Story Slam
A Story Slam is an open-mic event in which volunteers tell true, personal stories on a shared theme, live and without notes, each within about five minutes. The format was made popular by The Moth, the New York storytelling organisation founded in 1997, whose slams draw ten names from a hat and have audience judging teams score each story. This page describes the general format for use in teams and organisations and is not affiliated with The Moth.
Facilitation script
- 1
Host welcomes the room, explains the theme and the rules, collects names in the hat and briefs the judging teams if used.
10 min - 2
First half: draw names one at a time for four or five stories of about five minutes each, with scoring or applause and a short bridge between them.
35 min - 3
Break. Late volunteers may still add their name.
10 min - 4
Second half: another four or five stories.
35 min - 5
Announce the result if scoring, thank every teller by name.
5 min - 6
Closing round in pairs or plenary: which story stayed with you and what it tells us about this group.
10 min
Tips
The host makes or breaks the evening: brief, warm bridges between stories, firm on time, and never a comment that rates a teller's experience.
Offer a 30-minute coaching slot beforehand for anyone who wants to test their opening and ending, which raises quality and lowers nerves more than anything else.
Pick a theme with an edge that still leaves room for light stories, such as 'the first time' or 'plan B'.
Common pitfalls
Nominating or pressuring people to tell a story, which produces thin stories and resentment and breaks the voluntary principle the format depends on
No time signal, so the first teller takes twelve minutes and the last ones are cut or rushed
Scoring colleagues' personal experiences in a workplace with hierarchy in the room, which makes people play safe or feel judged
A theme so broad or so corporate that tellers bring prepared success stories instead of something that happened to them
Stories that disclose painful material with no care afterwards; brief tellers on choosing a story they have already come to terms with and have the host acknowledge heavy moments before moving on
Variations
Without scoring: for colleagues, replace judges with applause and one appreciation from the audience per story; scoring a co-worker's personal story can sour the mood. Curated: invite five or six tellers in advance instead of drawing names, which gives a more reliable programme for an all-hands. Small team: with ten to fifteen people, cut stories to three minutes and let everyone who wishes tell one. Remote: run it on a video call with tellers spotlighted, audience cameras on and reactions in chat; keep it to six stories because attention drops faster online.
Where it fits
When to use it
An offsite needs an evening format with more substance than a quiz and less pressure than a talent show
A leadership programme is working on storytelling and participants need a real audience
People from different sites or departments know each other's roles but not each other
The organisation wants to bring a value or a milestone to life through lived experience instead of slides
There are enough willing tellers that nobody has to be pushed on stage
When not to use it
Trust in the group is low or a conflict is live: personal stories told to an audience will feel exposed, so start with Story Circles in small groups
You need everyone to speak: a slam has a few tellers and many listeners, so use Story Swap or Telling Our Stories instead
You have under 45 minutes: a Six Word Story round gives a taste of storytelling in a fraction of the time
Managers would be scoring their own reports or the reverse: drop the scoring or choose a non-competitive format
The aim is to collect and analyse experiences for a project: a Collective Story Harvest is built for that
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Story Slam?▾
A Story Slam is a live event where volunteers each tell a true personal story on a common theme, without notes, in about five minutes. Tellers are usually drawn at random from a hat, and in the competitive version audience judges score each story. Teams use it at offsites and socials to get to know each other through experience instead of job titles.
Who invented the story slam?▾
The format is associated with The Moth, a storytelling organisation founded in New York in 1997 by George Dawes Green, which runs open-mic slams in many cities. The Moth's name is protected, so an in-house event should carry its own name and can at most describe itself as inspired by The Moth.
What are the rules of a story slam?▾
The story must be true and the teller's own, relate to the announced theme, be told from memory without notes and stay within the time limit of roughly five minutes. Tellers volunteer by putting their name in a hat and are drawn at random. Stand-up routines, lectures and readings do not count as stories.
Do you have to score the stories?▾
No. Scoring adds tension and fun at a public event, but inside a team it can make people cautious. Many internal slams replace scores with applause and a spoken appreciation, and lose nothing.
How do you help people prepare a story for a slam?▾
Ask them to pick one event with a clear before and after, to know their first and last sentence by heart and to practise aloud once with a timer. A short optional coaching session a few days ahead is worth offering. Discourage scripts, because recited text sounds flat.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from The Moth.