Slides from my Social Change Storytelling workshop at the Design Studies Symposium at Parsons The New School for Design, March 2014 http://adht.parsons.edu/designstudies/2014/03/07/

1. Social Change
Storytelling
@leesean
!
Lee-Sean Huang - ls@foossa.com

2. 2 Introductions
Lee-Sean
@leesean
Lee Sean

3. My Story
Your Stories
Our Story
@leesean

4. Warm Up: 30 Secs
Introduce yourself with a story
What brings you here today?
@leesean

5. Why Stories?
@leesean

6. !
are the building blocks of culture {
@leesean
stories
help us make sense of the world
!
help us define our identity
!
help us connect with each other
http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201106/the-power-stories/direct-hit

7. Dr. Kirsti A. Dyer
http://www.journeyofhearts.org/kirstimd/tellstory.htm
“Storytelling is a part of life, intrinsic to
most cultures. They help people make
sense of the world--life's experiences,
dilemmas and hardships.
!
Stories can educate, inspire and build
rapport. They are a means of
communicating, recreating, and helping
preserve cultures by translating
memories into a more concrete manner
that can be handed down verbally or in
written form.
!
Telling the story can provide the
opportunity to gain a deeper
understanding of one's experiences
and oneself. “

8. Clay Shirky
“Stories organize our sense of reality.
!
Stories are how we process facts.
!
Stories are like food we consume that
helps us turn into who we are.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyeihMTB2mE"feature=share"t=19m35s

9. Narrative Strategy
@leesean

10. 10 The Path of Social Change
@leesean
B
A

11. 11 The Path of Social Change: Stories Connect the Dots
Current
State Desired
@leesean
B
State
A

12. 12 Elements of (Narrative) Strategy
@leesean
* Purpose
* Plan
* Sequence of Actions
* Measurable Goal

13. 13 Elements of (Narrative) Strategy
@leesean
Narrative
* Purpose
* Plan
* Sequence of Actions
* Measurable Goal

14. 14
@leesean

15. 15
@leesean

16. 16
* Purpose
* Plan
* Sequence of Actions
* Measurable Goal
* Narrative
@leesean

17. 17
@leesean

18. 18 Developing a Narrative Strategy
@leesean
1. Current State: Where are you now?
2. Desired State: Where do you want to be?
3. Document and Share. Visualize.
4. Prioritize.
5. Simplify.
6. Test. Recalibrate. Repeat.

19. Narrative Structure
@leesean

20. Framework for Social Change Storytelling
Narrative
!
Stories about the problem and how we work together for change
20
Identity
!
Who am I?
Who are we?
Protocols
!
What do we believe in?
How will we do it?
Artifacts
!
What objects and
experiences invite
participation?

21. Framework for Social Change Storytelling
Narrative
!
Stories about the problem and how we work together for change
21
Identity
!
Who am I?
Who are we?
Protocols
!
What do we believe in?
How will we do it?
Artifacts
!
What objects and
experiences invite
participation?

22. Identity: Personify
22

23. Identity: Us and Them
23

24. Identity: Spirit Animals
24
Discover Advise Build

25. 25

26. movement entrepreneur are:
26
Hybrid Identity: Movement Entrepreneur
community organizers
transmedia storytellers
brand/business strategists
user experience designers
product managers
hackers and innovators
generalists
21st century renaissance (wo)men
ambitious
mission driven
interdisciplinary collaborators
strategic systems thinkers
principled pragmatists
resourceful risk-takers
results oriented
rogues and rabble rousers
Geek
analytical
Organizer
inspirational
Rockstar
creative
Rogue
disruptive

27. Movement Entrepreneurs are:
27
community organizers
transmedia storytellers
brand/business strategists
user experience designers
product managers
hackers and innovators
generalists
21st century renaissance (wo)men
ambitious
mission driven
interdisciplinary collaborators
strategic systems thinkers
principled pragmatists
resourceful risk-takers
results oriented
rogues and rabble rousers

28. 28
Movement
a community of action united by a
common commitment to driving
change and creating shared value
What?

