Evaluation of AP1 The folktale

Evaluation of AP1 project from the Storytelling Manual: The folktale
Speech title: The Story of Bukit Merah 

Everyone loves a good story.  I would like to commend the speaker for choosing such an interesting story that explains how Bukit Merah, which means Red Hill, got its name.  It gave us an insight into the history of Singapore.

The second commendation is the use of the questioning technique at the beginning of the speech.  The speaker asked 'Do you know what is the meaning of Bukit Merah?'  to arouse the interest of the audience.

I would like to share 5 recommendations on how the speaker could have made his story come alive by using the acronym ALIVE.

A is for action.  Everyone loves a story that is full of action.  Be animated and energetic and use appropriate gestures to dramatise your story.  For example, when you mentioned the red lava erupting from the hill, you can use a sweeping gesture to demonstrate the intensity of the action. 

L is for language.  Use words that your audience understands.  When you used the word 'rajah', which is a Malay word, explain its meaning.  When you mentioned 'garfish', I had no idea what you were talking about.  Also as the story was in the past, use past tense consistently instead of switching between past and present tense.  Polish your use of the language to make your story easy for the audience to understand.

I is for interest.  How do you maintain the audience's interest throughout your story?  The manual advises that stories be well paced, with few dull spots.  At times, the speaker hesitated during the storytelling, indicating uncertainty.  More rehearsals would have enabled the speaker to deliver with greater fluency.

V is for vocal variety - the all-important ingredient in storytelling.  Vary your volume, rate and tempo more to enhance your story.  The part in the story when 'the red lava of the hill erupted and swallowed the Rajah's advisor', be loud and dramatic to create a climax.

E is for ending.  Give your story a memorable ending by sharing a moral or a take-home message, instead of allowing the story to tail off. 

In conclusion, storytelling is a great skill that is not easy to master.  Continue to use questioning techniques to your advantage.  Learn to leverage on gestures, vocal variety and simple, correct language to sustain your audience's interest and to make your stories come alive.  Always end off with a bang.

Time taken: 3 min 28 seconds