Personal Storytelling
Instrumentalized Storytelling + Organizational Storytelling + Strategic Storytelling
About
What is it?
Stories about a person, told in service to an organization. They can be told by the subject (first-person), or by a spokesperson of the organization on their behalf (third-person). Also referred to as instrumentalized storytelling: the story becomes an instrument of the organization.
Before Web 2.0, personal storytelling was autobiographies, memoirs, biographies and career narratives or professional bios.
Spokespeople speaking publicly about personal experience in relation to a movement or organization.
TED Talks
A profile feature story in the media. The subject of a profile story is a person, not an event or an organization.
Memoir.
Web 2.0 made it easy to tell stories.
Invisible People is a nonprofit that tells uses personal storytelling to impact homelessness.
What does it look like?
What’s it similar to?
What’s it different from?
Why now?
Examples
Practical Resources
A research report published by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication to help social impact organizations use storytelling.
A resource to help social change organizations use storytelling to advance their organization’s mission. Published by IMIX.
Principles informed by Voice of Witness’ experience conducting ethics-driven oral history.
A rich list of resources for communicators.
Ethics
Fernandes, Sujatha. Curated Stories: The Uses and Misuses of Storytelling.
Principles informed by Voice of Witness’ experience conducting ethics-driven oral history.
Fernandes, Sujatha. Curated Stories: The Uses and Misuses of Storytelling.
Mäkelä, Maria and Hanna Meretoja. Critical Approaches to the Storytelling Boom.
Polletta, Francesca et al. Personal Storytelling in Professionalized Social Movements.
Shuman, Amy. Other People’s Stories: Entitlement Claims and the Critique of Empathy.
Squire, Corinne (Ed). Stories Changing Lives: Narratives and Paths toward Social Change.
Liberation Stories: Building Narrative Power for 21st Century Social Movements by Shanelle Matthews, Marzena Zukowska and the Radical Communicators Network.
Our Stories Told By Us: Celebrating the African Contribution to the UK/HIV Response by Angelina Namiba, Charity Nyirenda, Memory Sacbhikonye, Rebecca Mbewe, Winnie Ssanyu Sseruma.
Study + Resources
By Academics
By Practitioners
Education
Offered by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication.
Organizations
A UK nonprofit supporting the migration and refugee sector to communicate with confidence, clarity and care. More.
The Radical Communicators Network is a global cohort of communications professionals in social change. More.
An oral history nonprofit that amplifies the stories of people impacted by—and fighting against—injustice. We work with communities to document and center unheard voices, teach ethics-driven storytelling, and develop educational resources. More.