Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Chang Pamela M. Covington | RESULTS Expert on Poverty Maureen Bowling | RESULTS Expert on Poverty

1. Break through to Become an Effective Citizen Activist
Tamara Bates, RESULTS Expert on Poverty, former REAL Change Fellow
Kristy Martino, U.S. Poverty Grassroots Organizer, RESULTS
Powerful Speaking:
Telling Your Story to Create Change
Pamela M. Covington | RESULTS Expert on Poverty
Maureen Bowling | RESULTS Expert on Poverty

2. Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change
Our Experts

3. What are the elements of a great story?
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change

4. Pick a moment in time…
Challenge
Why did you feel it was a challenge?
What was so challenging about it?
Choice
Why did you make the choice you did?
Where did you get the courage – or
not? How did it feel?
Outcome
How did the outcome feel? Why?
What did it teach you?
What do you want to teach us?
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change

5. Find your “Nugget of Truth”
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change

6. Set the scene
Sensory: See, touch, hear, taste
Descriptive detail helps retain in memory
Bring people into the moment with you
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change

7. What was your experience?
How did it make you feel?
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

8. T H E D O ’ S
• The story you tell must be true.
• It must be related. Make sure you are sharing a story that directly
relates to the topic at hand.
• What are the stakes? The story should have action and
consequences. What was gained or lost in this moment? What was
the outcome? How did it impact you?
• Is it your story to tell? If the story you are telling is not your own you
must have permission to share it. If the person who experienced it is in
the room you can’t share it.
• Timing: Try to tell the story in 3-5 minutes. The power comes from the
words you are saying not how long you are talking.

9. T H E D O N ’ T S
• Don’t explain a culture or community that is not your
own.
• Don’t overcomplicate it. Keep it simple yet powerful.
• Don’t just retell it, relive it. Make your audience
understand the importance.
• Don’t forget to breathe. A pause before the plot twist or
point of your story can amplify the impact.
•

10. T I P S A N D
T R I C K S
• Make it personal. Tell them
names, places, feelings.
• Bring a photo if it relates.
• Practice makes perfect.
Share with your group,
your friends and yourself
before you go before your
audience.

11. Tools in Your Toolbox: Public Narrative
Stories Matter
• Effective way to influence policy makers, bust dangerous myths
• Stories 22x more likely to be remembered than facts alone
• Your voice can empower others to speak up, or be a voice for others
Training Tool - Public Narrative
• Translating values into action
• Connecting the head to the heart
• Link our own "calling" to a community call to action
• Overcoming apathy with hope
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change

12. Public Narrative Structure
Self
Your purpose, call to leadership
Story of awakening
Us
Connecting to your community:
What are the shared values, goals,
choices your community must make?
Now
What do you want me to do about it?
CALL TO ACTION!
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change

13. Stories are sacred
With great power, comes great
responsibility.
Do not do for others what they can do
for themselves. You can’t speak on
another person’s truth
Do your homework, know your
audience, 50/50 conversations.
“Don’t talk unless you can improve
the silence.” - Borges
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change

14. If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
Visit RESULTS.org sign up for our Action Network
Learn more about our Experts on Poverty
Storytelling Workbook-resource to draft your story!
Twitter storytelling: #ExpertsOnPoverty | #TalkPoverty
Contact:
Meredith Dodson | mdodson@results.org | 202-783-4800
Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change