Storytelling for Social Change: All You Need To Know
Storytelling can be an incredibly powerful tool to achieve the required emotional connection with an organisation’s target audience. However, many organizations struggle with how best to communicate their work through storytelling. A client once asked — How can we effectively tell our story to capture the hearts of many including stakeholders, and also meet our goals? In this article, we take a dive into the basics of storytelling for organisations in the development space.
Storytelling is the act of communicating an event in words, images, or videos. Stories can make confusing and complex subjects understandable and can turn abstract ideas or processes into an inspiring human story of transformation.
Organisations in the development space are saddled with the responsibility of raising funds, educating and convincing decision-makers on the need to support developmental projects. This calls for the need to leverage storytelling to create audience connection, convince stakeholders, and secure buy-in. How narratives are communicated distinguishes institutions that have a knack for storytelling from others. There is a science to storytelling and this science helps understand the difference between a good and a great story. Here are a few points to note to create a compelling story:
1. Identify and connect with the target community
People connect to stories that relate to their experiences, beliefs, and passion. In other to engage people on issues, say Mother and Child Mortality, it would be important to understand the issue, carve a story out from recurring issues, and present it in a manner that people can relate to.
2. Apply the right storytelling approach
Storytelling should be strategic, having clear goals, and easy to understand. It should get the attention of the target audience — one they can relate to ensuring the emotions it evokes connect to the impact goals. For example, in 2016, a drama thriller film “93 Days” was produced to tell the story of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria and its successful containment by health workers in a Lagos hospital. The story of “93 Days” had one clear message — the sacrifices made by men and women who risked their lives to ensure the containment of the Ebola Virus. It is extremely crucial to choose the right storytelling method to achieve maximum impact.
3. Employ the right messengers for the story
Your messenger carries the message. It is not enough to tell your story of change or the stories of change by your organization, it is important that you go to where the story is, communities you’ve had interventions in, benefactors who have concrete stories to tell on the impact of your intervention, record their progress and write their stories through their experiences.
4. Be authentic and transparent
A story that is meant to record your impact must be authentic and transparent. People easily connect with stories when they believe the storyteller. It is important to tell a story, but most importantly, you must be able to gain the trust of your audience and leave a lasting impression.
5. Always leave a clear call to action
Calls to action should be specific and allow people to feel and see the potential impact and real difference the steps would make. It may be important to further explain the process and steps in the call to action.
To leverage the power of storytelling, organizations should seek opportunities to network and partner with allies in the creative space. There is a need for storytellers who are skilled at preparing a compelling and effective story. Finally, funding is equally important to storytelling innovation.
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