2. Story relates to the theme.

3. Presentation: Basic public speaking skills

      For example:
            Acting confident and making eye contact.
            Audible enunciation versus ignoring the microphone or covering mouth with hand.
            Expressive voice and movements versus monotone and stilted delivery.
            Staying on story versus rambling asides.

            (Of course exceptions may be part of the story--say a character speaks in a monotone)

4. Story is your Own true and personal narrative with your original wording.

   Incorporating any other spoken, sung or written material, with or without copyright, not
   your own, must be brief and necessary to your story, and not in lieu of your story.
   Quoting copyrighted material must be cited.

            (For example: It might be relevant to identify and share a line from a song lyric,
            but not to sing the whole song)

5. Story Development:

      Wording--Crafted, Intentional, Builds Momentum, in Context

      Transition--Between the beginning and ending of a story the tale infers some layer(s)
      of meaningfulness.

                         (Tip: Minimizing some story details while emphasizing others,
                         is one of the ways to transition a story from a simple account
                         to an evocative tale the audience imagines and relates to)

      Tone--The story may be humorous, heroic, ironic and so on, or a combination of.

                         (Tip: Besides subject and wording, varying story pace, pause
                         and vocal range invigorates and sustains tone)

6. One Story per Teller--without Props.

7. Do not read your story--no exceptions.