Gathering at Northeastern University in Boston on Friday, people from
cities across the nation began with a workshops at Northeastern
University. (Program) Marguerite
Chandler, reported on the session
Storytelling & Memes based on the work of Christine Cordero, Center for
Story Based Strategy. Twitter and
other public media require a very brief yet compelling meme or story. When done well, the meme goes viral and is widely
re-tweeted reaching an expanding network of people. The workshop revealed how
to craft such viral tweets. You can get the flavor of the workshop from Marguerite's
outline:
What makes a story? conflict, characters, imagery, foreshadowing, underlying assumptions (of the listeners)
Narrative power analysis
1. filters - not what people DON'T know, but what they DO know (challenging underlying assumptions - e.g., "greed economy" becomes a meme for the extractive, non-sustainable, lack of stewardship of our current economy)
2. analyzing the DOMINANT STORIES that affect our understanding of the issue
3. We have to re-frame and change the stories
Winning the battle of the story
- frame the conflict
- amplify the voice of impacted individuals
- show, not tell (facts + images tell a fuller tale)
- engage people and their values
- foreshadowing (create a clear, compelling vision of alternatives: e.g., people and planet first, sustainable use and stewardship of resources, protection and valuing of cultural capital, strengthening local economies, reclaiming democracy and control of wealth, investment in renewable forms of energy)
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