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Find full show notes and links at https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/sensational-stories

Being able to spin a great story: A skill for every First Class Counselor to learn. Joe Richards, Camp Director, Podcaster and Storytelling Wizard is here to teach you how.

Telling a great story is much more than sitting down on a stump, shining a flashlight under your chin and telling a story that you’ve memorized.

If you want your stories to draw campers in, transport them to another world and hang on your every word, it takes a lot!. As with any hard-skill like this, it’s going to take both knowledge and practice to get it right. So First Class Counselors is here to give you a great start on the knowledge piece. 

Joining Oliver and Matt is Joe Richards, Executive Director at Pearce Williams and co-host of the CampHacker Podcast. Joe’s experience in storytelling is deep and wide, beginning from his time as a counselor and carrying through a University thesis on the subject and now in his work teaching other staff at Pearce Williams.

Tune in to this episode to learn about: 

• Are scary stories okay at camp?
• Why are stories so connected to the camp experience?
• Where do you start if you think you have no storytelling skills?
• What tricks do you use to capture attention?
• What resources do you use when trying to find or even make a great story?
• Hear a great example of a story from Joe!

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If you have any feedback, or a suggestion for a future FCC show, send Matt an email at [email protected]

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Bonus Material - Thanks for reading the show notes!

• Joe’s Canadian Camping Magazine Archive Project
• The Cremation of Sam Mcgee
• The 5-Rules of Storytelling:-

E.G.E.L - Ever Growing Ever Learning

Games, songs, and other super-practical tips that you can use at camp next summer.

Matt: Never-Can-Tell: Snaps

Oliver: Rory’s Story Cubes

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Host Links

• Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell
• Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

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What is First Class Counselors?

Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell and Matt Honsberger from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.