Storytelling #3 - The Moral of the Story

(See sample speech here)



Introduction

Stories are an excellent from of entertainment for people of all ages. But stories are more than entertainment. They teach us valuable lessons.


Executive Summary

Every story should offer some lesson or insight into life and human nature. Use stories with lessons to illustrate points in your own speeches. You can quote the stories of others, or make up your own. A story with a lesson or moral should have a simple plot and simple characters and the topic should be something with which people are familiar. The story should have an unexpected and somewhat humorous conclusion.


Objectives

  • To understand that a story can be entertaining yet display moral values.

  • To create a new story that offers a lesson or moral.

  • To tell the story, using the skills developed in the previous two projects.

Time: Four to six minutes





Your Assignment

For this project, you have several options:

  1. Create and tell a new story with a moral or lesson. The story and lesson should be original.

  2. Take a lesson or moral from another story or quote, then create and deliver an original story to go with it. For example, you could take the lesson from "The Hare and the Tortoise" and create a new story that has that lesson.

Whichever option you choose, be sure to follow the story elements of plot, setting, conflict, action, and character development, and do not use a script or notes when telling the story. The story should be entertaining and may be humorous. Use natural gestures/body movement.

The setting for your storytelling should be informal and the atmosphere intimate. Ask your listeners to sit in a semicircle facing you. Don't stand behind a lectern or other obstacle. You don't want any barriers between your listeners and you.

This information is provided as a service to members. For full details on this speech project, refer to the Storytelling manual. All materials in the Toastmasters Educational Program are copyright Toastmasters International. All rights reserved.


The Storytelling Manual

Storytelling has been a form of communication throughout the history of mankind. It’s a part of every civilization on every continent. Early storytellers told of the deeds of their heroes; these stories were expanded over the years to include tales and fables.

(See sample speech here)