Strategic Storytelling for Government
To drive real impact, stories need to be designed strategically.
Many organizations understand the power of storytelling to appeal to the heart and the head. But to achieve meaningful outcomes, stories need to convey specific ideas that persuade or motivate the intended audience.
For example, the Obama administration needed a storytelling strategy to build support among voters and taxpayers for the Ladders of Opportunity initiative—a wide array of programs and policies designed to fight poverty. For decades, a negative narrative about “welfare” undercut public support for these kinds of programs.
We began by crafting an Aspirational Narrative to frame anti-poverty programs:
Children born into poverty don’t have equal opportunities because their families struggle to make ends meet. Government anti-poverty programs provide proven tools to help hardworking people learn, earn, and save, so they can support their families and achieve financial security.
In a national message-testing survey with voters, seven of ten respondents said this narrative convinced them the government should provide these programs. Our narrative research showed these strategies moved the needle:
● Reminding people that opportunity is not equal
● Putting children in the picture
● Highlighting the efforts of their parents
● Speaking to shared aspirations, like financial security
● Showing how the programs make a real difference
Strategic Stories communicate specific ideas to persuade audiences. This story reflects ideas shown to convince 7 of 10 Americans to support government anti-poverty programs.
Federal agencies, champions in Congress, and advocacy organizations used this formula to craft Strategic Stories. Media analysis showed that this coordinated storytelling strategy helped to drive a new narrative, as these key ideas appeared consistently in coverage reaching millions of Americans.
Watch our webinar with the Partnership for Public Service: How to Be an Effective Government Storyteller.
