How to tell a story that sparks a movement.
Storytelling is central to every successful movement in time. A good story connects hearts, drives empathy and inspires action.
We asked four entrepreneurs from the TOMS Social Entrepreneurship Fund how they are building movements around their business models.
These companies, though wildly different in industry and nature, all agree: to spark a movement you must return to the human story.
Their advice is not industry-specific or product-focused. Rather, it is a beautiful storytelling lesson for movement-builders or changemakers around the world.
Rubicon Global is the “uber for trash,” disrupting the waste and recycling industries and finding opportunity in the most unexpected of places.
ConBody is a prison style bootcamp that hires ex-convicts as trainers, working to break down stereotypes and reduce recidivism rates, while getting their community in shape.
Artlifting is making invisible talent visible through an online marketplace for homeless and disabled artists.
Change.org is the world’s platform for change, empowering all citizens to tell their own story and create real change in the world.
- Simplify the story.
- Make it human.
- Outline a theory of change.
- Spark a sense of urgency.
Simplify the story.
To nail your story, you have to simplify what is really going on and relate it back to the individual. People understand complexity. They’re ready for it. Anyone who turns on the TV these days understands that the world is complicated.
Storytelling is a universal way to understand complexity. It’s about finding the grain of insight that matters to people. The individual story that connects hearts and minds and reminds people of their role in the sprawling narrative of mankind.
Rubicon is disrupting the waste and recycling industry and has the potential to drive massive change in the world. But when Michael Allegretto, Director of Public Policy at Rubicon Global, spoke about his work, he did not dive deep into the latest recycling innovation or policy issue. He simplified the issue. And showed everyone how this issue — which is so rarely talked about by those outside the industry — affected their individual lives.
“Does anyone in the room want to see more landfills on this planet? No, the answer is no. But let’s think about landfills,” Michael said, “You’ve probably never thought of landfills in any real way. Who lives near them? Who are the communities impacted by them? How are those communities impacted? What does it mean for our health?”
Make it human.
The human story is universal. In a world divided by difference, it’s easy to lose sight of what connects us. But by humanizing the heroes of your story, you give your audience a way to understand and relate to them. And, as a result, to understand their own role in the story.
These moments of human connection transcend political and geographical borders, and break through societal stereotypes. It is characteristics like strength, perseverance, heartbreak and hope that will strike a chord in someone’s heart and make them realize that your story is more their own than they could have ever possibly imagined.
ArtLifting, a marketplace for homeless and disabled artists, shares the stories of individual artists. They share these stories not to highlight the challenges that set these artists apart from others, but to make invisible talent visible. “We share these individual stories,” founder Liz Powers said, “So the consumer can connect with them, and also share them. So that they can join the movement of celebrating strength.”
Similarly, for ConBody, humanizing the story is central to their mission. A prison-style workout employing ex-cons as trainers, Conbody is working to break stereotypes of the formerly incarcerated. Most of their customers who have never met an ex-con and are nervous or wary their first time in the studio.
“We break it down for them,” founder Coss Marte explains, “We say, who here hasn’t made a mistake before. Everybody has committed a mistake in their lifetime. And what if you were known for the worst thing you’ve ever done? Or what if you just helped someone change that stereotype?”
Outline a theory of change.
To translate empathy into impact, you must outline a theory of change. The story of an individual human life will ignite empathy and compassion. To transform this into action, you must show how this individual life fits into a collective narrative. Show your audience that they have a role in this story and that there is still an ending for all of us to write together.
Help them understand that their individual actions ladder up to real change. If enough people individually alter their behavior, or take action on a local level, then together we can change the world.
Michael Jones from Change.org recalled one particular campaign that was wildly successful, because it outlined a plausible way to acheive what at first seemed like a very lofty goal. The petition was to get the Boy Scouts of America to end their ban on gay scouts and gay leaders.
“They presented local actions, and said, here is how you can make a difference; here is how you are fitting into the broader ecosystem of folks working on this issue. Meeting people in their communities and giving them ways to create local pressure that ties to the statewide pressure that ties to the national pressure. People started to realize, Oh my gosh, if I just did this I really could make a difference,” Michael said, “Once people believe that, there is really no telling what they can come up with; what kind of change they will want to see.”
Spark a sense of urgency.
Finally, to build a movement from this story, you must spark a sense of urgency. This sense of urgency often happens naturally, as a movement taps into a cultural zeitgeist or timely issue. But many of the world’s most complex challenges are so wide and so daunting, that the individual loses sight of their personal role in creating change. And truthfully, we don’t have time for that.
Tell stories that spark a fire in someone’s heart. Stories that help them understand their individual role in creating a better tomorrow.
