Verbal cues
Verbal Cues are also known as oral cues or oral devices. These devices are applied by the narrator of an oral narrative to attract and maintain the attention of his or her audience. These verbal devices only involve voice manipulation.
Non-verbal cues
Non-verbal cues, on the other hand, involve manipulation of other bodily organs that are not used for articulation. These include the face, head, hands legs, etc.
7. Verbal and Non-Verbal devices that make a story interesting
Below are the 7 major verbal and non-verbal devices and that make a story interesting/ thrilling/ captivating.
1. Use of facial expressions
Facial expressions include smiling, frowning, nodding, blinking, eye contact etc
2 Use of gestures
Gestures include waving, pointing, clapping, swinging hands, greeting, etc
3 Use of mimicry
Mimicry involves imitation – Imitating the sounds typical to different characters in order to play their role in the performance.
4 Tonal variation
Tonal variation is the raising and lowering voice/pitch to express different moods/ atmosphere (lower voice for love and expressive situations; and high for anger and surprising/exciting/happy and joyous situations).
5. Voice projection
In voice projection, the speaker can say a word or line in a sharp, sudden, and loud voice in order to reach the audience as audibly and clearly as possible.
6. Dramatization/ dramatic aspects
Dramatization involves enacting/ acting out scenes as if they are real ones. Performing scenes to make them appear real, memorable, and exciting. For instance, jumping.
7 Singing – Chanting
This involves singing in the course of narration in order to break the monotony of narration, enrich/ supplement the narration with certain information that would have otherwise been absent, allow audience participation in narration, capture the attention of the audience, allow a smooth transition from one scene to another, help build audience-narrator rapport, sets the mood of the narrative and comic relief.