1. Point of view – digital storytelling allows the storyteller to come close to his audience by expressing
personal experiences through first-person point of view;
2. Dramatic question – a plot is developed in a digital story thereby distinguishing it from showing
wedding pictures with music and flashy pictures;
3. Emotional content – effective digital storytelling evokes an emotion from the audience. In our research
project, the students shared their philanthropic motives for becoming teachers and how they had
developed over the four years;
4. Economy – digital storytelling is using approximately 300 – 500 words in a story so one has to be very
economical in what you chose to say and how you say it;
5. Pacing – determining the rhythm of a story to sustain an audiences interest;
6. The gift of voice – the pitch, inflections and tenderness of ones own voice is one of the most essential
elements that contribute to the effectiveness of digital storytelling; and
7. Soundtrack – using music to enhance the story and create an emotional response.