Listening - 4 Ways to Tell a Great Story

Watch the video and complete the activities below.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Multiple Choice Choose the best answer for each question according to the video.

1. According to the video, what did fire provide for our ancient ancestors besides warmth?

A) A safe way to cook food in distant lands. B) A new magnet for human bonding after dark. C) A tool to keep dangerous animals away from the community. D) A method to send signals to other tribes.

2. What is the most basic way to break down a story's structure?

A) A character achieves their goal with the help of a friend. B) A character tells a lie to overcome a difficult situation. C) A character travels to a distant land to find a resolution. D) A character with a goal meets an unexpected obstacle.

3. Why is it important to offer the "right level of detail" when telling a story?

A) Too much detail bogs the story down, while not enough prevents it from coming to life. B) Too much detail makes the audience tired, and not enough makes the speaker nervous. C) Too much detail reveals the ending too soon, while not enough causes confusion. D) It helps the speaker memorize the plot more easily.

4. What is the potential "trap" of telling a personal story?

A) It might make the speaker look too vulnerable to the audience. B) It might take too long to tell and ruin the resolution. C) It might entertain the speaker but fail to give the audience anything meaningful to walk away with. D) The audience might ask too many questions at the end.

5. What is the absolute essential rule if you are going to tell your own story?

A) It must be humorous. B) It must have a surprising twist. C) It must involve a dangerous situation. D) It must be entirely true.

Activity 2: Sequencing Drag and drop the ideas into the exact order they are mentioned in the video (1 to 5).

A) The narrator explains the basic structure of a story: a character meeting an unexpected obstacle.

B) The speaker emphasizes that personal stories must always be completely true.

C) Early humans gathered around the fire, which led to communal storytelling.

D) The video warns against telling personal stories that don't offer actionable information or context to the audience.

E) Storytelling expanded our ancestors' ability to imagine, dream, and understand the minds of others.

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Activity 3: Gap Fill Complete the sentences by typing the words from the box below. As you type correctly, the words will be crossed out.

bogged down communal vulnerability actionable empathize

1. In many ancient cultures, gathering around the fire to listen to stories became a very important activity.

2. When speaking from the stage, you should base your story around a character that your audience can with.

3. If you include too many unnecessary details, the narrative will get and lose the audience's attention.

4. A great personal story should give the audience information that they can actually use in their own lives.

5. Sharing the steps of your journey with honesty and makes the audience want to gladly take that journey with you.