Tell Me Something Good

The Affirmative Model for Coaching Storytellers by Liz Warren

We have used an affirmative coaching model in our classes since the beginning of the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute. We learned the model from the work of Doug Lipman at National Storytelling Network conferences in the late 1990s. It is similar to the well-known Critical Response Theory developed by McArthur Awardee Liz Lerman.

The first director of the Storytelling Institute, Lorraine Calbow, was the person most responsible for us adopting this approach. As a counselor, she was very aware of the prevalence of criticism in our culture and our classes, and the destructive impact it often had on students. She was adamant that a feedback model based in critique, on what was "wrong," was out of alignment with the goals of the Storytelling Institute.

The affirmative coaching model is based in just that – affirmation.

Once someone tells a story, the first thing they are told is what the listeners noticed that the teller did well and what they liked about the story. Any subsequent feedback is at the complete discretion of the teller.  The facilitator will ask the teller if they have questions for the listeners. If they do, they ask and get responses from the listeners. The facilitator will then ask if the teller would like questions from the listeners, and if they do the teller then responds to those questions. Suggestions are not the focus of the model, but if the facilitator deems it relevant, they will ask the teller if they want some suggestions. If the teller says no at any stage after the affirmations, the facilitator accepts that and moves on.

Lipman says that tellers know somewhere in themselves what the story needs, and that through the questions and dialogue about the story, whatever needs to be addressed will come to light. And over time, as the tellers become more experienced, they get better at troubleshooting their own stories and asking for what they need. 

The affirmative coaching model is meant to insure that the power and authority for the story remains with the teller. This can be challenging initially, as instructors are socialized that it is their job to be the authority and provide instruction and correction. It can be frustrating for students, too, who are used to being told what to do. I’ve often been asked at the beginning of a class, “How am I going to get better if you don’t tell me what I’m doing wrong?”

Having used this model for years, I can attest to its power and effectiveness. Here are the main reasons it works:

• The affirmations: People hear what they did well. They know to keep those elements in their stories. They begin to see patterns in the feedback, and that leads to an understanding of their style and its strengths. Receiving affirmations from others also helps strengthen the bonds between tellers.
• The questions to and from the teller: This is where any growth points can be specifically addressed. If, for example, the teller asks if a certain part of the story was clear, and it wasn’t, the listeners have the opportunity (and the obligation) to respond honestly, politely, and in the spirit of collaboration.  Similarly, if a listener asks the teller about a part of the story that was unclear, or that they wanted more information about, the teller can reflect on that as they continue to hone the story.
• Teaching tellers to maintain their authority in the process: New tellers sometimes say to their listeners, “Just tell me how I can make the story better.” This effectively hands the power for the story over to the listeners, which is what we are trying to avoid. When this happens, I intervene and remind them to ask specific questions. This can be challenging, as sometimes the teller just has an uneasy feeling. Part of learning the model is to encourage tellers to ask something like, “I felt uneasy in the part about leaving home. Did anyone else feel uneasy there.”
• Repetition: Over time, as students engage in this process as tellers and listeners, they see its positive effect on themselves and others. They see the effective techniques that others use, and they see what comes up in the questions and how people integrate that information in their next stories. They get used to taking the responsibility for their own creative products, and to eventually relish that.
• Suggestions: Sometimes a suggestion must be made to insure that the teller isn’t inadvertently causing offense or putting themselves in a bad light. This usually has to do with a point of fact or pronunciation. But sometimes it does have to do with cultural values and assumptions that the teller may not be aware will alienate or be offensive to listeners. As you might imagine, this requires care and sensitivity to address.  Sometimes it’s best to speak with the teller privately, but it often must be addressed in the whole class so that others know they are safe and can have continued confidence in the facilitator.

Lerman, Liz, and John Borstel. Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process: a method for getting useful feedback on anything you make, from dance to dessert. Dance Exchange, Inc.; 1st edition (July 1, 2003).

Lipman, Doug. Improving Your Storytelling: Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell Stories in Work and Play. August House; Illustrated edition (January 1, 1999).

Lipman, Doug. The Storytelling Coach: How to Listen, Praise, and Bring Out People's Best.  August House; 1st Edition (October 12, 2006).

