Narrative x Communications
Strategic Storytelling + Instrumentalized Storytelling + Narrative Change + Personal Storytelling
What is it?
What does it look like?
Why now?
What’s it similar to?
Tension
Who is doing it?
Strategic storytelling emerged as a popular practice in organizational communication in the mid-2000s when Web 2.0 made stories easy to distribute and self-publish. Stories solved a communications problem — attention — but they created a new problem: meaning.
Personal Storytelling: telling stories about a person’s life that includes events relating to the activities of an organization. The objective of this storytelling is to demonstrate the impact of an organization’s work, or the importance of the issues the organization is working to impact.
Narrative Change: telling stories about a person’s life that includes events relating to a social issue that the organization is working to impact. The objective of this storytelling is to change public opinion on the social issue, usually to support policy change.
The media landscape changed. Previously, it was difficult to publish or distribute stories at scale — but digital media and Web 2.0 changed that.
Advertising. Video advertisements are small stories about a product or organization; strategic storytelling tells small stories about a person that relates to a product, organization or social issue. As a result, many people working in strategic storytelling came from the advertising sector.
Interest in narrative in communications has grown with the use of storytelling in communications, however the terminology is used differently. In general, “narrative” in communications is referencing public opinion — which is not the meaning used of narrative in academia. Learn more.
Nonprofits, social justice + social change organizations.
Climate change organizations are realizing they need strategic storytelling to generate public opinion that supports policy support.
Practical Resources
Organizations
Center for Climate Change Communication
George Mason University
Center for Media & Social Impact
American University
Center for Public Interest Communications
University of Florida
Center for Social Impact Communication
Georgetown University
Story Movements
Center for Media & Social Impact
Applying tools from cognition and linguistics, we uncover where people are capable of going and how to use our words, images and stories to move them.
Identifying new opportunities to enhance public understanding of climate change, and increase public engagement with climate solutions.
The Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI) is a creative innovation lab and research center that focuses on media for equity and social justice.
Public Interest Communications helps movements, foundations, agencies and organizations apply behavioral, cognitive and social science to build better communication strategies for the common good.
A research and action center dedicated to increasing social impact through the power of marketers, communicators, fundraisers and journalists working together.
A national (USA) organization offering training and consulting to harness the power of narrative for social change.
IRIS’ story-centered initiatives build networks and gathering spaces internationally to exchange knowledge, share strategy and build skills in storytelling and narrative shift to benefit communities.
StoryCenter is an innovative participatory media organization committed to the power of personal narratives for equity, wellness and social action.
Story Movements is a biennial CMSI convening that curates and presents research and case studies about the role of narrative in contemporary movements for social justice.
The Radical Communicators Network is a global cohort of more than 5,000 communicators to cross-pollinate conversations across a variety of movements, organizations, levels of experience, geographies, languages, and political associations.
The RadComms Resource Directory is a rich list of resources for members of RadComms.
Training
Training in Public Interest Communications
Center for Public Interest Communications at University of Florida
Science Communications Course
Center for Public Interest Communications at University of Florida
Online Certificate in Social Impact Storytelling
Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown University
SpitfireU Training Programs
Spitfire Strategies
Story-based Strategy
Center for Story-based Strategy
“Public Interest Communications helps movements, foundations, agencies and organizations apply behavioral, cognitive and social science to build better communication strategies for the common good.” More.
“Whether you’re a scientist, researcher, lab member, post-doc, health care professional, science communicator or anyone with a desire to improve your science communication skills, this program will enhance your ability to share your work with precision and power.” More.
“With a curriculum developed from Georgetown University’s renowned Center for Social Impact Communication, the program provides you with opportunities to learn from applied research, engage with expert faculty and industry thought leaders, and develop your personal skills as a storyteller.” More.
“In-person and virtual capacity building courses for leaders committed to sparking good even better than before.” More.
“Story-based strategy is an approach to understanding the stories you are trying to change, and being intentional and strategic about what stories your words and actions tell.” More.