Uploaded February 2017 | Updated September 2026, 23 hours ago
Speaker: Scott Mealey
For many years, communicators in the Church, the arts, politics, the not-profit sector, and the business world have been told that stories matter. But is having a good story enough? Arts and media research in the last decade has begun to suggest that the response of audiences is determined as much by the storytelling as by the story itself. Even more challenging is the proof that one-size of storytelling will not fit all listeners and circumstances. Success, instead, is more often determined by matching the right style to your intended message and the unique crowd to whom you are presenting. In this workshop, participants will be exposed to four styles of storytelling, both popular and unconventional, including their potential strengths and drawbacks with particular audiences and congregations. Given the hands-on nature of the session, everyone is encouraged to come prepared with a brief story that is pertinent to an environment in which they are currently engaged.
Biography:
Scott has spent nearly two and a half decades exploring the convergence of secular and sacred performance, persuasion, and social affect. He is currently a doctoral student at the University of Toronto’s Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies Centre, where his dissertation work explores the role of intent, style, and familiarity in effecting attitudinal changes in theatre spectators. His recent presentations have examined the non-coercive influence of found-object puppetry, museum exhibits that curate mindfulness in the face of tragedy, and performative change conceptualized through dual-process communication models. Scott is particularly passionate about teaching and for over fifteen years has taught practical and theoretical courses in the areas of theatre and communication, notably at Crandall University, Humber College, and the University of Toronto. Prior to returning to academia on a full-time basis, he worked professionally as an actor, director, playwright, and producer in Atlantic Canada. He also served twelve years as the founding pastor of The Pool, a church for irreligious twenty and thirty somethings.
Speaker: Scott Mealey
For many years, communicators in the Church, the arts, politics, the not-profit sector, and the business world have been told that stories matter. But is having a good story enough? Arts and media research in the last decade has begun to suggest that the response of audiences is determined as much by the storytelling as by the story itself. Even more challenging is the proof that one-size of storytelling will not fit all listeners and circumstances. Success, instead, is more often determined by matching the right style to your intended message and the unique crowd to whom you are presenting. In this workshop, participants will be exposed to four styles of storytelling, both popular and unconventional, including their potential strengths and drawbacks with particular audiences and congregations. Given the hands-on nature of the session, everyone is encouraged to come prepared with a brief story that is pertinent to an environment in which they are currently engaged.
Biography:
Scott has spent nearly two and a half decades exploring the convergence of secular and sacred performance, persuasion, and social affect. He is currently a doctoral student at the University of Toronto’s Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies Centre, where his dissertation work explores the role of intent, style, and familiarity in effecting attitudinal changes in theatre spectators. His recent presentations have examined the non-coercive influence of found-object puppetry, museum exhibits that curate mindfulness in the face of tragedy, and performative change conceptualized through dual-process communication models. Scott is particularly passionate about teaching and for over fifteen years has taught practical and theoretical courses in the areas of theatre and communication, notably at Crandall University, Humber College, and the University of Toronto. Prior to returning to academia on a full-time basis, he worked professionally as an actor, director, playwright, and producer in Atlantic Canada. He also served twelve years as the founding pastor of The Pool, a church for irreligious twenty and thirty somethings.
