Narrative Framing as Advocacy
Forward
Often thought of as a communications practice, narrative framing is an essential policy advocacy strategy. How a community and its policymakers fundamentally perceive a policy or issue can dramatically impact legislative success, and subtle shifts in framing can build support and diminish objections enough to get a win at the statehouse.
This reality led the Alliance for Early Success–a national nonprofit that supports the work of early childhood policy advocates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia–to convene a group of both policy and communications professionals from state policy advocacy organizations where participants could explore developing effective framing for a key issue in their portfolios. While these organizations receive core operating funding from the Alliance, it is opportunities like these that advocates say can make the difference between a win and a loss. Trading strategies with other states. Getting one-on-one access to national experts. Building trusted connections.
The Alliance reached out to Josh Gryniewicz to lead the Narrative Framing group, and he led them through the curriculum and tools in this guide.
At the end of the project, state advocates shared with us that learning to see policy work through the lens of narrative framing was new and impactful. And that the futurism component of the narrative framing work especially unleashed new ways of not only communicating but also thinking and aspiring.
We’re excited that Josh has shared the content so thoroughly in this guide, because we know it can help more policy advocates frame–and win–the state policies that ensure all young children and their families have a fair chance to flourish and reach their full potential.
Introduction
In today’s world, story is everywhere. We scroll stories on socials, consume them as information on the evening news before cuing up our favorite serialized stories on streaming. Stories are on our favorite podcasts, on the radio, in magazines and books, even plastered over light posts on flyers in our community. We are inundated, saturated, bombarded, and overwhelmed by story nonstop.
Stories transmit messages about how we understand society, culture, and the world around us, for better or worse, whether we are aware of them or not.
In this guide, we aim to introduce you to ways that you can use stories strategically to make your
message stand out and drive the change you want to make in the world.
There is a science behind storytelling. People connect with people, fictional or otherwise. They appreciate a plot, journey, or arc that lets them step into someone else’s shoes. Authentic stories about human experiences stand out, convey data, illustrate change, and show ways forward.
Good storytelling can shape our communities, inspire legislature, start movements or give them momentum, and create change for future generations.
As you and your organization look to use stories to advance your agenda and advocate your cause, we will introduce you to new ways of curating, cultivating, shaping, and sharing stories for impact. In the pages ahead, we will share the relationship between story and narrative, the differences between them, and how understanding narrative provides the material to craft the stories needed for change-making. We will introduce you to narrative framing techniques that help give your platform a strong foundation and effective reach.
Using narrative framing as an advocacy strategy can help determine what types of communication are needed, what information should be highlighted, and how to structure your narrative to reach the people with the most influence for the greatest impact.
An average story shared in one format with audiences might have some influence, but to truly resonate with audiences to help them to shift perspectives, change practices, or join your cause, a strategic story must focus on an overarching narrative using language that appeals to the values and motivations of an audience.
We will share how to identify the right message for the right audience, moving them toward action and making a difference in people’s lives.
