Ira Glass on Storytelling

I came across this four-part video series on storytelling, by Ira Glass from public radio’s This American Life, on http://aerogrammestudio.com/.

Each video is only 3-5 minutes long, but the first one is particularly relevant for digital storytelling. Ira shares his thoughts on the two most important building blocks of a great story: the anecdote and the moment of reflection.

Of course, who can explain it better than Ira Glass?

In the last three videos, he discusses what it takes to find a good story for broadcast - and the willingness to “abandon crap” (my favorite line!); having good taste in stories (and the time that it takes to develop your abilities to match your taste); and, finally, two common pitfalls that beginners often make: not sounding like yourself and leaving yourself out of the story.

- Allison Myers, Storycenter Blog Team