Narrative Change: Start Here

Introduction

A collection of resources about narrative change including best practices, evaluation, funding, infrastructure and case studies.

Narrative Change rests on the premise that reality is socially constructed through narrative, and that in order to bring about change in the world we need to pay attention to the ways in which this takes place.

Narrative change involves changing which narratives are dominant in culture and discourse, in order to shift how people understand society and their role in it. This can involve a change in the set of narratives in wide circulation, and/or a change in the relative prevalence of different narratives.

See the Narrative Directory Glossary to understand the different terms and definitions involved with narrative change.

Resources

Narrative Change Theory and Best Practices

Here is a collection of resources that provide a foundational understanding of narrative change strategy, from big-picture theory to applied practices.

• Changing Our Narrative About Narrative: The Infrastructure Required for Building Narrative Power
  Thoughts on creating the right story about narrative change within the progressive movement and looking at what infrastructure is needed to build narrative power.
• Be the Narrative: How Changing the Narrative Could Revolutionize What it Means to do Human Rights
  From tactical changes like better framing to global strategies that emphasize collaboration across sectors and put people first, Be the Narrative reimagines what the human rights movement should look like—and what it’s capable of achieving.
• What Makes Narrative Change So Hard?
  What makes narrative change so hard? Brett Davidson explores how activists must expose unjust power dynamics & envision viable alternatives.
• Storytelling and Evidence-based Policy: Lessons from the Grey Literature
  In this article Brett Davidson explores lessons and gives practical advice about the role of storytelling in political advocacy.
• The Role of Narrative Change in Influencing Policy
  What is the role of narrative change in influencing policy? Understand what roles narrative plays and 3 ways to make narrative change.
• The Features of Narratives: A Model of Narrative Form for Social Change Efforts
  Model of narrative form for use in social change defining the elements & identifying the patterns in stories that comprise the narrative form.
• How Do Other Fields Think About Narrative? Lessons for Narrative Change Practitioners
  This report from The Frameworks Institute offers eight lessons about narrative which can be applied to enrich narrative change work.
• Mindset Shifts: What are They? Why do they Matter? How do they Happen?
  A report from the FrameWorks Institute, Mindset Shifts: What Are They? Why Do They Matter? How Do They Happen?, explores the best practices and most effective strategies for moving mindsets.
• Shifting the Narrative: What it Takes to Reframe the Debate for Social Justice in the US
  This article defines narrative and looks at the opportunities, tensions and challenges of reframing social justice narratives in the US.
• Narrative Emergency Kit: How Should we Prepare for the Next Crisis?
  Narrative Emergency Kit: 5 factors to prepare for and keep in mind in the field of narrative during a time of crisis and disruption.

Cultural Strategy

Key material explaining culture change theory and exploring best practices in the fields of cultural organizing and cultural strategy.

• The Best Organizing Strategy You’ve Never Heard Of: Why Fan Activism Has the Power to Radically Change Our World
  A report by Fandom Forward about Fan Activism which is the practice of organizing fans of pop culture for social change.
• Narrative Change, Popular Culture and Cultural Strategy
  A list of key resources collated by the International Resource for Impact and Storytelling IRIS exploring narrative change, popular culture, cultural organizing and cultural strategy. Including:
  • Cultural Strategy: An Introduction & Primer
  • The Culture Hack Curriculum
  • The Best Organizing Strategy You’ve Never Heard Of: Why Fan Activism Has the Power to Radically Change Our World
  • Fandom Formation Double Issue: A Fandom Primer and Lessons From Real Housewives of Politics
  • Culture Change Project: Findings and Methods Report
  • The Time is Now: The Power of Native Representation in Entertainment: A Guide for Industry Professionals
  • New Brave World: The Power, Opportunities, and Potential of Pop Culture for Social Change in the UK

Ecosystem and Field Landscaping

Learn from the people that work in narrative change and understand the narrative ecosystems and landscapes behind building narrative power.

• Conditions to Flourish: Understanding the Ecosystem for Narrative Power
  This report gathers what practitioners and members of movements are themselves saying about the contexts in which they work & what they need.
• Narrative Power and Collective Action: Conversations with People Working to Change Narratives for Social Good
  ‘Narrative power and collective action’ is a collection of curated conversations between Isabel Crabtree-Condor, a Knowledge Broker at Oxfam, and a diverse group of people working in the narrative change and collective action space.

Funding Narrative Change

Investment theories of change and investment frameworks that include narrative change.

