Stories that Shape Our World

D O M I N A N T N A R R AT I V E - I N A D E Q U A C Y

S TO R I E S H O L D O U R I D E N T I T I E S TO G E T H E R .

WHO
AM I?
WHO
ARE WE?
HOW IS
THE WORLD?
WHAT
MAKES ME,
ME?
WHAT
MAKES US,
US?
WHY IS THE
WORLD
THE WAY IT IS?

WHATEVER ANSWER WE COME UP WITH
TO THESE QUESTIONS IS A NARRATIVE.
NARRATIVES ≠ TRUTH.

STORIES
STORIES
beliefs
beliefs
BELIEFS
What we believe creates our reality.
Beliefs are embedded, learned and transmitted as stories.
stories
STORIES beliefs
beliefs
OUR WORLD

Stories are the code of our collective operating system.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<h1>Story
<p>story</p>
</body>
</html>

WE’VE EVOLVED TO
LOVE STORIES
BECAUSE THEY
HELP US SURVIVE.

Stories are designed to persuade an
audience of a storyteller’s worldview.
H O W D O T H E Y D O T H I S ?
Stories express values.

Stories remain the invisible glue
through which people narrate the
meaning of their lives and interweave
their lives with other lives.
-Michael Margolis, Believe Me.

Communities are groups bound by shared values.
Through storytelling, you communicate your values so your
audience can say, “Hey! I believe that too!”
S TO R I E S S Y N C H R O N I Z E B R A I N S

AT THE HEART OF EVERY
STORY IS AN A-HA! MOMENT

STORIES ALLOW US TO
CREATE ORDER OUT OF
THE CHAOTIC.

THEY DO THIS BY
EDITING OUT
IRRELEVANT DETAILS.

AND DEFINING A CAUSE
FOR EACH EFFECT.

Dominant narratives are the
ARMOR of the status quo.

NARRATIVE
STORY STORY
STORY
STORY
STORY
STORY
STORY
STORY
STORY
STORY

S T O R Y
-Event Unity
-The ‘who, what, when,
where, how’ of an event
that occured
-It has a begining, middle,
and end
N A R R AT I V E
-A system of stories: Two or
more stories that add up to
create a larger explanation
about how the world is.
-Narrative: What do these
stories tell us about how the
world is?
V S

INADEQUACY OCEAN
THAT TIME YOU DIDN’T
FINISH A PROJECT
DAD NEVER SAID,
“I LOVE YOU.”
GOT AN F
IN BIO
MEDIA
INSTITUTIONS
FAMILY
NOT INVITED
TO THE PARTY
CULTURAL
MESSAGES

“WELFARE
QUEEN”
The misfortunes
of those living in
poverty are a result
of their laziness.
Welfare allows
people to game the
system and remain
lazy.
H O W N A R R AT I V E S N O R M A L I Z E
T H E S TAT U S Q U O :
UNIVERSALIZING CERTAIN EXPERIENCES

INVISIBILIZING OPPRESSION
CRIMINALIZATION OF
POVERTY
HISTORY
BROKEN SCHOOLS
UNLIVABLE MINIMUM WAGE
NEGATIVE ASSUMPTIONS
SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE
DISCRIMINATORY HIRING
80% OF JOBS
GIVEN THROUGH PERSONAL
CONNECTIONS
Pick yourself
up by your bootstraps!
Just work hard!

INEVITABILITY
TINA “There Is No Alternative.”

Narratives operate on
underlying assumptions.
ASSUMPTION
ASSUMPTION
ASSUMPTION
ASSUMPTION
Where you look to figure
out where the new
narrative needs to target.
NARRATIVE

E X A M P L E S O F D O M I N A N T N A R R AT I V E S
DRAW & FILL OUT
‘DECONSTRUCTING THE DOMINANT NARRATIVE’
(5 MIN)
THEN, IN GROUPS OF 3 DISCUSS:
What element of the status quo would you like to be changed?
How is this part of the status quo protected by a dominant narrative?
Tell the story as it’s told in dominant culture.
(5 min)

By telling new stories,
we can build
A N E W W O R L D .

The ability to dream up and spread
these solutions lives or dies on the
ability to tell great stories that inspire
people to think differently.
-Jonah Sachs, Story Wars

Use narrative to
create new frames.
T H E J O B O F T H E
C O N S C I O U S S TO R Y T E L L E R :

N E W N A R R AT I V E F R A M E
D E L I V E R E D T H R O U G H P E R S O N A L S TO R I E S
=T H E B E S T W AY TO A W A K E N T H E W O R L D

CREATING A NEW FRAME =
CREATE A NEW MENTAL PICTURE
dominant narrative new narrative
Ask: How should we imagine this problem?