29. Who?
29
Entrepreneur
“one who organizes and operates
a venture, while taking on the
associated risks and rewards of
such a venture”

30. On Entrepreneurship
30
“An entrepreneur always searches
for change, responds to it, and
exploits it as an opportunity.”
Peter Drucker

31. 3 Kinds of Entrepreneurship
31
Political Social
organize supporters and
pressure decision-makers
21st Century
Movement
tech savvy
trans-disciplinary
adaptive
Cultural
create new tools
and technologies
motivate changes in
behavior and identity

32. Political
32
organize supporters and
pressure decision-makers

33. Social
33
create new tools
and technologies

34. Cultural
34
motivate changes in
behavior and identity

35. 3 Kinds of Entrepreneurship
35
Political Social
organize supporters
21st Century
Movement
trans-disciplinary
tech savvy
adaptive
Cultural
and pressure
decision-makers
create new tools
and technologies
motivate changes in
behavior and identity

36. Engage multiple aspects of our identities...
36
Political Social
as citizens
we can agitate,
organize, & vote
as cultural agents Cultural
we tell stories, create
and curate change-making
content
as corporate
stakeholders
we innovate, engage in
collective bargaining,
shareholder activism,
& intrapreneurship
as consumers
our buying behavior
shapes the nature of
the economy
Identity

37. ...to make change on multiple levels
37
CHANGE
MODELS
Political Social
as citizens
we can agitate,
organize, & vote
as cultural agents Cultural
we tell stories, create
and curate change-making
content
as corporate
stakeholders
we innovate, engage in
collective bargaining,
shareholder activism,
& intrapreneurship
as consumers
our buying behavior
shapes the nature of
the economy
Identity
CHANGE
RULES CHANGE
BEHAVIOR
CHANGE
PERCEPTION

38. Tools and Tactics
38
CHANGE RULES
legislation
campaigning
regulation
petition to government
ballot initiative
target individual politicians
participate in political party
CHANGE PERCEPTION
protest march
news feature
talk radio
documentary film
music/art
research report
viral video
hashtag
social media meme
CHANGE BEHAVIOR
consumer activism
collective bargaining
boycott/buycott
information campaign
public education
nudges/incentives
CHANGE MODELS
new products/platforms
new financing schemes
corporate social responsibility
social enterprise

39. Framework for Social Change Storytelling
Narrative
!
Stories about the problem and how we work together for change
39
Identity
!
Who am I?
Who are we?
Protocols
!
What do we believe in?
How will we do it?
Artifacts
!
What objects and
experiences invite
participation?

40. Protocols
40

41. Sugru Manifesto: Protocol + Artifact + Interface
41
https://sugru.com/

42. Framework for Social Change Storytelling
Narrative
!
Stories about the problem and how we work together for change
42
Identity
!
Who am I?
Who are we?
Protocols
!
What do we believe in?
How will we do it?
Artifacts
!
What objects and
experiences invite
participation?

43. Artifacts: Objects, Gestures, Interfaces, etc.
43

44. The Blue Lace Project
44
https://sugru.com/

45. The Blue Lace Project
45
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/
jakehimself/the-bluelace-project-a-revolution-
built-one-foot-a
!
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/nov/19/
news/la-ar-blue-lace-project-20131119

46. Hashtag Activism
46
Feminist Hashtags!
!
http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/12/can-feminist-hashtags-
dismantle-the-state.html!
!
http://www.hashtagfeminism.com/!
!
#GivingTuesday!
!
http://givingtuesday.org/case-studies.html!
!
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?
bay=content.view&cpid=1651#.UtgOr2SwJg0!
!
http://www.bethkanter.org/givingtuesday-dec3/!

47. Examples: Putting it all together
Narrative
!
Stories about the problem and how we work together for change
47
Identity
!
Who am I?
Who are we?
Protocols
!
What do we believe in?
How will we do it?
Artifacts
!
What objects and
experiences invite
participation?

48. Example 1
LIVESTRONG
@leesean

49. Cultural
49

50. 50

51. Example 2
All Out
@leesean

53. Stories: From “Coming Out” to All Out
53

54. Table of Contents

55. Table of Contents

56. Nigeria

57. Sweden

58. Russia

60. Brazil

61. Example 3
Meu Rio
@leesean

62. 62
@leesean
Meu Rio is redesigning the user interface
for civic participation in Rio de Janeiro.
!
We are a non-partisan democratic
youth movement. We create online
tools to connect citizens and ensure
that they have a voice in the decisions
that are transforming the city.

63. 63
@leesean

64. 64
@leesean

66. 66
@leesean

67. 67
@leesean
Our Values
We believe that increased participation by youth
and members of the emerging middle class in the
political process will help bring about greater
accountability and transparency.
!
We are non-partisan and independent. We don’t
accept money from government or political parties.
!
We believe that the internet can serve as a school
for a more robust democracy.
!
We are committed to open source sharing.
We value remix and reuse.

