Celebrate with a Family Story Slam!

I've got a great idea for your next family gathering!

But first - Don't forget you can give a loved on the gift of story this holiday season in a marvelous way. 

They've lived it, now help them learn how to share it at the Story@Home Conference!

At only $265 the gift package is one sweet deal. Your stories matter! Simply click on the link below and go to the registration tab. Don't forget your Family Story Slam tickets too!

Okay - now for the fun idea for your next family gathering!

Happy Holidays! 

Over the coming month or so families from all over will gather together to celebrate their unique bonds, reflect back on experiences shared, and focus on the things that matter most. I’m sure you’ve got some great plans up your sleeve already. I’ve got one more suggestion for you - Celebrate with a Family Story Slam!

We all have them: oft-told family tales we enjoy again and again. But sometimes, they get a little tired and worn out, or the details may fade away into family shorthand. A Family Story Slam is a great way to freshen them up and stir up some good old family competition in the process.


Family Story Slam
You’ll need:
A couple of sets of judges who’ll score the stories on a scale of 1 – 10.
A scorekeeper and scoreboard
A timekeeper with a kazoo or noise maker
Family storytellers
A Fabulous Prize
A Theme Topic such as:
Remember the time?
I’ve never been so afraid!
Wasn’t that funny?
I knew I was in trouble when… – etc.

Here’s how it works.
Put the names of everyone who wants to share a story in a hat. The timekeeper will draw their names one at a time. They’ll have 5 minutes and 5 minutes only to tell their tale. If they go over the timekeeper makes some noise. Now they have 20 seconds to wrap it up. If they fail, the timekeeper lovingly silences them.

Next the judges score the story. There are only 3 criteria: Was it ON TIME? Was it a STORY? Was it on TOPIC? They rate the criteria on a scale of one to ten and call out their scores to the scorekeeper who keeps tally on a board everyone can see.

The winner gets a prize!

Results: A great time had by all and you’ve given new life to those favorite family stories.

Note: Advertise this activity before everyone arrives to really fuel the excitement! Love the experience? Be sure to come to the Family Story Slam at Story@Home and bring your story to a brand new audience!


That’s all you need to get the party started, but If you’re interested in knowing more read on. 

The Rules

·        Story must be true and from your life.

·        Story must be told in five minutes or less.

·        Story must be told live, without notes.

·        Story may be told by one or more people together – but must not exceed 5 minutes.

Tips

Chat over the story with your family.

Clarify your memories.

Compose your story.

(Remember, it’s not a story unless it leads us through an incident that ends in some sort of progress, discovery, or learning.)

Practice your story!

(Remember you don’t get a cheat sheet)

Practice so you can keep it down to five minutes.

(Beware the consequences of going over . . . muwahahah)

Tell it to your plants, pets, spouse, kids or mirror.

 (But know they are a tough audience.)

Revise, Rework, Revamp, Finesse

Shave off another two minutes

The Moth of New York City created the Story Slam model. (www.themoth.org)