T H E I N A D E Q U A C Y N A R R AT I V E
P E R S O N A L S O C I E TA L
“You must earn
your worth through
material things, status,
and accomplishments.”
We live in a system
that’s designed to
create winners and
losers.
Your worth is
inherent to your
being, not earned
through your doing.
People living in
poverty are to blame
for their suffering
because they’re lazy.
OLD NARRATIVE
NEW NARRATIVE

T H E S E PA R AT I O N N A R R AT I V E
P E R S O N A L S O C I E TA L
“Everyone else has it
more together than I
do. She’s more ______
than me.”
We are one. Humans
are complex, nuanced
individuals. Race is a
biological fiction but a
social reality.
She is a complex
person with her own
journey, pain, and
celebrations. She
is a loving, divine
being. We’re all
suffering under the
same narratives
that convince us to
compare ourselves.
“Immigrants are a threat,
coming to take our jobs.
They don’t play by the
rules and feel entitled
to government benefits
without working for them.”
OLD NARRATIVE
NEW NARRATIVE

OLD FRAME NEW FRAME
OPPRESSOR
VICTIM SAVIOR
COSTS:
• Diminishes the humanity of all involved.
• Does not give people agency, power,
choice & complexity.
• Only allows people to play one role.
• Perpetuates separation
All suffering from dominant narratives
that make us believe we are unworthy,
separate, powerless and that there’s not
enough to go around.
BENEFITS:
• Grounded in compassion
• Recognizes our common humanity
• Helps us stand for one another with an
acknowledgement of privilege
• Grants power and humanity to all involved
UNIQUE STORY
& EXPERIENCES
UNIQUE STORY
& EXPERIENCES
UNIQUE STORY
& EXPERIENCES
}

DRAW: HOW SHOULD PEOPLE IMAGINE
THE SITUATION?

ENVISION THE WORLD
YOU WANT TO LIVE IN
If every campaign, project and program succeeded,
what would the world look, taste, smell, feel like?

FILL OUT ‘IMAGINING A NEW NARRATIVE.’

C O M M U N I C AT I N G Y O U R N E W
N A R R AT I V E :
“This is how it has been, but this is how it could be. Here’s how
we are making that happen and why we need you.”

SOUL OF A
MOVEMENT.
V I S I O N A R Y N A R R AT I V E =

1. Hook: Personal story that
describes the status quo OR a brief
glimpse into what’s possible
H O W TO C R A F T A V I S I O N A R Y N A R R AT I V E

4. Alternate reality.
Other Possibility.

5. How do you know this other
future is possible?

6. Compelling details of
the new reality.

7. How your audience is
essential/needed in order for
this new future to come true.

1. Form a group of 3.
2. Individually draw two pictures or
write: How It Is & How It Could Be.
3. Each share your visionary
narrative with each other.

www.awakestorytelling.com
facebook.com/awakestorytelling
annie@awakestorytelling.com

P I C K I N G A S TO R Y
What is your goal?
What action do you want them to take?
What Ah-Ha! moment might help
them take that action?
What story will lead to
that Ah-Ha! moment?
CHOOSE THE STORY THAT WILL GET
THEM TO TAKE THAT ACTION

E L E M E N T S O F G R E AT
S TO R I E S

Great stories...
Are emotional and show vulnerability.

Great stories...
Are about journeys where the
protagonist learns something about
the world.

Great stories...
Describe a personal transformation.

Great stories...
have dramatic tension. The stakes are
high. They make the audience wonder,
“What will happen next?”

Great stories...
Include memorable, vivid, sensory details
that are relevant to the core message.

Great stories...
Are simple- they only include details
that illustrate the mesage.

TURN TO A NEIGHBOR:
Tell a story that represents why you do what you do.
It must include a specific scene with vivid, sensory details.
While listening, be a story detective:
What values are expressed in this story?
What makes a good story?

S TO R Y P O R T F O L I O :
The individual stories that add up
to your visionary narrative.

Y O U R S TO R Y P O R T F O L I O
THE CALLING STORY
Each person in your organization has a calling story.
The story of when they knew they had to do this work.
The person they met.
The story of how your organization came to
be. The story of your founder’s insight that led
to your formation.
Stories about someone whose life
changed as a result of your organization.
Stories about how your supporters got inspired
to take action and what they did as a result.
Stories about lessons that you’ve learned along your
changemaking path. “We realized we weren’t going to
be successful on our mission unless we....“
THE ORIGIN STORY
LESSON STORIES
IMPACT STORIES
MOVEMENT STORIES

H O W TO S T R U C T U R E Y O U R S TO R Y:
S T O R Y A R C H
MOMENT OF CHANGE
AFTER
CALL TO ACTION
The A-ha! Moment. Ground it in
a specific location.
How is life different because of
this realization? Include a detail or
anecdote about how the impact was
experienced.
Relate the story back to your
audience. Empower them to apply
the moral of the story to their lives.
BEGINNING
The hook: set the stage and
introduce who, what, when,
and where.
PROBLEM
Present the problem. Include a
detail or anecdote about how
the challenge was experienced.
JOURNEY TO CHANGE
Struggle of the journey makes
the character change.

Think about the shift in perspective
you want the audience to have.
Do you have a story of when you had
that shift in perspective yourself?

Stories that Shape Our World

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