This document outlines a 9-step process for changing behavior through strategic storytelling. The steps include: 1) defining a vision, 2) developing a big story with a hero, goals, and plan, 3) understanding the hero through their challenges, influencers, and motivations, 4) designing an experience journey, 5) sharing stories, 6) continuously engaging, 7) listening, 8) celebrating successes, and 9) allowing the story to evolve. The process uses storytelling techniques like heroes, narratives, and behavior change models to motivate individuals and organizations to achieve a shared vision.

1. Changing Behavior through
Strategic Storytelling
Melinda Briana Epler @mbrianaepler | @changecatalysts

2. My vision: Change the world! How? No idea!!!!
Mass media to build awareness
Community- and
business-based change
Individual
lifestyle change
Intellectual &
emotional
awareness building
Individual behavior (through public health)

3. Now: all of the above.
Strategies & stories that
improve individual
behaviors, organizational
decisions, and
social/environmental
impact.

4. STEP 1.
Define Your Vision

5. It’s your collective story:
• It ignites storytellers
• It aligns goals
• It brings people with you
Paint a picture:
• When the sun comes up on your new day,
what does the world look like?
• What does it feel, smell, taste, sound like?
STEP 1.
Define Your Vision

6. STEP 2.
Develop Your
Big Story

7. STEP 2.
Develop Your
Big Story
Who is your hero?
What must
he/she do to realize
the vision?
How will he/she
accomplish this?

8. STEP 3.
Know Your Hero

9. STEP 3.
Know Your Hero

10. STEP 3.
Know Your Hero

11. Invite them to the
table
Learn what they want
and need
Meet them wherever
they are
STEP 3.
Know Your Hero
Who influences
him/her?
What are his/her
challenges?
What motivates
him/her?

12. STEP 4.
Design the
Experience

13. Awareness Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance
A behavior change
model should lay
the foundation for
your experience
journey
Adapted Transtheoretical Model

14. Transtheoretical
Experience!

16. Awareness Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance
Adapted Transtheoretical Model

17. We all want to be a
hero.
What’s your story?
STEP 5.
Tell
SHARE Stories

18. Challenge
Challenge
Challenge
Crisis!
Midpoint
Climax
Incident
Normal
New normal
Three act
story structure.
You know this!
Act 1 Act 2 Act 3
Beginning! Middle! End!

19. STEP 6.
Continuously
Engage

20. STEP 6.
Continuously
Engage
Invite the
“crowd”
to tell stories
Spark
conversations
Answer
questions
publicly
Let go and
trust your
vision

21. STEP 7.
Listen

22. STEP 8.
Celebrate
successes

23. STEP 9.
Allow Your Story
To Evolve

24. Don’t get stuck in the
Molasses Swamp!

25. STEP 4.
Design An
Experience
STEP 2.
Develop Your
Big Story
STEP 3.
Know Your
Hero
STEP 1.
Define Your
Vision
STEP 5.
Share
Stories
STEP 9.
Allow Your
Story To
Evolve
STEP 6.
Continuously
Engage
STEP 7.
Listen
STEP 8.
Celebrate
successes

26. STEP 4.
Design An
Experience
STEP 2.
Develop Your
Theory Of Change
STEP 3.
Understand Your
Target Audience
STEP 1.
Define Your Vision
STEP 5.
Tell
SHARE Stories
STEP 9.
Allow Your Story
To Evolve
STEP 6.
Continuously
Engage
STEP 7.
Listen
STEP 8.
Celebrate
successes
STEP 10.
Refresh
Rinse
Repeat

27. Embrace a culture of
entrepreneurship
Release early & often!
Agile, simple, inclusive,
engaging, iterative,
collaborative, forever
learning and growing.

