Have you ever had to listen to a storyteller that has no idea of how to use dynamics? Blabbering on with the same intensity from start to finish.. Well, my mind usually starts to drift after just a few minutes and when the story is over I feel relieved, but can’t remember a single thing from the story.

When you tell a story, the dynamics can really seduce your audience. This is closely connected to the first tip about energy, but still a subject of its own. Every story has its own dynamics. Some have many intensity peaks, while others starts low and slowly builds up to a climax. Any way the dynamics must follow the story line. Telling at full intensity while the story line is at a calm stage just gives your audience a false impression and what will you do when the story demands full intensity and you already are there? The key is to keep the flow as close to the story as possible, but you can also change the dynamics when you need it for other reasons. Some times, specially when telling stories for children, you might experience that you are loosing your audience to something else, any kind of distraction really, this is the time to increase the intensity a bit, or even lower it by almost whispering. Because if you change the flow of the story you’ll regain your audience’s attention.

Dynamics is not only linked to the energy and intensity you spend, but to the whole of your body. You can lower your voice, but still keep a high intensity, you can raise your voice but still be in low intensity. It all depends on what your body communicates and the story it self.  There are hundreds of techniques and theories on how to tell stories dynamically, but my best tip would be: Experiment and gain experience! For only with real experience will you understand how it works.