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• Stories communicate our values through the language of the heart, our emotions.
• Stories foster relationships. They engage others and create an empathetic link between the
storyteller and the listener.
• Our feelings, our hopes, our cares, our obligations – not simply what we know – ultimately inspire
us to act with courage. Since our stories relate our values through lived experience and not abstract
debate or argument, they have the power to move others.
• We can share the wisdom of our life experiences by telling our personal stories about the
challenges of living in a denomination where LGBT persons are excluded, the choices we have
made in response, and what we have learned from the outcomes. Such sharing will hopefully
inspire others to join in our local work for full inclusion of ALL people in our church.
Page 1
How Public Narrative Works
The key to motivation is understanding that values inspire action through emotion.
Emotions inform us of what we value in ourselves, in others, and in the world, and enable us to express
the motivational content of our values to others. In other words, because we experience values
emotionally, they are what actually move us to act, not only the idea that we ought to act. Because
stories allow us to express our values not as abstract principles, but as lived experience, they have the
power to move others.
Page 2
Through narrative we can articulate our values by communicating their emotional as well as
conceptual content through a simple plot:
Challenge
Choice
Outcome
Public narrative combines a story of self, a story of us, and a story of now.
A “story of self” tells why we have been called to serve. The key focus is on choice points, moments in
our lives when our values are formed when we have to choose in the face of great uncertainty, When did
you first care about being heard, about concern with others, about abuses of power, about poverty, about
the natural world? Why? When did you feel you had to do something about it? Why did you feel you
could? What were the circumstances?
A “story of us” communicates why our community, organization, movement, campaign has been called
to its mission. Just as with a person, the key is choice points in the life of the community and/or those
moments that express the values underlying the work your organization does.
A “story of now” communicates the urgent challenge we are called upon to face now, the hope we can
face if successful, and the choices we must make to act now (our strategy).
These three stories can be woven together into one coherent story that links our values and passions with
that of the movement as a way to engage and mobilize others to take action.
SELF
NOW
MOVEMENT
Page 3
Guidelines For Telling Our Stories
Stories should…
; Be under 2 minutes: Good stories are focused and well-organized. Remember you are telling
the story of one moment in time. Focus on one challenge, one choice and one outcome.
; Be specific—use details: Take the listener to the moment you are describing. What are the
sights, sounds, smells, and emotions of that moment. Use present tense. Try telling the story
without using the word “and.”
; Tap into emotion: Stories should pull at the heartstrings of the listener. Help the listener
understand the values you are describing through the language of emotion.
; Include a challenge, a choice and an outcome: Make sure these three points are clear and
well articulated.
; Offer hope: Stories should be inspirational. End on a positive note. Offer the good news
through your story.
; Communicate values: Stories have a point and that point is a value that you want to inspire
and cultivate in the listener.
Page 4
Team Work 1: Telling Our Stories
Goals
The first “teamwork” you’re asked to do is to coach each other in telling your story of self. One
goal is to articulate – and share - the values that draw you to More Light Presbyterians. A second
goal is to locate within these stores values you share, challenges you face, and hopes to which you
aspire. Be prepared to take some risks, and support your team members as they step out on the
limb themselves!
Agenda
REPORT OUT: Choose one person in the group whose story best
exemplifies why they are part of More Light Presbyterians.
Page 5
Work Sheet 1
Telling Your Story of Self
Reflection
Take time to reflect on your own story of self. Think about why you are called to be part of
More Light Presbyterians:
Go back as far as you can remember. Focus on the challenges you had to face, the choices you made
about how to deal with them, and the satisfaction – or frustration - you experienced. Why did you make
those choices? Why did you do this and not that? Keep asking yourself, “Why?”
Many of us who are active as More Light Presbyterians have stories of both loss and hope. If we did not
have stories of loss, we would not understand that loss is a part of the world, we would have no reason to
try to fix things. But we also have stories of hope. Otherwise we wouldn’t be trying to fix it.
A good public story is drawn from the series of choice points that
structure the “plot” of your life – the challenges you faced, choices
you made, and outcomes you experienced.
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?
Page 6
Record Your Thoughts About Your Public Narrative
• Determine the challenge, the choice, and outcome you want to focus on for this story.
• Add specific details. Reflect on how it makes you feel.
• Keep it short – you only have two minutes.
Map the Challenge, Choice, and Outcome for your story here:
Page 7
Coaching Your Team's “Public Story”
As you hear each other's stories, keeping track of the details of each person’s story will help you to
provide feedback and remember details about the people on your team later. Use the grid below to track
each team member’s story.
Page 8
Building Relationships
Relationships are the key to organizing. It is in and through our relationships that we discover the hidden
stories of others and the values those stories reveal. By building relationships, we build, strengthen and
grow our movement.
Page 9
One on One Meetings
One on one meetings are the key to building and sustaining successful relationships and organizations. By
talking with someone, one on one, we learn their story, unlock their passion and discover values that we
share. These shared values become the basis for working together to create change. We should think of
one on one meetings as tools we will use throughout our work – to invite people to trainings, to call new
leaders onto our teams and to invite people to our BOLD gatherings.
Page 10
Team Work 2:
Common Interests, Shared Resources
Goals
The goals of this team work session are to identify the interests that you and your team members have in
common, identify some of the resources to which you have access, and consider commitments you might
make to one another that could enable you to act on these interests. First you will work with one partner,
probing each other’s stories to learn each other’s resources and interests, and identifying common
interests on behalf of which you may commit to working together.
Agenda
3. As a group, reflect on the interests and resources named. What interests do 10 min
people in your group hold about More Light Presbyterians? What
resources do they have to offer? What is the story of us that is beginning to
emerge?
List the two or three interests and resources to report out. The group
chooses the person who can best articulate interests and resources they
share.
Page11
Work Sheet 2:One-on-Ones
Also listen to your partner’s story for the resources to which s/he has access. Be specific.
Steer clear of the temptation to talk about issues in an abstract sense—talk about why YOU care about
that issue because of your experiences and circumstances.
Record here the interests that you and your partner share.
Record here the resources that you identified during your one on one.
Page 12