Storytelling

Storytelling has made something of a comeback recently but, when I’m asked what my occupation is, “Storyteller” still most commonly elicits the response, “What do you mean?” Storytelling was once an integral part of our culture but technology has ensured that people, especially the young, tend to seek out the visual in the form of a screen. However, storytelling remains one of the most powerful forms of communication because there is a social interaction between teller and listener, which allows for real engagement and real education. And, in relation to mental wellbeing, storytelling can be a powerful tool in the realms of emotional and social development.

In their book, ‘Telling Tales’, Taffy Thomas and Steve Killick call it ‘Emotional Literacy’. In it psychologist Killick skilfully breaks down storytelling’s influence on child development. The functions of storytelling are also explored. The most obvious of those is entertainment and, if I’m doing my job well, children sharing one of my stories will just think they are having fun. But they will also be being informed because stories are the perfect tool for imparting wisdom. They will be developing emotional understanding because, “Stories are a way of talking about our inner lives, our thoughts, feelings and motivations… without intruding into personal issues”. They will also be learning about what values and morality we hold to be important, about meaning, identity and community, about speaking and listening, about relationships, about the physical world and about imaginative and metaphorical thinking.

I feel incredibly privileged to be able to work in a field that can have such a powerful and positive impact on a young person’s life. I was listening to an interview with poet, musician, novelist, playwright and spoken word performer Kae Tempest in which she told the story of losing her favourite football in a river when she was about six years old. Seeing her upset, a sweet man stopped to try and rescue the ball and, in so doing, dropped his wallet into the river. Kae felt really bad for the man but was inspired to write a story about the event and her teacher subsequently praised that story. Now, it is unlikely that this on it’s own was responsible for Kae’s journey to where she is now but it did contribute in however small a way and, if nothing else, the kind act has stuck with her.

And, as I listened to that story, I realised that what I aspire to be is that “sweet” man who is able to touch children’s lives in very small but very positive and potentially life changing ways. And I am able to achieve that through small acts of kindness and also by valuing children when they interact with me. But I have also been given a gift for storytelling and I’ve discovered that I can make those contributions through that art. And it might be that I add a tiny but positive piece to the well-being jigsaw but storytelling also has the potential to add that eureka moment, that moment when everything suddenly makes sense.