Introduction
This is a curated a guide on Public Narrative from the Leading Change Network. The Leading Change Network develops leadership and supports organisers around the world through a community of practice, ongoing learning and coaching. Rooted in community organising, social movement, and civic traditions, the Leading Change Network grew out of the work of Marshall Ganz, his collaborators, their students, and others.
The Leading Change Network Resource Center has many resources on Organizing, Narrative, and Campaign and Movement Building. This Guide includes a selection of resources from the Resource Center. To access all their resources browse the whole topic area on public narrative. Note: Some resources are available to Leading Change Network members only. Here’s how to become a member.
Leading Change Network Resources
Understanding the Power of Stories
A story communicates fear, hope, and anxiety, and because we feel it, we get the moral not just as a concept, but as a teaching of our hearts. That’s the power of story. – Marshall Ganz
- Why Stories Matter: The Art and Craft of Social Change (Article by Marshall Ganz)
- The Power of Story in Social Movements – Prepared for the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Anaheim, California (Working Paper)
- Marshall Ganz: The Power of Storytelling – In dialogue with Walter Link (Video and transcript)
Learning About Public Narrative
- What is Public Narrative?
- Develop Your Story: Public Narrative Worksheet
- Public Narrative: Online Course by Marshall Ganz and The Resistance School (Videos)
- Turning Values into Action: Workshop by Marshall Ganz (Video)
- Sign up to a Harvard University Course with Marshall Ganz
A story is like a poem. It moves not by how long it is, nor how eloquent or complicated. It moves by offering an experience or moment through which we grasp the feeling or insight the poet communicates. – Marshall Ganz
Story of Self, Us and Now
- How to Tell Your Story of Self (Article)
- Public Narrative: How the Story of Self becomes the Story of Us and Story of Now (Video)
Social movements are often the “crucibles” within which participants learn to tell new stories of self as we interact with other participants. – Marshall Ganz
Examples of Story of Self
- Story of Self: Amal Beydoun (Video)
- Marshall Ganz’s Story of Self (Video)
- Story of Self by trainer Tanvi Girotra (Video)
- Stories of Self: Nine organizers explain how their life experiences compelled them to take action, from article “The Personal is Political” (9 Videos)
Examples of Story of Us
- Story of Us: Susan Christopher, Camp Obama “Us”, Burbank, California, July 2007 (Video)
- Story of Us by Patrick Cates (Video)
- Story of Us by Renata Dreamers (Video)
- Story of Us by Henry V (Video)
- Robert Kennedy speech at Indianapolis, Indiana, April 4, 1968 [announces the assassination of Martin Luther King – Example of Story of Us] (Video)
Examples of Story of Now
- Sandra’s Story of Now (Camp Obama: Burbank) (Video)
- Robbie’s Story of Now (Camp Obama: Burbank) (Video)
- I have a dream speech by Martin Luther King (Video – Story of Now)
- You Got to Give Them Hope: Excerpt from a speech by Harvey Milk (1930 – 1978) American Politician and LGBT Rights Activist (Video) [Story of Now]
- Story of Now – Gandhi (Video)
Examples of Story of Self, Us and Now
- Miya Cain – Story of Self, Us and Now – Linked Narrative (Video)
- 6.12 Seconds – James Croft’s Harvard LGBT Bullying Speech (Video)
- Dhruv Khullar – Story of Self, Us and Now – Linked Narrative (Video)
- Barack Obama’s 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Speech (Video – Story of Self, Us, Now)
- 6 Stories of Self, Us and Now from people who have set up organizations that tap into the power of intergenerational connection (Videos)
When we consider action in the face of uncertainty, we have to ask ourselves three questions: why must we act, how can we act, and what must we learn to do. – Marshall Ganz
Case Studies
- Public Narrative and Its Use in the Stand Up with the Teachers Campaign in Jordan (QMM) (Case Study Report)
- Narrativa Pública sobre Infraestructura y Conservación: La Amazonía como Bien Público – Public Narrative on Infrastructure and Conservation: The Amazon as a Public Good (Spanish)
- Innovations for adapting public narrative pedagogy to practice in electoral campaigns [LCN Learning Document]
- Member Showcase: Using Public Narrative in Response to Leadership Challenges in response such as loss, difference, power and change in Iraq (Video)
Training and Coaching Resources
- Public Narrative Training: Videos from the Inspire Leadership School (Videos)
- Political Organizing Series: Public Narrative, Relationship Building, and 4C’s in Electoral Campaigns
- Coaching Public Narrative: Lessons by the Resistance School (Videos)
- Public Narrative Coaching Guide
- Public Narrative Coaching Guide (Template)
- Public Narrative: Introduction to the Craft (Powerpoint Slides)
- Teaching on WhatsApp: Leadership and Storytelling for Grassroots Community Organizers
- Guide for Trainers: A collation of resources by Leading Change Network
See more training and coaching resources
Workshop Participant Guides
These are guides developed for workshops by different organizations that are based on Marshall Ganz’s work. Here is a list of different adaptations from around the world.
- Public Narrative Workshop 2021: Participant Guide
- Public Narrative Workshop: Participant Guide [Nieman Fellows Public Narrative Workshop 2017]
- Organizing: People, Power and Change (Guide)
- Leadership, Organizing and Action: SEED Organizing Workshop Participant Guide
Resources in different languages
- دليل المشاركين: ورشة في القيادة والتنظيم المجتمعي – Participant Manual: Workshop in Leadership and Community Organization (Arabic)
- روایت عام بعنوان رهبری فعالانه – Public Narrative as Active Leadership: Participant Guide (Farsi)
- Les Voix pour la Santé (Guide de l’Atelier) – The Voice for Health Organizing Participant Manual (French)
- リーダーシップ・オーガナイジング・アクション – Leadership, Organizing and Action (Japanese)
- Narrativa Pública: Historia de Sí Mismo, Nosotros, y Ahora – Guía del Participante del Taller LALI 21 de Junio, 2016 Cuidad de Mexico, Mexico – Public Narrative: Story of Self Us and Now – LALI Workshop Participant Guide, June 21, 2016 Mexico City, Mexico (Spanish)
- Organizing and Public Narrative Workshop Guide / 활동 전략 수립 워크샵 안내서 2009년 12월 13일 – 15일 로스 앤젤레스 (Korean)
- Organizing and Public Narrative Participants’ Guides (Serbian)
- Organizing: lead, lift, include – Organisering: Leda, lyfta, inkludera (Swedish)
About the Leading Change Network LCN
The Leading Change Network is a global community of changemakers who are relentlessly fighting for justice and committed to strengthening the capacity of leaders, organizations, and movements to build real power and drive locally rooted change. At LCN’s Resource Center, an interactive platform with 400+ resources across diverse geographies and languages around Marshall Ganz’s People, Power, Change framework, you can find the latest introductions to organizing and public narrative.
Explore Further
- Innovation Hub: New tools to teach story / Public Narrative (Video)
- Public Narrative II: Narrative in Moments of Disruptive Change (Video)
- Story of Self Across Cultures by Marshall Ganz (Video)
- Guide to Organizing from the Leading Change Network
- Guide to Campaign and Movement Building by the Leading Change Network
- Guide for Trainers about Organizing, Narrative, Campaign and Movement Building
- Leading Change Network Collection in the Commons Library