Everyone is Doing Narrative
Not so secret, secret: you're already doing narrative.
We have tools to help make it intentional
Over the last month, we've facilitated narrative conversations for organizers working on transit, family detention, worker centers and a room full of folks fighting fascism across the country. There's an idea that pops up for us over and over, especially with working with organizers who are not explicitly working on communications: you're already doing narrative work, we just hope to help you be more intentional about it.
If you've ever been to one of our trainings or facilitations, you've probably heard us say "it starts with a story." One of our favorite activities is when we ask folks in the room, whether via Zoom or on site, raise your hand if a story has ever changed your perspective or expanded your circle of concern. Spoiler alert: nearly everyone always raises their hand or clicks yes on that Zoom poll. Our follow-up is to ask folks to share the story or the theme and the medium it was shared. We are all constantly telling stories, whether we are at work, school, a place of worship; and embedded within those stories are the narratives that inform our values and worldview. In that room, people shared that the stories that impacted them the most came from family oral histories, conversations, books, films and documentaries.
Narrative isn't about doing something completely new in your work, because whether you are writing newsletters, door-knocking, crafting policy or posting on social media, there are narratives embedded in the words and ideas you choose to highlight. Narrative at its core is about taking extra time to answer some questions about the Ws of it all. I can’t remember the first time I was introduced to “who what where when why” and its cousin “how,” but I do know that they continue to be relevant, taking on new meaning in different contexts. For our narrative work, here’s how they show up:
Who is telling this story?
What is the underlying idea this story speaks to?
Why is this important now?
Where is the right place to share?
When is the right time to share?
These questions bring us back to the core questions we always ask when producing new content:
Who is your audience?
Who is your target?
What do you want people to remember?
What do you want them to do?
Knowing the answers to these questions before you send a newsletter, write an op-ed or plan a new program or campaign, give you the best shot to make sure your interventions are going to uplift the ideas that can make your work easier and ensure the stories make it to the right sets of eyes or ears.