• Funding Narrative Change, Power and Systems
  What are the best ways to fund and support narrative change, power and systems? Here is a collection of resources including indepth reports and recent articles. Including:
  • Funding Narrative Change: An Assessment and Framework by the Convergence Partnership
  • CZI’s Emergent Approach to Narrative Investments: Lessons for the Narrative Curious
  • From Stories to Systems: Using a Narrative Systems Approach to Inform Pop Culture Narrative Change Grantmaking
  • Storytelling and Social Change: A Guide for Activists, Organizations and Social Entrepreneurs
  • How can Philanthropy Fund Narrative Power at Scale
  • How Philanthropy can Fund the Infrastructure for Narrative Power
  • How to Fund Narrative Ecosystems
  • How to Measure Narrative Change
• A Narrative Shift to Broaden the Political Conversation: Contributions from Feminist Journalism in the South (in Spanish – Español)
  Narrative change, like feminism, is for everyone. This tool by LatFem can be embraced by different actors, movements and social sectors.

Case Studies and Toolkits

A closer look at real life examples of narrative change that show us what’s possible and how to do it.

• Storytelling and Social Change: A Guide for Activists, Organizations and Social Entrepreneurs
  A practical and useful guide is for anyone who wants to create social change, and who wants to learn how storytelling can help.
• Losing Forward: Lessons from Organizing for Narrative Change
  This article shares the lessons learnt from organizing for narrative change using the case study of the Yes on 15 campaign in California.
• Words to Win By Podcast
  Listen to the Words to Win By Podcast with Anat Shenker-Osorio as she unpacks real-world narrative shifts that led to real-world victories.

Measurement, Research & Evaluation

Examples of how to approach assessing the impact of narrative change, cultural strategy, and media.

• AEffect Planning and Assessment Toolset
  Artistic Activists – The Aeffect Planning and Assessment Toolset helps you plan, strengthen, and evaluate your creative activist projects.
• Measuring Narrative Change: Moving From Theory to Practice
  The article by Brett Davidson discusses the importance of measuring narrative change in social change work.
• Measuring Narrative Change: Understanding Progress and Navigating Complexity
  Insights into some of the questions facing practitioners, funders, and others interested in measuring narrative change.
• The Copenhagen Experiment: Measuring the Effectiveness of Creative vs. Conventional Forms of Activism
  The Copenhagen experiment took place in Denmark in 2018 and discovered that creative activism was more effective than conventional forms of activism.

Issue-or Community-focused Narrative Strategy

Resources focused on narrative change efforts around a specific issue area or particular community. See also Framing Issues for Social Justice Impact: Directory of Messaging Guides.

Climate and Environment

• How to Reach New Climate Audiences
  This interactive report answers why climate communications hasn’t delivered on the promise of engaging the masses, who has been left out of the conversation, and how to reach people more effectively.

Gender Justice

• Feminist Influencing Basket of Resources
  This Feminist Influencing Basket of Resources guides you through tools and activities to make visible the many systems of oppression.

Human Rights

• Be the Narrative: How Changing the Narrative Could Revolutionize What it Means to do Human Rights
  From tactical changes like better framing to global strategies that emphasize collaboration across sectors and put people first, Be the Narrative reimagines what the human rights movement should look like—and what it’s capable of achieving.
• How to Message on Human Rights: A Communications Guide and Course
  Introducing a guide, How to Message on Human Rights: A Communications Guide for Organisations Promoting Human Rights, and related course.

Migration

• Reframing Migration Narratives Toolkit
  The Reframing Migration Narratives Toolkit is a set of resources for campaigners working on migration narratives.

Poverty

• Talking About Poverty: Narratives, Counter-Narratives, and Telling Effective Stories
  Research & practical advice about how to deploy counter-narratives to create better stories about poverty & ultimately, create social change.

Racial Justice

• Building Narrative Power for Racial Justice and Health Equity
  Report about narratives that promote racial justice and expand our understanding of health, human rights, and the public good.

Directories and Courses

• The Narrative Directory
  The Narrative Directory is an international resource to support those using storytelling & narrative strategies to drive progressive change.
• Narrative and Story Telling Directory, Democracy Resource Hub
  The Democracy Resource Hub Directory is organized into three groups: 
  • Networks: Organizations to join and work with.
  • Training Organizations: Offering workshops, trainings, webinars and courses. 
  • Resource Libraries: Information hubs for deeper exploration.
• Storytelling, Narrative and Messaging Courses

Explore Further

• Inspiring Narrative Change Quotes
  Here is a collection of inspiring quotes about narrative change and story telling collated by the Commons Librarians.
• How to Change the Narrative / Story: Guides, Worksheets and Templates
  Guides, manuals and tools to help you get the narrative and framing right no matter what social justice issue you are working on. 
• Framing Issues for Social Justice Impact: Directory of Messaging Guides
  Looking for research on how to frame an issue on a certain topic area? This collection of reports, articles, videos and podcasts on issues including climate, crime, equality, nature, poverty and health will help you develop powerful messages and narratives.
• See more resources in the Story and Narrative Topic area of the Commons library