28. Behavior Change Canvas
Vision
The igniting end to your story: what futuredo you wish to see?
Big story
Your high-levelmap: Who is your hero, what must he/she do to realize the
vision, how willhe/she do this? (This is your Theory of Change.)
Heroine/Hero
Who must change their behavior?
Heroine/Hero persona
Draw a quick visual sketch of your hero, including his/her name.
Challenges
What keeps your hero from changing?
Influencers
Who helps your hero to change?
Motivators
What motivates your hero to change?
Experience journey
Using a behavior model, map what
experience you will create for your hero.
Sub-stories
What stories will help drive
your hero from a > b > c…?
Channels
Who will tell these stories? What
media does hero use regularly?
Resources
What do you need to make this all work?

29. “Energy to Care” Behavior Change Canvas
A national energy efficiency campaign for hospitals.
Vision
The igniting end to your story: what futuredo you wish to see?
Put $1 billion back into patient care through energy
efficiency.
Big story
Your high-levelmap: Who is your hero, what must he/she do to realize the
vision, how willhe/she do this? (This is your Theory of Change.)
Facility managers lead their teams to at least a 10% reduction
per facility, by benchmarking and taking 5 action steps.
Heroine/Hero
Who must change their behavior?
Facility managers
Heroine/Hero persona
Draw a quick visual sketch of your hero, including his/her name.
Challenges
What keeps your hero from changing?
Money, Time, Risk averse
Influencers
Who helps your hero to change?
CFOs, CEOs, ASHE chapter,
AHA, environmental services,
nurses, supply chain, patients
Motivators
What motivates your hero to change?
Recognition, patient care,jobs
Experience journey
Using a behavior model, map what
experience you will create for your hero.
Design against the challenges.
Design utilizing the motivators.
Sub-stories
What stories will help drive
your hero from a > b > c…?
Channels
Who will tell these stories? What
media does hero use regularly?
Resources
What do you need to make this all work?

30. Exercise 1. Outline your big story
Vision
The igniting end to your story: what futuredo you wish to see?
Big story
Your high-levelmap: Who is your hero, what must he/she do to realize the
vision, how willhe/she do this? (This is your Theory of Change.)

31. Exercise 2. Develop your hero
Hero/heroine
Who must change their behavior?
Hero/heroine persona
Draw a quick visual sketch of your hero, including his/her name.
What does he/she wear, think, say, do, feel, hear and say?
Challenges
What keeps your hero from changing?
Influencers
Who helps your hero to change?
Motivators
What motivates your hero to change?

32. “Energy to Care” Behavior Change Canvas
A national energy efficiency campaign for hospitals.
Vision
The igniting end to your story: what futuredo you wish to see?
Put $1 billion back into patient care through energy
efficiency.
Big story
Your high-levelmap: Who is your hero, what must he/she do to realize the
vision, how willhe/she do this? (This is your Theory of Change.)
Facility managers lead their teams to at least a 10% reduction
per facility, by benchmarking and taking 5 action steps.
Heroine/Hero
Who must change their behavior?
Facility managers
Heroine/Hero persona
Draw a quick visual sketch of your hero, including his/her name.
Challenges
What keeps your hero from changing?
Money, Time, Risk averse
Influencers
Who helps your hero to change?
CFOs, CEOs, ASHE chapter,
AHA, environmental services,
nurses, supply chain, patients
Motivators
What motivates your hero to change?
Recognition, patient care,jobs
Experience journey
Using a behavior model, map what
experience you will create for your hero.
Design against the challenges.
Design utilizing the motivators.
1. Awareness
2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
Sub-stories
What stories will help drive
your hero from a > b > c…?
Channels
Who will tell these stories? What
media does hero use regularly?
Resources
What do you need to make this all work?

33. Exercise 3. Commit to next steps
I will commit to doing the following next
steps:
I will do the first item on my list by the
following date:
I will engage the following people in this
process:
Signed and dated:

34. Planning
We help clients make
forward-looking infrastructure
investments with critical planning.
Finance
We help clients understand &
access creative ways to finance
their infrastructure investments.
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35. Changing Behavior through
Strategic Storytelling
Melinda Briana Epler @mbrianaepler | @changecatalysts