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Tune into The Talking Shop
A six-part radio series on stories and storytelling
produced by The Academy of Oratory
and Resonance 104.4FM
Tuesdays 3 April to 8 May 2012 7pm - 8pm
We want to hear from you! The Talking Shop is open for business and if you have stories, anecdotes, songs or poems which in some way fit our themes, then can you send them in MP3 format to Giles? We would love to include your material!
April - May 2012
Episode 1: Stories and Storytelling
Tuesday 3 April
Exploring storytelling as an art and tradition Giles Abbott was joined by Sarah Rundle and Nell Phoenix. Nell is an excellent storyteller who runs Storynight at Torrianno, one of the best storytelling clubs in London. And Sarah, last winter, performed at that club her version of Gawain and the Green Knight (which is one of the best pieces of storytelling Giles and Leon have ever seen!
Episode 2: Stories and Learning
Tuesday 10 April 7-8pm
We start learning about the world from the moment we're born. Very soon after, we're introduced to stories. Is this just because they're fun? Or are the two connected?
Giles Abbott and Leon Conrad were joined by storyteller Phil McDermott; speech and drama therapist Dr Nicola Claire Grove and Janette Steel OBE, head of the Chelsea Hospital School to talk about the role of storytelling in conventional and unconventional learning settings.
Episode 3: Stories and Healing
Tuesday 17 April 7-8pm
What is this healing power that stories can have and how can we harness it?
In this programme Giles and Leon explore Story and Healing with Alida Gersie, a drama therapist and author who uses stories extensively in her work, Jess Wilson, nurse and storyteller in hospitals and other settings.
They were joined by Veronica Needa from London Playback Theatre to talk about the exciting work the group does in recreating stories from audience members' lives using improvised theatre techniques.
As mentioned on the show, if you're interested in Playback Theatre's London events during World Playback Theatre week (15-20 May 2012), you can find out more about what they're doing here.
Episode 4: Stories and Leaving
When doors close, and time slows down, sometimes the right story, told in the right way, at the right time can open a window, or reveal a hidden doorway out of grief and reveal a path which leads beyond bereavement towards a way of making sense of life. At other times, stories help us come to terms with loss of hope, of home or homeland, or just a sense of being lost in translation.
In this programme, Leon looks at Story and Leaving (bereavement, exile and more) with writer and storyteller Janet Dowling, who uses story extensively in helping people through bereavement; Sef Townsend, a storyteller who has a particular interest in working with people and families in exile; and author and journalist John-Paul Flintoff who is often called upon as a journalist to report the stories of people who have experienced loss in the context of suicide.
Episode 5: Stories and Leading
Tuesday 1 May 7-8pm
How do stories influence us? What role do they play in leading us and our thought? In shaping opinion? When PR and marketing companies use stories, should we be wary of the extreme hold that gives them over us?
In this programme, Giles and Leon examine these issues further with Ramsay Wood, author and storyteller a specialist on the Kalila and Dimna collection of instructional fables and the way they have been adapted to and used to define different cultures. They will be joined by Richard House from Story Fountain, a company that uses traditional storytelling techniques to help businesses build brand identity, customer base and market share and Geoff Mead, founder and director of the Centre for Narrative Leadership and The Network for Organisational Storytelling.
For technical reasons this programme did not air live on the advertised date, but should go out on Tuesday 8 May instead.
More about Geoff Mead's excellent and moving book here:
Ramsay's equally excellent and eloquent retelling of the Kalila and Dimna stories are available at:
Episode 6: Stories and Formation
Tuesday 15 May 7-8pm
In the last show of the series, Giles and Leon look at the way story is part of self-definition and community cohesion. We have, as guest, Ariane Hadjilias who will be talking about her work exploring the storytelling tradition of the Meths Peoples of Canada as well as other guests still to be confirmed.
And remember... we want to hear from you! The Talking Shop is open for business and if you have stories, anecdotes, songs or poems which in some way fit our themes, then can you send them in MP3 format to Giles? We would love to include your material!
Our approach.
Our approach is based on ethical values.
We do what we do not because it is our job, but because we feel it is our vocation.
We believe that effective, ethically based communication is the key to unlocking human potential - individually, in families, in teams and can transform hierarchical organisations for the better, enabling them to be more productive, act more responsibly while creating value for staff and shareholders alike.
At the level at which we work, we see increased empathy, decreased fragmentation, increased engagement.
At The Academy of Oratory, we achieve this by using tried, tested and very practical techniques. Our approach combines the best of classical rhetoric, the power of traditional storytelling and the best of what modern life offers in terms of advances in research and best practice in training.
We get people in touch with their natural voice quality, a quality that is typically rich, resonant, capable of a wide and varied range of expression and a pleasure to listen to.
We help people use words powerfully, and show them how to bring their ideas to life in the minds of their listeners.
We encourage people to bring about positive action through the act of communicating.
We do this - and do it well.
We offer
- Group and 1:1 training
- On-site or off-site solutions
- Bespoke training courses
We cover
- Voice training
- Presentation skills training
- Public speaking skills training
- Storytelling skills training
- Speechwriting and layout service
- High-end PowerPoint, Keynote and Prezi Presentation design, training and coaching on use in presentations
- Non-linear PowerPoint and Keynote design and training in delivery using non-linear presentation
- Voice Overs
- Training for versatility in accents
- Specialist niche training programmes, eg telephone techniques, sales and negotiation, communication via social confluence, gamestorming facilitation, etc.
Please get in touch with us for more details.
Giles Abbott & Leon Conrad
Founders and lead trainers.
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