storytelling

storytelling — noun

1. the activity of creating narratives and sharing them with an audience through sp

1.nounB1
Definition

the activity of creating narratives and sharing them with an audience through spoken words, written text, images, or performance, whether for amusement, education, or keeping cultural heritage alive.

Example

Grandma Amani's storytelling kept the children quiet for the whole train ride.

possessive + storytelling as a named person's skill

Digital storytelling has become a popular way for families to share their histories online.

common compound: digital storytelling

Common collocations
  • storytelling tradition
  • storytelling session
  • storytelling festival
  • storytelling technique
  • visual storytelling
  • storytelling workshop
Synonyms
  • narration

    more formal and focused on the act of recounting events step by step; often used for films, documentaries, or voice-overs

  • tale-telling

    older, less common term; carries a folkloric or traditional flavour

  • narrative

    refers more to the structure and content of the story itself than to the activity of sharing it

Grammar Patterns

storytelling + noun

modifier + storytelling

Usage Note

Uncountable noun; to refer to a single instance, use 'a storytelling session' or 'a piece of storytelling'.

Common Mistakes

She gave three storytelling at the event.
She gave three storytelling performances at the event.
storytelling is uncountable and needs a countable noun like 'session' or 'performance' to be pluralised.
I enjoy storytelling stories.
I enjoy telling stories.' or 'I enjoy storytelling.
storytelling already includes the concept of telling stories, so 'stories' is redundant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Storytelling is the broadest term, covering any act of sharing stories orally, in writing, or through visual media — it emphasises the process and the connection with an audience. Narration is more formal and linear, describing the step-by-step recounting of events, especially in films, documentaries, or voice-over work. Narrative refers to the structure or content of a story itself ('the narrative of the film') rather than the act of telling it. An anecdote is a short, personal, often amusing story about a real incident — narrower in scope than storytelling. For example: 'Her storytelling captivated the room' (performance), but 'His narrative was confusing' (story structure), and 'She told an anecdote about her first job' (a single brief tale).

storytelling ↗narrationnarrative ↗anecdote ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • storytelling tradition
  • storytelling session
  • storytelling festival
  • storytelling technique
  • storytelling workshop

Adverbs

  • orally

Phrases

  • the art of storytelling
  • digital storytelling
  • visual storytelling
  • interactive storytelling

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in English by combining 'story' (from Latin 'historia' via Old French 'estorie', meaning an account of events) with 'telling' (from Old English 'tellan', meaning to recount or count). The compound 'storytelling' emerged in the late 18th century to describe the practice of sharing tales, though the human activity itself is as old as language.