Galactic Activity 4

This is a challenging activity. It’s about structure and linking details into a cogent story so that the beginning and middle link logically to the end which has been provided. The program director needs to provide the end paragraph or sentence.

Activity 4 – Create a story from the ending

Duration: 4 mins
Applicable Streams: Personal Challenge; Humour

Aim

In this activity you are aiming to:

Entertain the audience with a story – fictional or true – which ends with a punchline.

Objectives

To do this, you will need to keep the following objectives in mind:

  1. Create a story
  2. Use a structure to build curiosity
  3. Incorporate a number of points or features, engaging the audience on the journey
  4. End with a given phrase /conclusion

The Why…

To engage a listening audience with a presentation which has a specific purpose and needs a big ‘recency effect’ impact.

This activity also helps build skills such as:

  • Creative thinking.
  • The ability to design and structure a speech with an ending in mind.
  • The ability to build up to and incorporate a meaningful conclusion.

Where do I start?

Prepared:

  • If you are preparing this story, you have time to practice it alone or with friends until it flows well and you deliver the punchline seamlessly.
  • Practice timing to make sure that you aren’t skimming over or adding in too many details that detract from the punchline or the time limit.

Impromptu:

You will have the ‘ending’ of the story, from the start of the meeting so start brainstorming stories you already know (from personal experience or the experiences of others). Jot them down and then when it’s your turn to present, choose the one that you feel will resonate the most with the audience that’s there on the day.

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

Give an ending eg: ‘Diamonds are forever’ or ‘He / She cried for three days’ or ‘He was never able to look at another one without shuddering’ – and create a story that ends with that phrase.

Here are some specific steps to follow:

  • Start with the ending. Write it down.
  • Find a story (dig down into your own memory bank of personal stories) which would fit the theme / ending.
  • Compose an opening / introduction which will invites curiosity. A good way to do this is to start with a rhetorical question like, ‘When was the last time you <insert an object/place/action from the story>? Well imagine if this happened to you!’
  • Decide at what points you will give hints about how it’s going to end.
  • Compose and fill out the middle with two or three key points, gradually sharing the information.
  • Try to mix up the way you present the story with a mix of direct speech, unvoiced thoughts and third person point of view. For example:

‘He was super angry with what happened so he drove over there, got out of the car, hammered on the front door and said ‘Now listen here! We need to sort this out!’ He waited patiently but there was no sound coming from inside the house, so he thought to himself, ‘I’m sure he’s home, maybe I’ll go around the back – he might not hear me’. So he went around the house but didn’t realise there would be ….

  • Draw the story to a conclusion.

Variations

  • Impromptu (you will get the ‘ending’ of the story at the start of the meeting).
  • Prepared

Tips and traps

Tips:

  • To keep you on track, write the ‘ending’ on a piece of paper in front of you to keep drawing you back to where you’re going to end.
  • Think about what will draw your audience in – what will keep them guessing.
  • Choose a story that you’ve told before, can remember vividly, or that you know has a certain ‘shock’ or ‘wow’ factor.
  • Consider your audience and add in factors or points that you know will resonate with them and their backgrounds.
  • If there’s a moral to the story, perhaps start with that in a rhetorical question form, for example: ‘Do you want to know how my brother learnt the ‘look before you leap’ lesson? Have I got a story for you!’ or ‘This is a story of how I learnt the ‘look before you leap’ lesson – and what taught me to never fall into that trap again!
  • If you’re including ‘direct speech’ or ‘unvoiced thoughts’, remember to change your tone of voice slightly to indicate that someone is ‘speaking’ in the story.
  • Vary your speed, tone and volume depending on whether you’re building suspense or simply providing context.

Traps:

  • Beware of giving away too much information too soon.
  • Beware of just telling a rambling story and then throwing the topic phrase in at the end.
  • Don’t get bogged down in the details of the story if they’re not going to add to the punchline or give the story valuable context that pertains to the punchline.
  • Avoid telling stories about someone that the group knows, for privacy and ethical reasons.
  • Avoid stories or topics that might be potentially volatile or create a hostile environment in the room (avoid religion, sex and politics, but feel free to include stories about rival football teams!)

Guidelines for Program Director:

  • Roster this activity for more experienced speakers.
  • Add as an impromptu for shorter duration (2 minutes).
  • Provide the ending phrase at the beginning of the meeting.