THE ART OF TELLING A GREAT STORY

At last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Ghenoa Gela won the National Deadly Funny competition, which champions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedians, with her hilarious tales of growing up in Rockhampton. This year, as she returns as host, she shares the secrets to good storytelling

GO DEEP ON DETAIL Set the scene and create an atmosphere that your audience can be enticed by. The tricky part is, you want to make sure you recall the events and thoughts you had at the time, not in hindsight, because otherwise you’ll kill your punchlines. FIND A TEST AUDIENCE Kids are the best to try your stories on, because they’re never afraid to give you honest feedback. Adults tend to keep their thoughts to themselves, so you’re left trying to interpret body language. BE A GOOD LISTENER By listening to how other people tell stories, you can get a better understanding for what makes a good one, and a bad one. Don’t be afraid to put your moment in the spotlight on the backburner so you can learn from – and enjoy – other people’s stories. STAY ON TOPIC If your audience isn’t into the story you’re telling, gauge their interest by making it about them. Do they have any similar stories or experiences? If they start sharing them, it’s an easy segue for you to jump back into your story. If they’re still not interested, let it go, mate! CONFIDENCE IS KEY Know that your stories are valid and believe in your words, because great stories have the power to change hearts and minds. If you don’t have confidence in the story you’re telling, then no-one else will either.