Essential Storytelling Techniques with Producers from 'Snap Judgment' with Anna Sussman, Julia DeWitt

Anna is speaking too fast at times and just to herself, not to deliver to the audience. She has to deliver, not just talk to herself.

Love Anna Sussman and Julia Dewitt instructions, but they kept getting interrupted by some dude from Creative Live. He would derail the course with questions that weren't related to the current topic or future topics.

I purchased this class with great expectations. Sadly, I am very disappointed. The presenters were not prepared. Often it seemed they were considering the points and audience questions for the very first time. Their responses were vague and less than insightful with no useful examples. I certainly hope the other classes in this bundle are better. If not, I will be requesting a refund.

Happy I purchased this. Would love to see more with the presenters giving examples of their pitches. This topic is very difficult to answer simply —I thought they did a good job—and examples instill a better notion of how to go about this. Good job!

I agree with the majority of the reviews; haphazardly done. I watched the first video "Course Introduction" because I was thinking about enrolling in the course. However, after viewing it, the first lesson, I will NOT be enrolling. Thanks for listening.

My high hopes for this class were exceeded. Co-instructors Anna and Julia did an excellent job conveying what story collection is like in the field, offering pointers for capturing necessary tape, and explaining the building blocks of narrative that's strong enough to keep the attention of distractible listeners. I loved that they're seasoned producers who get the human elements of storytelling and understand that it's a messy, challenging process, but shared the paths they've mapped out that work. Also appreciated the pointers on pitching, which was one of the most useful part of the session to me. I second the comment of another reviewer that the moderator's interjections distracted a bit from the flow of the instruction, though understand why CreativeLive wants to do this.

I've been writing stories for a long time, but have always been curious about producing narratives with sound. This session had *so* many tips and described processes to help storytellers (in all mediums) produce deeper, more engaging stories and increase efficiency in the process as well. Many thanks to both of these women! (Creativelive, I love you guys, but less interjections from the moderator would be great!)

I had a fantastic time attending the class in person. I produce corporate media and I found this just fascinating. I appreciated the back and forth between the presenters. I was pleased with the day in general. I was actually sad when it ended. Great class.

Having a podcast, I signed up for this class to learn about how to create a more cohesive show and incorporating more stories. Julia and Anna did a wonderful job laying out the elements needed to deliver the best story with material you have. Loved the class!

I really enjoyed this course and thought both speakers did a great job giving us important checklists, things to watch out for and general tips and tricks culled from personal experience. I'm a big fan of Snap Judgment and other personal storytelling podcasts, and have thought of diving into the medium myself. Based on this course, I see that it's a challenging road, no matter what your end goal (i.e., small scale or national podcast/storytelling platform). To paraphrase Anna Sussman: take a deep breath, because the creative process is gonna hurt. I appreciated both her and Julia DeWitt's candor from start to finish!

As someone new to the art of story-telling and collecting, I found these tips helpful, and the insider knowledge a good guide to get started myself. Thanks for hosting this and giving participants inspiration!

Loved this training---plenty of great takeaways from women who've done the hard work, done it successfully and well, and know how to share that with others. Especially enjoyed: 1. Their clear story checklist (Compelling lead, Unique angle, Who will listen?, Who will speak?) 2. Their hammering home of continuing to ask yourself throughout the process why YOU love your story, so that that passion helps to drive it 3. Their emphasis on the dynamism of storytelling and its taking shape between the producer and the audience Great stuff---thank you! PS Could commenters here please focus on content, rather than the presenters' voices? I liked both myself, but if you didn't, that's really not the point of this review section. Also, please see: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/545/if-you-dont-have-anything-nice-to-say-say-it-in-all-caps?act=2#play.

Three hours and 10 1/2 pages of furious note-taking later, I'm feeling encouraged and excited to get back into some story projects I'd put on hold. Julia DeWitt and Anna Sussman brought to my memory some great concepts I've interacted with in my previous work and gave me fresh information to help me evolve and become a better storyteller. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and helpful resources.

What a well thought out and informed class. Instructors both knew what they were talking about. They took plenty of time to allow questions and provided answers that not only showed industry norms, but also gave their own unique perspectives on interviewing, story telling and pitching. They were confident, polite, and a pleasure to learn from. I highly recommend this class and "Thank you!"

Girls were great, but... uncharacteristically CreativeLive's production was terrible. Wrong set for this type of monologue, Unreadable graphics. very poor directing and camera work (screamed for more close-ups)

What a fantastic resource! Advice from the pros with journalistic traction. Thank you!