Introduction
This report offers eight lessons about narrative—provided by luminaries in marketing and advertising, entertainment media/narrative arts, psychoanalysis, and technology—which can be applied to enrich narrative change work.
Contents
Introduction 3
Eight Lessons 5
1: Empathy 5
2: Momentum 7
3: Complexity 9
4: Experience 12
5: Participation 14
6: Attention 17
7: Aspiration 18
8: Distance 19
References 21
About FrameWorks 22
8 Lessons
See the full report to learn more about the 8 lessons. Each lesson looks at the two following elements –
- What does this mean for narrative change work?
- How to put this into practice
The 8 Lessons discovered about narrative are:
- Empathy
Create relatable and authentic characters to generate empathy and engagement. - Momentum
Create narrative momentum with actionable stories that inspire engagement. - Complexity
Engage the complexity of issues before challenging people’s beliefs. - Experience
Create a shared experience among an audience to foster a feeling of belonging. - Participation
Target early adopters who can help spread the narrative. - Attention
Don’t forget to grab your audience’s attention. - Aspiration
Paint an aspirational vision of “what could be” to overcome fatalism and mobilize people. - Distance
Create distance between people’s beliefs and identity to enable self-preservation.
Excerpts
Here is a sneak peek into the report.
Access Full Report
How Do Other Fields Think About Narrative? Lessons for Narrative Change Practitioners
Explore Further
- Mindset Shifts: What are They? Why do they Matter? How do they Happen?
- Narrative Power and Collective Action: Conversations with People Working to Change Narratives for Social Good
- Changing Our Narrative About Narrative: The Infrastructure Required for Building Narrative Power
- How to Change the Narrative / Story: Guides, Worksheets and Templates
- Funding Narrative Change, Power and Systems
- Public Narrative: Online Course