Inspirational speakers

Being able to tell a good story, to make it captivating for the listener. Being able to get your story across in such a way your audience takes it with them and use it. That is a gift, a great gift.

Some people have that ability. At SXSW I was present at the key-note speech of Neil deGrasse Tyson. Before I had never heard of him. I wasn't even sure I was going to attend the speech. It was about space and technology. And I'm not very interested in space. But he was the key-note and I was told you should always attend the key-note, for they give great speeches.

And wow, were they right. That man can tell a story! A great voice, a great presence. An amazing storyteller, both funny and interesting.

He is currently the presenter of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey on the National Geographic Channel. In The Netherlands it is broadcasted on Sunday evening. And I have my DVR set for it. Very interesting, even if you are, like me, not that interested in space, it is about our history and our future. From the tiniest microbes to the unimaginable huge galaxy we are all part of.

So if you want to see a great storyteller in action, go have a look at it.

Power

Tolkien reading day

Yes, we have another special day today. It is Tolkien Reading Day. So grab your favourite Tolkien book and share your favourite quote or moment.

Mine is towards the end of Lord of the Rings. Sam just got Frodo out of the hands of the orcs. And both little hobbits are struggling on their way to reach mount Doom. The rest for the evening. And than Tolkien writes this:

Frodo sighed and was asleep almost before the words were spoken. Sam struggled with his own weariness, and he took Frodo's hand; and there he sat silent till deep night fell. Then at last, to keep himself awake, he crawled from the hiding-place and looked out. The land seemed full of creaking and cracking and sly noises, but there was no sound of voice or of foot. Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking to himself. Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master's, ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo's side, and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep untroubled sleep.

And why is this my favourite part of the story? First of all the description of it. I think that anybody wherever in the world has seen this scene. The clouds breaking in the night and that one bright star twinkling there. And besides that, it is such a strong scene. Surrounded by ugliness and despair, in a land where there is no hope, no beauty. And the one ruling that land is trying to destroy all that you believe in and see as beauty. But in that land, when all hope is gone, there is that one moment, showing there is still beauty, there is still reason to hope. Giving Sam the courage to take a rest, so he will be strong enough to help Frodo with that hopeless task of destroying the ring. A little spark that will turn evil into good, the eucathastrophy, as Tolkien himself described it.

So now it is to you, what is your favourite part of Tolkiens writing? 

Happiness

Storytelling is the art of telling a story around what you want to say. To make absolutely clear what it is you want to say, without actually saying it directly.

This is an example on how to use it. 

(Click here for a bigger version of it)

Math and storytelling

I was so bad at math at school. So not my cup of tea. But at SXSW Education I saw a movie on how they are trying to give math a different twist and make it better fitted into the world of the students. By using storytelling.

The biggest story problem.

What a wonderful way to combine the world of stories and math. And why not, we use stories to explain something all the time, so why not math. I really hope the project will become ven more succesful.

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

A very happy Tell a Fairy Tale Day to all of you!

Yes, there is a day for telling Fairy Tales. And it is today!

I already wrote about the importance of reading to children and the history of Fairy Tales.

Fairy Tales come in all forms and sizes.
From the old tales by Grimm or Andersen.
To the newer once retold by Disney.

I'm currently looking forward to going to see Winter's Tale in the cinema.

A tale of love through the ages. With all the elements of a fairy tale: a hero, the villain and something magical happening.

When I was small I loved the story of Cinderella, even when your life isn't that great, you can still meet your Prince. And there is a Czech/German version of it; Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel (Three haselnuts for Cinderella). One of my favourite movies that is broadcasted a lot around Christmas time (probably because it has a lot of snow in it).

What is your favourite Fairy Tale, old or new, please do tell me?

Emoji

Uhm, Emoji, what?
I was thinking the same.
It are those cute emoticons you can use on Twitter or chats.
To enhance your story or to say something you can't say with words.

Here an example on how you can even put entire movie quotes or titles into Emoji.

And if you want to practice a bit.
A very famous book title:

You can find more of these here at Mashable.

As said before, an image can say more than a thousand words. Well, I guess an emoticon can do the same.