Learn how to create stories of progress and renewal, impact and change. The process of creating stories is as important as the process of presenting that story. Creating a story is an ethical process. It comes from a nonprofit’s heart, mind and passion --- from the body. There are also steps that a nonprofit can take to refine their story. Join Greenpeace’s storytelling expert, Tsering Lama as she guides us through Greenpeace’s 10 Steps Process for Developing a Narrative.

1. Authentic Storytelling with Greenpeace:
A 10 Step Process
With Tsering Lama, Greenpeace
September 14, 2017

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The Need Is Global – And So Are We
TechSoup’s mission is to build a dynamic bridge that enables civil society organizations and social
change agents around the world to gain effective access to the resources they need to design and
implement solutions for a more equitable planet.
Countries Served TechSoup Partner Location NetSquared Local Group
Where are you on the map?

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Presenters
Tsering Lama
Storytelling Advisor at
Greenpeace International
Host: Susan Hope Bard, Training and Education Manager
Assisting with chat: Molly Bacon, TechSoup
Lewis Haidt
Senior Manager, Social
Media and Online Community

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6. Ground-Up
Storytelling
A 10-Step Process
Tsering Lama, Story Team

7. POLL QUESTION: What do we mean by “storytelling”?
A)It’s about presentation
A)It’s about connecting with values
A)It’s marketing/branding
A)No idea!

8. What do we mean by “storytelling”?
(a) Higher order: the foundational
ideas/elements of our story
a. Meta or master-narratives
b. Narratives & Counter-Narratives
c. Vision
d. Values
e. Identity
f. Frames & Metaphors
(b) The craft of storytelling: the
decisions we make about presentation
a. Messengers
b. Conflict
c. Characters
d. Medium
e. Structure/Plot
f. Language
g. Visuals
etc...

9. Storytelling is not window-dressing
We often think of storytelling as just the presentation (b). As the “last step.” Changing the language here
and there.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Our storytelling has to be grounded in something deeper.
Effective language or visuals begin with ideas -- reflecting our moral perspective, identity, values, vision,
and ways of working etc.

10. We cannot talk about storytelling
without thinking about power.

11. Storytelling = World-Building.
To become a storyteller is to
recognize, break apart, and critically
reshape the stories of our world.

12. How we come to our stories is an ethical
matter.
The process is as important as the outcome.

13. Ask: Who is at the table? Who isn’t?
Is the story going to be incomplete?
The process must be open, equitable,
and true to ourselves.

14. Gather a diverse and representative collection
of people in the room.
● Impacted Community Members, Supporters,
Volunteers, Alums, External Guests
Stories are not the domain of specific people.
Stories are everyone’s domain.

15. ● The Problem: narratives we want to dismantle.
● The Solution: narratives we want to champion.
● The Vision: what the world will look like if we win.
● The Values/Frames: what is this project really about?
● The Delivery: how do we want to tell our stories.
● The Audience: who are we trying to reach.
● The Messenger: who is the right messenger to reach
our audience?
The Brief

16. • Story landscape analysis
• Our Identity
• Our Vision
• Positive trends
• Protagonists
• Antagonists
• Frames & defining the conflict(s)
• Central Questions
• Our Persona(s)
• Create the Story Arc
Our Process
To begin to co-articulate
the key elements of the narrative:

17. I. The Story Landscape:
Exercise to examine existing narratives.
Find stories from:
● Opponents
● Allies
● Other “neutral” powerful players
● Target audience
● Ourselves

18. Content
What they say
● How do they present the
problem?
● Is a solution possible? If so,
what is the solution?
● What point of entry do they
give to the audience?
Delivery
How they tell their story
● Messengers
● Target audience
● Language
● Imagery
● Symbolism
● Values
● Emotional force

19. II. Old & New Stories:
● Pull out the “old” or existing dominant narratives
from your analysis.
● Now collectively define the “new” or counter
narratives for each old story.

20. OLD STORIES VS NEW STORIES
• Cities are socially fragmented
• Experts and politicians know how to solve
this. We just wait
• Disaster is unavoidable. The planet is dying.
• Only technology can save us
• Nature is a commodity
• The solutions will fit in the system
• Cities = data
● Cities are a community. Cities are the epicentre of
systemic change. Empathy is the way forward.
● The people have the knowledge and power to change
their cities
● Change is possible. There are possible solutions if we
work together
● People can save people and the planet
● We are part of nature
● Cities = people. We are more than data

21. II. Our Identity:
● Look at the delivery of the other stories in the landscape.
● Now collectively define how your organization’s way of
working is different.

22. ● Positive but confrontational
● Grassroots
● Humble and listening to the people (bottom up solutions)
● Active change makers, not a think tank
● Brave, willing to fail and learn
● Creative but practical and realistic
● Understanding the human scale, emotions and stories.
We are...

