Chapter 2
Telling our stories
Why did you decide to campaign on this issue? What challenges have you faced that led you to this campaign? What inspired, upset, enraged or excited you?
Telling your own story about why you care and why you are so determined to achieve your vision for a better world is a powerful way to inspire others to join your campaign.
Each of us has a compelling story to tell that can connect us to others and help move them to take action with us.
We tell stories to one another every day. It’s how we communicate and make sense of the world. So don’t be put off if you think you don’t know how to tell your story – you do!
Following this structure, you can try creating your own story:
- Challenge: What challenges have you faced that led you to become concerned about the issues you now want to work on? What made it challenging? Why was it your challenge?
- Choice: What choices did you make when you faced that challenge? Why did you make a particular choice? Did it take courage? Did it give you hope? How did you feel when you made that choice?
- Outcome: What happened when you made your choice? What did this teach you? What can it teach your listeners? What might your story lead others to think and feel?
We all have so many stories we can tell. But don’t pick one randomly. Tell the story that speaks to your issue and shows others why you care – and why they should care too.
When telling your story it is important to think about who you are speaking to. After all, you are telling this story to inspire others to come on board with your campaign. Ask yourself:
- What do I want my listener to think after hearing my story?
- How do I want my listener to feel? Sad? Motivated? Angry? Joyful? Determined?
If you don’t have a personal success story to tell yet, don’t worry. Think about another campaigner who you admire and tell their story to inspire others to join you. You can find some of those stories on our blog.