Narrative + communications

What is narrative communications?

Organizational storytelling sits at the intersection of communications and narrative.

Narrative communications is simply organizational communications that includes storytelling.

Organizational storytelling became a new norm in communications practice after digital media and Web 2.0 made it easy to publish and share stories online. Stories were once confined to marketing and advertising, but are now expected when communicating:

  • the impact of an organization’s work or a social issue, through impact storytelling

  • the mission of an organization, through a founder story

  • a vision of the future that an organization is working to create, through brand storytelling

Organizational Communications

What information do we need people to have, and how are we going to get it to them?

When to use it:

  • Best when sharing information

  • produces statements

  • more efficient

  • requires less interpretation

  • harder to remember

Work products and activities:

  • Messaging

  • Text copy , e.g. newsletter, website copy.

  • Media relations

Organizational Storytelling

Is there information we need to communicate that is more effectively communicated as a story?

When to use it:

  • Best when choosing an action

  • produces stories

  • less efficient

  • requires more interpretation

  • Easier to remember

Work products and activities:

  • Impact storytelling

  • Founder story

  • Brand storytelling

Narrative

Is our communication creating a different meaning for our audiences than we intended?

When to use it:

  • communications are not creating the expected effect on audiences

Work product:

  • Narrative analysis

  • Deep listening or close reading

FAQs

  • The explicit goal of public relations is that the public has a positive opinion of your organization.

    Narrative change is related to the public’s opinion on a social issue, not your organization specifically, which is why you’ll often see organizations form narrative change coalitions if they are all working to impact the same social issue.

    Storytelling is a communications tactic, not a strategy; a PR campaign might include storytelling as one tactic.

  • Traditional organizational communications produces statements, whereas organizational storytelling produces stories.

    Statements and stories communicate different types of information.

    The information in a statement does not change within the statement. However, the subject of a story changes, ending in a different state to the beginning of the story.

    Statements are stories are useful in different ways: statements are more efficient and can achieve greater clarity, whereas stories are more memorable and can communicate information that is not stated within the story.

  • No.

    Storytelling is commonly used by nonprofits and social change organizations, as it is very difficult to describe human impact or change without telling a story.

    However, statements are a more efficient way to communicate, therefore preferable if they can be effective.