Collecting and Recording Traditional Folktales: A Guide for Students by Kathy Shimpock

Traditional folktales were shared orally for many, many, years. Over time, however, when the oral tradition, became less prominent, these stories were saved by folklorists who thought they were important enough to write down. Perhaps none are as famous as the Brothers Grimm who traveled throughout Germany recording stories in the 1800’s. Jack Zipes writes, “The[ir] tales are about children and families and how they reacted to the difficult conditions under which they lived. The Grimms thought the stories and their morals emanated naturally from the German people in an oral tradition, and they wanted to preserve them before the tales were lost forever.” Many other scholars also had the desire to save stories before they were forgotten.  That is why we now have written versions of folktales from throughout the world.

Sometimes folklorists recorded these stories accurately. But other times there were “problems” with either the translation or the transcription. For example, The Brothers Grimm produced several editions of their tales. The earlier more violent versions were closer to the actual stories told, while the later versions were edited greatly in a desire to share the stories with children.

As storytellers, we may assume that all the stories worth telling have already been recorded. But that is not true. Much of the known collection of Irish folktales was written down in the twentieth century. In reality, there are probably many folktales and story variants that have never been recorded. Further, even more stories still need to be translated into English.

So, if there are traditional tales that you were told as a child or if you have grandparents or other elders in your family who know them; you can honor these stories by writing them down and sharing them with others. Perhaps you are able to translate some folktales into English. These stories might be variants told in your town or geographic area. They might even be stories that no one has ever heard before. Either way, record them in an audio file or write them down! You’ll have a record of the stories told in your family, which can be shared with later generations.

But before you begin, there are some things to remember; for recording a story, is a very different process than telling a story. The following are issues to consider:

• Record the story accurately. When we become a folklorist, we want to provide an accurate written record of the story. We want to be sure not to embellish the story or fill in any missing elements. We do not want to edit it. That is what we do as storytellers but not what we do as folklorists. Translate or transcribe the tale, as you find it as accurately as possible.
• Beware of cultural issues. Even if we are recording a story from our family, it may have originated from another country. Do we understand all the cultural issues of the story? Is there any part of the story that doesn’t make sense? It’s easy to misunderstand or misinterpret stories from another culture or mistranslate words from another language into English. Ask questions when needed. The less assumptions we make, the more likely we are to be true to the story.
• Historical elements. Does the story seem to explain an event in history, an historical figure, or a geographic landmark? If so, a little outside research may be helpful to understand the story.
• Words having unique meaning. Words can have unique meaning in particular cultures. For example, a word might have both a common and a slang meeting. Using the English definition might miss the actual meaning in the context of your story.
• Meaning of the story. Many folktales have a moral, teaching or “meaning.” Understanding the values of the story’s culture is important to recording the story accurately.
• Metaphors and Humor. Humor and metaphors contained in stories are especially difficult to translate. For example, the saying “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” could be interpreted literally as being about apples falling. If so, that translation would miss the meaning that sons and daughters are often very much like their parents. If you are able, ask additional questions.
• What you hear may be different. Folktales often include songs and sound effects. Work to retain the original word patterns or rhymes. Retain any repetitions of words or phrases. Explore words that are used for sound effects. For example, a pig says “oink” in English, but it says “Boo Boo” in Japan!
• Remember the source. Be sure to record the source of your tale. If you are translating the story, what is the original source? Provide full bibliographic information. If you received your story from a family member or elder, be sure to record their name, how you know them, when and where the interview took place.

The bottom line is to honor the story and record it as shared. This is what is required to record these stories in its original form. For information on interviewing and recording a story in an audio file, review the “Collecting and Recording Family History” guide.

Telling the Stories Collected

Once the folktales are recorded, it’s time to pick one story to tell! Telling stories is very different from recording the story. Remember as storytellers we stay true to the tale’s narrative. But we are also free to expand upon that to describe the environment and the characters, provide dialogue and sound effects, etc. In essence, we bring the tale alive.

Still there are things to be aware of in telling this story. Understand the story within its culture and history if possible. Use the language of the story, correctly pronouncing the names and places. (Google does a good job of giving you an accurate pronunciation.) Some tellers employ a bilingual approach to a story using terms found in the original culture. This approach can provide the audience with a greater understanding of the story in its original form.

Writing a Book

Folktales are often turned into books.  This is when a traditional folktale or fairy tale becomes part of a literary work. There are many ways this can be accomplished. The first is a simple retelling of the story. These are often published as children’s books. Storytellers sometimes write the stories they tell orally (that is their own unique version of the tale). These are identified on the title as being “compiled by,” “based on a folktale,” or indicated to be a story variant.