68. 68
@leesean
Evaluating Campaign Themes
▢ RIPE ! SALIENT
Is the issue in the news/being talked about? Is it something that has strong public support and a
groundswell of concern among our target audience?
!
▢ ACTIONABLE
Can Meu Rio or its members “do” something about the issue? Is there a concrete and plausible
political, social, or cultural action that can be taken to affect change?
!
▢ POLITICAL/CULTURAL IMPACT
Meu Rio’s goal is to build a more participatory and open political culture in Rio. While not every
campaign needs to directly influence the political process, each campaign should have some short,
medium, or long term political objective or impact on behavioral/cultural change among the citizens
of Rio.
!
▢ COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
Is this an issue or campaign where Meu Rio can take a leadership role while working with other partner
organizations working in the same space? Does Meu Rio have a comparative advantage because of
our member base, brand equity, and/or innovative use of technology?
!
▢ EARNED MEDIA/LIST GROWTH
Will running the campaign generate free earned media and/or promote Meu Rio membership growth?

69. 69
@leesean
Evaluating Tools ! Tactics
▢ CONNECTIVE
Does it relate to existing user behaviors and social dynamics? Does it bring the community tighter together or
connect people closer with their decision makers?
!
▢ PARTICIPATORY
Is it open-ended enough to invite participation but guided and usable enough to actually use?
!
▢ USER SERVICE
Does it have a clear theory of change? Does the experience inspire, delight, or motivate users?
!
▢ SCALABLE
Does it “work” (both technologically and compelling for users) for 5 users as well as it does for 5 million)?
!
▢ REUSABLE
Can it be reused/repurposed by Meu Rio for future campaigns and not just a one-off novelty?
!
▢ HACKABLE
Is it open source/open API? Can it be reappropriated by users/hackers in new, exciting, unexpected ways or used by
other cities/movements?
!
▢ AWESOME/INTANGIBLES
Is it “magical”? Compelling in an intuitive/emotional way? Does it have that certain “je ne sais quoi”?

70. Example 4
The Rules
@leesean

71. Peak Oil
71

72. Peak Pity
72
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsxVy7vyyk0

73. Changing the story around poverty and inequality
73

74. 74

75. Advanced
Techniques
@leesean

76. Framework for Social Change Storytelling
Narrative
!
Stories about the problem and how we work together for change
76
Identity
!
Who am I?
Who are we?
Protocols
!
What do we believe in?
How will we do it?
Artifacts
!
What objects and
experiences invite
participation?

77. Distill the Message
Loglines & Movement Stories
@leesean

78. Charlie Brown is finally invited to a
Halloween party; Snoopy engages the Red
Baron in a dogfight; and Linus waits patiently
in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin.

79. Charlie Brown is finally invited to a
Halloween party; Snoopy engages the
Red Baron in a dogfight; and Linus waits
patiently in the pumpkin patch for the
Great Pumpkin.
!
—Logline for It's the Great Pumpkin,
Charlie Brown
!
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

80. A 17th Century tale of adventure on the high
seas where a roguish yet charming captain
joins forces with a young blacksmith in a
gallant attempt to rescue the Governor of
England's daughter and reclaim his ship.

81. Pirates of the Caribbean

82. A young man and woman from different
social classes fall in love, must outwit her
abusive fiancé, and find a way to survive
aboard an ill-fated voyage at sea.

83. Titanc

84. Narrative: Movement Loglines
84
Tea Party
Freedom is under assault
in our country. We will
band together to restore
freedom in America.
Slow Food
Started as a protest
against McDonald’s in
Rome, we are now a
worldwide movement
advocating for good,
clean, fair food.
Occupy
From NYC and around the
world, we are fighting back
against the corrosive power
of major banks and
multinational corporations
over the democratic process.

85. Exercise: 6 Word Stories
“For Sale. Baby Shoes, Never Worn”
https://twitter.com/sixwordstories
@leesean

86. Craft “Moments”
@leesean

87. Nesby Phips
“Author of Moments”
www.nesbyphips.com/

96. Story Shapes
@leesean

98. 1
strong
start
2
emotional
climax 3
desired
outcome

99. Ira Glass
2 Basic Building Blocks of a Story
!
(1) The anecdote
(2) The moment of reflection
!
In a good story you need both -- you can
flip back and forth between the two. The
Anecdote and the Moment of Reflection
are interwoven to make a story.
!
!
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/03/ira_glasstips_o.html

