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What is storytelling? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, storytelling is the activity of writing, telling, or reading stories. Storytelling can use various styles, intonations, and tools to engage listeners.
Storytelling has long been used as a medium of instruction , especially as an entertaining way to instruct children. Ani Pujiastuti, Ph.D., Head of the Primary School Teacher Education Study Program (PSTE), PresUniv, said that storytelling has long been a tradition for many people. “For example, when we were little we were told a story by our grandparents or parents. And, we enjoy it even to the point of falling asleep," she said at the 2022 Story Telling Competition, Wednesday (23/3).
This event is a collaboration between the PSTE Study Program and the Adam Kurniawan Library. The Story Telling Competition 2022 with the theme Indonesian Folktale in English aims to recreate Indonesian folk tales or fairy tales that are rich in wisdom and moral teachings. According to Ani, this is the right time for the younger generation to become ambassadors for Indonesian local culture, sharing local wisdom with many people, through stories.
Local Indonesian stories are not inferior to world fairy tales, such as Snow White, Pocahontas, or Aladdin. Indonesia has many interesting and varied folk tales. For example, the 3rd place winner in this event, namely Wundung Hermina Napitupulu from PresUniv, told the story of Timun Mas. Then, the 2nd place winner, Yunita Wanasiri from PPM School of Management, told about Bawang merah dan Bawang Putih. Meanwhile, the winner, namely Sharizan from the University of Riau, told about Batu Betangkup.
In addition to the three winners, the other participants were students from various universities in Indonesia. They toldl their own stories in an interesting ways and styles. For example, the story about the Legend of Danau Toba, which is a story about the origin of one of the largest lakes in Southeast Asia, was told by participants from Jakarta International University. There is also the Legend of Alue Naga which concerns the origin of Gampong Alue Naga which is located in Syiah Kuala District, Aceh, which was told by participants from the University of Mataram.
Storytelling for Education and the Work Field
The ability to tell stories is an important skill for those who want to become educators. Ani explained, “Students will find it easier to learn when storeytelling is the teaching method.” said, Ani who is the Head of the Bureau of the Center for Language and Culture (CLC). PresUniv, also provides facilities for PresUniv students to develop their language skills. She said that storytelling will make it easier for students who want to learn foreign languages.
In addition to prospective teachers, storytelling is also widely used by marketers to attract the attention of consumers. This ability is also very useful in the work field. People who are good at telling stories are usually find it easier to convey information about products or solutions to clients, customers, co-workers, and even subordinates. This is because storytelling skills are often associated with good communication skills.
Good storytelling has criteria. For example, the judges were very concerned about story ideas and plots; opening, content and the ending; the way the storey was delivered, such as the style and voice used when telling the story; word selection; spelling and punctuation. Moreover, this competition was held in English. By paying attention to these criteria, storytellers will be able to be more focused and will be develop their storytelling skills. (Silvia Desi Betrice, PR team. Photo: Silvia)
