Heron's Eye presented the interactive workshop -- "The Power of Words in Your Work: Writing Your Land Trust’s Success Story" -- at the 2012 PA Land Conservation Conference.
We explored the key elements of organizational narrative and played a fun story development game called "Land Trust Alive."
We're available to present directly to your organization on this topic.
5. Our Agenda
• Get to Know Each Other
• Find Your Story
• The Power of Story
• Break
• Land Trust Alive
• Share Your Story
• Questions
6. Organizational Narrative
“A thriving organization sees its mission
as an ever-emerging story with all the
necessary twists and turns.”
– David Fleming, "Narrative Leadership: Using the Power of Stories”
7. What is a Story?
• A narrative account of a real or imagined
event or events.
• A specific structure of narrative with a specific
style, set of characters, and sense of
completeness.
• Conveys wisdom, beliefs and values.
• Explains how things are, why they are, as well
as our role and purpose.
– National Storytelling Association
8. Find Your Story
•Origin
– Where have you been?
•Impact – Where are you now?
•Vision
– Where are you going?
9. In the beginning…
“An origin story takes you back to a
moment. An instant, when an organization
was born.”
- Joel ben Izzy, Story Consultant
12. Your impact
moves you forward…
“Whatever started you in the beginning,
that „spark‟,
has to be connected to the vision.”
- Joel ben Izzy, Story Consultant
13. Types of Story
•The BIG STORY
– Used by a broad base of your organization - staff, board, volunteers,
members, etc.
– It gets everyone using the same language.
•The deta ils
– Coveys your smaller messages.
– Focuses on a specific program that runs for a set amount of time, an ad
campaign or fundraising campaign.
14. The Power of Story
•Irresistible
•Believable
•Unforgettable
– Greg Power
President and General Manager
Weber Shandwick
15. What’s in a Game?
• Business Processes = The way we
do things.
• Games = Experiencing processes
from within,
like a customer.
16. Land Trust Alive
Based on Product Pinocchio
Gamestorming: A Playbook for
Innovators, Rulebreakers,
and Changemakers
17. Describe Your Friend
• What am I like?
• What are my values?
• What is my community?
• What makes me different?
• What is my fight?
18. Suspend Your Disbelief
Drawings by Emma Kay Shaller
Draw a picture of your friend & givethat persona name.
19. What is Your Friend Like?
Illustration from Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
•Call out adjectives • Be creative!
and phrases
that describe
your friend.
• Write your responses
around your picture. • Don’t self edit.
20. What are Your Friend’s Values?
Illustration from Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
• What would your
friend say or do
in this situation?
• What does this
say about your
friend’s values?
21. Illustration from Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
Hang Out with?
Who does Your Friend
Drawing by Joei Marie Shaller
23. What is Your Friend’s Fight?
• Motivation?
• What keeps him or her up at night?
• What does he or she do for people?
• What is he or she trying to prove?
• What obstacles are in his or her way?
25. Media Relations
• Be concise and precise
• Get to know your contacts
• Respond promptly
• Make your info easy to access
• Send thank you notes or emails
• Don’t avoid the difficult conversations