23. What does “winning” look like for your organization? Do you have
a clear vision?
a) Yes, our organizational vision is concrete and inspiring.
b) Kind of, but it’s vague or underdeveloped.
c) No, our organizational vision is secondary to our day to day
work/problem-solving
d) Not sure!
POLL QUESTION: The Vision

24. We often skip this…
We think about problems we want to solve.
We think facts are enough to convince people.
III. Our Vision:

25. Visioning exercise: a day in the life after we “win”...
● What do we see?
● What do we hear?
● What do we smell?
● Who do we now know?
● Identify an individual/group/infrastructure impacted.
● How does it feel?
III. Our Vision:

26. What’s going right in _______?
What are the positive trends pushing us towards our vision?
IV. Positive Trends:

27. Who are the key actors pushing these positive trends?
What are their motivations/values?
● Mothers and fathers
● NGOs, movements and collectives
● Youth (students and young urbanists)
● Neighborhoods
V. Protagonists/Audiences*

28. Who are the opposing actors?
What are their motivations/values?
● Corrupt or captured politicians and their allies
● Urban development corporations
VI. Antagonists

29. ● Frames are ways of looking at an issue, like a lens.
● Framing helps someone understand and interpret what ‘the conflict’ is about--
what is going on, what they should/can do about it, who’s involved, what
solutions are possible
● Frames already exist in our collective psyches, and have been promoted or not
by certain actors. They can often be triggered by a single word and they trigger
values.
VII. Frames
X is really an issue of...

30. Frames of The Dakota Pipeline:
- An environmental issue
- A human rights issue
- An illegal act
- A religious issue
- An act of colonial aggression
- “Defend the sacred”
- “Water protectors”
- “We are water”
- “Honor treaty rights”
- “Protect public health”
- “Water is life”
- “Stand with Standing Rock”

31. Climate Change as:
- An environmental
issue
- A security threat
- Violence
- An economic issue
- A moral issue
- A gendered issue
- A racial issue
- A technological issue
- An issue of economic
inequality

32. To work, frames must:
● Connect with the values of the audience(s) & the storyteller
● Make sense in terms of existing frames
● Work emotionally (must have emotional power)
● Be introduced in a communication system (spread over the target
population, repeated over time, and have the right messengers).
VII. Frames: X is really an issue of...

33. Stories can be complex, but the conflict at their heart should be simple.
A classic frame is a “Unity of Opposites”
● loneliness vs. human connection
● sick vs. healthy
● gray vs.colourful
● segregated vs. inclusive
● individualism vs. people power
VII Part Two: Define Your Conflict

34. Stories are about what
comes next.

35. Every story has a question: What is a central question in your
story?
What are some central questions in global dramas that are
unfolding right now?
i.e. Syria, climate change, Trump?
VIII. The Central Question:

36. The “voice” of the story. It is who we “hear.”
Every story has a speaker, even when it’s hidden.
The question is...who is the right speaker or persona for your
story?
Your persona should be consciously created based on your
identity.
IX. Your Organization’s Persona(s)

37. Pull out your cell phones/laptops:
● What is the most common persona that your organization uses?
● Why do you think we use it?
● What are its uses and limitations?
IX. Your Organization’s Persona(s)

38. Now we sound...
● Young, well-educated, liberal
● Demanding, condescending
● Expert, rational, judgmental
● Negative, problem-focused
● Concerned, worried, threatened
IX. Your Organization’s Persona(s)
We’d like to sound...
● Curious
● Humble
● Enabling, supportive. emotional
● Optimistic, ‘We’re one of you’
● Humourous

39. Our current persona is useful for:
● Dealing with politicians, corporations,
media, academics
● Inspiring activists
IX. Uses and limitations
The persona we want could be useful for:
● Working with allies
● Working with young people
● Inspiring new people
● Inviting learning

40. X. Create the Story Arc
Plot out your story now as 3-act structure:
1. Set Up
2. Plot Points → Confrontation
3. Resolution

41. X. Create the Story Arc
The Set Up:
● Write down the sequence of events from the past that led to
this moment of conflict.
● The key events that brought us to the present.

42. X. Create the Story Arc
The Plot Points: Write down the concrete events that you think will
mark your campaign.
1) Plot point I: what is the entry point for your audience?
2) Plot point II: again, what is the entry point for your audience?
Confrontation: Write down what you think will be the climax of your
story.

43. X. Create the Story Arc
Resolution: You don’t have one yet!*
But what is the dream ending? What is the vision
you’re selling?

44. Final Steps
Identify the “must-haves” of the narrative:
What are the negotiables and non-negotiables of
each narrative element?

45. Next Steps:
● Run this session
locally.
● Workshop your story.
● Research your
audience(s).
● Identify best messengers.
● Consider different
mediums of storytelling.
● Get feedback.
● Test! And return to your
story regularly.

46. Resources
The Stories We Live By: http://storiesweliveby.org.uk/
George Lakoff, Don’t Think of an Elephant: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Think-Elephant-
Debate-Progressives/dp/1931498717
The Art and Science of Framing an Issue:
https://www.lgbtmap.org/file/art-and-science-of-framing-an-issue.pdf
Narrative Stress Test:
http://centerformediajustice.org/resources/narrative-stress-test/
Narrative Initiative Report:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/588917781e5b6c5189c11818/t/594120b1cd0f68519
2dbb10f/1497440450094/TowardNewGravity-June2017.pdf
Temporary home of Greenpeace Story Team www.moon.greenpeace.org

47. Thank You!
Reach me via Twitter: @lippointer

48. Questions

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Storymakers 2017

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