Storytellers are Always Cool (Part One)
Some of the beautiful memories I have from my university days were the days I gave tutorial classes to junior students. It started in my second year, when the fresh students came to campus and I was assigned a course by the student religious body in the department. The course was “Introduction to Statistics” and there wasn’t much to expect. But it turned out to be the beginning of the most awesome moments of my life.
Every Wednesday (or was it Thursday, I can’t recall exactly), the students would converge under a tree behind the faculty lecture hall. We would spend one hour discussing statistics, economics and academics in general. Severally, I would drift off the subject matter and share experiences from my own first year on campus, and also offer some hacks and secrets that helped me secure a 4.76 out of 5.0 CGPA. A few times, we would just have fun talking about a particularly amusing lecturer they should look out for in second year, and so on.
They loved my class, that was certain. I once arrived at the tutorial venue before their prior class ended, and I saw the excitement with which they hastily made their way down to our spot. This excitement was palpable; I could feel it in the air as I rambled on about data types and forms; I could smell it each time their next class was canceled and they requested we continue with the tutorial; and I could see it in the eyes of these young men and women who would sometimes miss meals just to sit under the leafy tree and hear me talk about the fascinating discipline of Economics. I was not particularly an expert at that time, for I had only one year of seniority over them. Naturally, I became curious about the reason why these “freshers” were so eager to participate in my tutorials.
My answer came on a day I least expected. I had asked someone to fill in for me as I had an elective class scheduled for my tutorial day and time. Fortunately, the class was shorter than anticipated, and I made my way to the leafy tree. The session was thirty minutes underway, and my replacement was doing the best she could. But it was obvious that the class wasn’t going well. The atmosphere was dull and boring; silence reigned like a suppressive tyrant. It was the same location, the same subject and the same students, but the outcome was different.
The fact is, there is a child in everyone of us. We all respond to stories, tales and images. One of the best secrets of engaging other people is to become masterful at the art of storytelling.
I soon took over from my colleague, thanked her, and continued with the class. Then, a young lady stood up and made the comment that has stayed with me ever since. “You have great mastery of the subject matter”, she began, “but beyond that, you always use illustrations and examples to help us understand each concept. You are a great storyteller and that’s why I enjoy being in your class”.
The fact is, there is a child in everyone of us. We all respond to stories, tales and images. One of the best secrets of engaging other people is to become masterful at the art of storytelling. In my next piece, I will tell you how you can also learn this art.
Meanwhile, did you enjoy the story I told you about storytelling? Give this article a clap…and I’ll see you in the next one.