If you stand in front of a group of kids, or people of any age, and start spewing out facts or ideas about a particular topic (like common trees found in the forest, for example), eyes will probably glaze over. There might be a few people with a particular interest in trees who remain attentive, but it's likely that most will lose interest fairly quickly. But if you stand up in front of that same group of people and tell a story, something different happens...

Good storytellers can transform an entire audience. A noisy and squirmy group of children can transform into a still and silent hush of eager eyes pointed directly at the storyteller as they begins to speak. It feels like magic - like somebody has cast a spell over everyone listening. 

So why does this happen?

Some interesting research from Uri Hasson of Princeton University recorded people's brain activity during storytelling events. The research indicated that "our brains show similar activity when we hear the same story. In one study, five people listen to the same personal story told aloud. Before the recording begins, their brains show rather different activity—then once the story starts, their brain activity becomes synced, or what Hasson calls 'aligned.'" (Ha, 2016).

Sounds phenomenal doesn't it? And certainly gives credence to the notion of stories as a very powerful form of communication.

In this Online Professional Learning Community, we'll gather together to learn more about the art of storytelling, with opportunities to practice and build our confidence to share stories with others. This is for anyone and everyone who is interested in building their storytelling skills to meet (virtually by Zoom) to have discussions, ask each other questions, and offer further support as a community.