capture and keep the learner’s – or listener’s – attention. The focus is on rhythm and how to ‘breath’ your story.

If you use stories in your learning experiences, it’s worth your time.