The second approach is based on creative writing. Authors of these works expand on a traditional fairy tales or folktales. They can place their own creative twist on the story. They might change one event. How would the story shift if that occurred? What might happen after the story ends? The options are endless. These stories are fantasy stories of individual authorship. The works are not identified as authentic folktales.

For more information on culture and storytelling: Stotter, Ruth, "The Storyteller: Bridge Between Cultures," in About Story - Writings on Stories and Storytelling (np: Stotter Press) 1994.

The image at the top of the post comes from here, another excellent source on collecting folklore.

 

 

Mothers, Daughters, Sisters by Janet Fraser Means

I learned today that Janet Fraser Means passed away earlier this month.  She was so important to the development of the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute in the early 2000s, and to the recognition of the importance of storytelling in our broader community. Funny, creative, and fiercely intelligent, she was a remarkable storyteller, supporter of storytellers, and teacher of storytelling. She loved folktales - the quirkier and darker the better. The post below is from a longer essay she wrote in the mid-2000s. I love it because she helped me visualize how folktales and legends grow out of personal experience. The photo at the top is Janet at her Storytelling Graduation. She already had a PhD in psychology, and had studied with the Jungians in Switzerland. She brought that deep familiarity with symbols and archetypes to her telling and her teaching. Go here to see a post I wrote about her in 2009.--Liz

Mothers, Daughters, Sisters by Janet Fraser Means: Every family has its myths and legends, those stories that are passed down from generation to generation, no one ever knowing for sure if they are true or if they began with a grain of truth and then just grew like topsy. They are the family’s own folktales. Imagine this. We are sitting in a cottage a long time ago. It is small but cozy and well kept. The walls have been whitewashed and brightly colored curtains cover the window. The window is shuttered now for it is winter and the snow is piled up outside. In the corner of the room is the ladder that leads up to the sleeping loft above. A fire crackles on the hearth and an old woman stirs the soup. The table is set. Soon the family will gather for their evening meal. Tonight there will be a visitor at the table for the tailor is staying with the family while he makes their clothes for the coming year. The old woman ladles the soup into the waiting bowls and sits down at the head of the table. Her son sits across from her, and three little children sit side by side on a bench. A baby sleeps in a cradle in front of the fire. There is just room for the tailor to take his place across from the children, next to their mother. As soon as the meal is finished, and the plates cleared away the children with one voice say " Granny! Granny! Tell us a story. Tell us about the time you and Uncle Hans were lost on the woods" So once again Gretel tells her grandchildren about how she and Uncle Hans got lost.

"They called him Hansel then," she begins, because he was a little boy, just a little boy. And I was even younger. We loved each other so much that we always stuck together. And a good thing we did too for once we got lost in the woods. We were so very, very poor that we often didn't have anything to eat for days at a time. We couldn't get any help from our neighbors because everyone was as poor as we were. So we just had to do whatever we could to keep going. This little house where we live now is like a castle compared to the one, I grew up in so long ago."

Everyone listens with rapt attention while Gretel goes on to tell her story about how the family was starving and finally there was nothing more to eat all. "Finally, she says, "Mother convinced Father to take the two of us out into the woods and leave us. She said she couldn't bear to watch us starve to death and it might be possible for the two of them to survive if they didn't have to feed us too. Mother said that maybe someone would find us and take care of us. Besides, children were considered replaceable in those days."

"Did somebody find you Granny? Did they?" asks one of the children, although she already knows the answer. Granny tells about the old woman who found them and gave them food and let them stay with her until they could go home again. The story is becoming a family legend now. It has been told over and over and with each telling the details change a little bit and parts are added. The mother becomes meaner and meaner. The woods more and more scary. One person's experience begins to transform into a folktale. The tailor carries Granny's story with him to the next place he stays. He changes the story to make it more exciting, and to make it his own. Maybe he was the one who turned the old lady who rescues the children into a witch who entraps them. And so, a folk tale is born.

Eventually the Grimm brothers will collect the story of Hansel and Gretel and change the mother who abandons her children into a stepmother to make it more palatable. No one wants to acknowledge that mothers can and do abandon their children to die in the wilderness. They did so in the time of Hansel and Gretel, and they still do so today.