"What’s Your Story?" Story Sharing Workshops

Everyone loves to hear a good story. Everyone loves telling their own stories. But beyond just entertainment, it is through personal stories that we learn about ourselves and each other. Our stories are our own adventures and myths; how we act in them reveals our character.  When we tell and write these stories, we can see how they have changed us and our perceptions of life. 

What’s Your Story? is a workshop in which students can tell their personal stories, and discuss subjects important to them, in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Through guided conversations and exercises such a Lifegraphing and Freewriting, students first find the stories they want to share. They then get six uninterrupted minutes to tell their story, which followed by a session of constructive feedback from the student’s peers. Time is also allowed for any further discussion inspired by the story. Students further explore their stories and refine them, finding themes and recurring motifs in their stories, and about themselves, that they might not have realized the first time around.

Workshops culminate in a performance of the stories by the students before an assembly of family and friends.

What’s Your Story? can be adapted to any topic or need, including socially relevant concerns such as Bullying or Abuse.

Some Benefits of the Workshop:

• ·         Everybody gets a chance to be the center of attention.
• ·         Opportunities to connect with others, to see that we all share the same emotions and the same struggles (fostering empathy and compassion).
• ·         A chance to explore one’s own habits and assumptions, to place one’s own life into some sort of context.
• ·         Developing confidence through public speaking
• ·         Developing storytelling and writing skills
• ·         A chance to discuss subjects that don’t always, but often need to be, discussed.

Basic Structure of the Workshop:

·         Finding the Story

o   Discussions

o   Lifegraphing

·         Exploring and Developing the Story

o   Outlining

o   Freewriting

·         Telling the Story

·         Revising the Story through Telling, Feedback and Writing

·         Preparing for and Engaging in Performance

Target Audience:

·         Teenagers (Middle School and High School)

·         Also available for Adults and Seniors

Workshops are three sessions in length (1.5 hours per session) with a performance at the end, separate from the sessions. The price for the workshop, including performance, is $600.00.

Single session and longer session workshops are also available. Rates are negotiable.

Phil can be contacted at pgoldman61@gmail.com or 401-489-2555.