100. Ira Glass
(1) The anecdote, a sequence of actions, a
story in its purest form, one thing following
from another (rather than just disjointed
"facts").
!
"The Power of the anecdote is so great...No
matter how boring the material is, if it is in
story form...there is suspense in it, it feels
like something's going to happen. The
reason why is because literally it's a
sequence of events...you can feel through
its form [that it's] inherently like being on a
train that has a destination...and that
you're going to find something..."
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/03/ira_glasstips_o.html

101. Ira Glass
(1a) Raise questions.
!
Provide the "bait" (the hook) The anecdote
should raise a question right from the
beginning. Implied in any question that you
raise, however, is that you are going to
answer it.
!
Constantly raise questions and answer
them. The shape of the story is that you
are throwing out questions and answering
them along the way.
!
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/03/ira_glasstips_o.html

102. Ira Glass
(2) The moment of reflection.
!
What is the key point? What does this all
mean? Why have I asked you to sit and
listen for 30 min, etc. It is not just a series
of facts/events.
!
Many people get the first part, they tell an
interesting sequence of events, but in the
end it fails because it doesn't say anything
new, it did not have meaning. And
sometimes people have the reflection part
and the question is clear in their mind, but
they fail to put it in a sequence that
compels people to follow and engage.
!
!
h t t p : // w w w .p re s e n ta t io n z e n .c o m/presentationzen/2007/03/ira_glasstips_o.html

103. Exercise
Share an Anecdote
@leesean

104. Tropes and Themes
@leesean

105. The Power of the
1st Person Perspective
@leesean

106. Exercise
Tell a 30-60 sec story
Persuade us about an issue
@leesean

107. Marshal Ganz
Handout: Telling Your Public Story Worksheet
Telling Your Public Story
!
A good story public story is drawn
from the series of choice points that
have structured the “plot” of your life
– the challenges you faced, choices
you made, and outcomes you
experienced.
!

108. Marshal Ganz
Telling Your Public Story
!
Challenge: Why did you feel it was a
challenge? What was so challenging
about it? Why was it your challenge?
!
Choice: Why did you make the choice
you did? Where did you get the
courage – or not? Where did you get
the hope – or not? How did it feel?
!
Outcome: How did the outcome feel?
Why did it feel that way? What did it
teach you? What do you want to
teach us? How do you want us to
feel? we process facts.
!

109. Marshal Ganz
Elements of a Public Story
!
A story of self: why you were called
to what you have been called to.
!
A story of us: what your
constituency, community,
organization has been called to its
shared purposes, goals, vision.
!
A story of now: the challenge this
community now faces, the choices it
must make, and the hope to which
“we” can aspire.
!

110. 110
We are the 99%
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

111. 111
We are the 15%
http://wearethe15percent.com/post/52232149870/in-may-cheerios-posted-this-new-commercial-on

112. 112
http://emuscampaign.org/

113. 113
http://gayforsochi.com/

114. 114

115. It Gets Better
115
http://www.bluestatedigital.com/our-work/case-study/it-gets-better!
!
http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/PRJournal/Documents/20132Ward.pdf!
!
http://www.dragonflyeffect.com/blog/why-it-gets-better-is-the-viral-video-campaign-of-the-decade/!
!
http://www.adlibbing.org/2011/03/08/it-gets-better-a-youtube-success-story/#.Utb2f2RDt4A!
!
https://tavaana.org/en/node/2091!

116. Empathy: from someone
else’s perspective
@leesean

117. In her shoes
117

118. In her shoes
118
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQ-IoHfimQ

119. Remix
Re-appropriation
@leesean

120. Six Packs Against Super PACs
120
http://www.pinterest.com/leesean/six-packs-against-super-pacs/!
!
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/influencealley/2012/08/how-to-use-
ryan-gosling-s-abs-against-super-pacs-15!

121. Don’t Say Gay, Say Takei
121
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRkIWB3HIEs!
!
http://www.salon.com/2011/05/19/george_takei_gay_bill/!

122. Jump
122
http://leesean.net/jump-retweeted-by-clay-shirky/

123. Pride Propaganda
123

124. We are the World:
The Universal Story
@leesean

125. 125

126. 126
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBd-UCwVAY

127. 127
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AeqOFo7MRw

128. Evolution
Stories Shift Over Time
@leesean

129. Evolution: Chicken or Egg?
129

130. Blackfish
130

131. Blackfish
131

132. Blackfish
132

133. THANK YOU!
Do Good. Design Delight. ls@foossa.com