Justin Cohen’s book “The Astonishing Power of Story.” is a must read for all English teachers. His method of storytelling is a wonderful teaching tool to support writing in the classroom.

Below is a brief summary of the method.

Story is made up of four elements

1. Desire
   1. D-Desire: There needs to be someone who wants something. If the character is likeable, the greater his or her desire, the greater the disappointment we’ll feel when they don’t get what they want or the satisfaction we’ll feel when they do. The more intense the emotions we feel while listening to the story, the more likely we are to remember it. Who is the main character and what does he or she want?
2. Adversity and Action
   1. A-Adversity: A story is not a story without some struggle. Something needs to get in the way of our characters achieving what they want. What is the obstacle, the setback, the barrier to success? Adversity could look like some external danger, but it may actually be some internal character flaw. You build suspense by creating uncertainty about whether the adversity will be overcome. What stands in the way of the main character getting what he or she wants?
   2. A-Action
      Another word for the events of a story is the action. The specific action I want to highlight is what your character does in response to adversity. This is where the learning is. If the action works, you’ve got a success insight that your audience can imitate in their lives. If the action doesn’t work, they also learn something – What not to do. What does the character do to deal with adversity?
3. Realisation and resolution
   1. R-Resolution: The resolution of the story answers the big question. Does the character win or lose? Do they overcome or succumb to the adversity? Great stories often take us by surprise. Just as we think the hero is going to succeed, he fails or if the ending is happy, just as we think he is going to fail, he succeeds. *How does the story end*
4. Take home point
   1. T – Take Home Point: What is the key lesson of the story? The wisdom of a great story provides many lessons and different lessons to different people. Still, as the storyteller, you need to know what the main one is. *What do you want the audience to know or do after hearing your story?*

ING

I – Imagine – The best way to take an audience on a journey is to go with them. The better you imagine the story for yourself, the better the audience will experience it.

N – non-verbally communicate
A story is not just told with words but with facial expressions, the tone of voice and body language.

G-Give the story to your audience. Take the focus off yourself and focus on what you want your audience to understand or do differently. Think about how they will be better off after listening to you.