Perhaps you should read the article and blog referenced below before looking at this tip.

Laura Packer has done an excellent job of discussing the differences between traditional and personal narratives in this edifying blog. Click here to read the blog.

This piece is a great PRIMER on storytelling and the two genres! Laura gives us great perspectives on both types of tales and, in the end, asks us not to draw a line in the sand between the two, but perhaps build a bridge instead. SHe has an example of her doing that within the blog. Well done!

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Done? OK, here goes.

Not ready to go full blown on incorporating a personal story into a traditional one? That's OK. You can still make a small link, and enhance your telling of a folktale or fairy tale.

Recently, I told the story of the Two Brothers. It's about their love for each other, and how they sacrifice their own gains to give to the other. Instead of merely beginning the story, I made a reference to my own family, I told of how I did not have any brothers, but did have two sisters. I spoke of how, in our early years, we had a great deal of sibling rivalry. Somehow, when we all got past the age of eighteen, we began to truly show our love for each other. To this day, we are all very close.

This type of personal intro can make an instant bridge and help you connect to the audience even before you start the story. It told the audience a little about me, helped them get in touch with their own feelings regarding family, and set up the premise of the story about two loving brothers.

So, before your story, tell your story.