“Close your eyes and think of the last story that made an impact on you.”
If someone asked you to do that, what would you imagine? Sit for a moment and actually do it. When you’re ready, open your eyes and read on.
What’s so special about the story that came to mind? Was it a story about something that happened to you? Or something that happened to someone you know? Maybe it was something you read online, or perhaps even a choice bit from a book, movie, or TV show.
Whatever it was, there’s something magical about that story that left its mark on you. And these are the narratives that have the most power — not just the power to be remembered, but the power to trigger our emotions, change our minds, and even inspire us to take action.
These were the themes we explored at our recent workshop Turning Complex Narratives into Creative Stories, held in collaboration with EURACTIV as the first in their series of events for 2023. In the dense and data-driven world of public communications, stories cut through the noise and deliver your message into the hearts and minds of the people you need to reach.
Speaking to over 50 attendees from the public policy and affairs world gathered at EURACTIV’s media network office in Brussels, Savion Ray’s Public Affairs Director Jeta Bejtullahu began the workshop with the same question we asked you at the beginning of this article. In the calming silence that permeated the room, each attendee allowed the memory of that story to coalesce in their minds.
Then, the magic began. Jeta invited everyone to share their stories with the people next to them, and for the next 10 minutes, the room vibrated with the positive energy of powerful narratives being shared and celebrated.
This live, interactive demonstration of the power of storytelling set the tone for the rest of the workshop. After Jeta led attendees through the history of storytelling — which stretches back over 50,000 years — as well as an illustration of how stories excite the entire brain, our CEO Bisera Savoska illustrated Jeta’s points with a practical example in the form of a case study.
To draw attention to the digital skills gap across Europe — the difficulty many organizations face in sourcing talent skilled in emerging technologies — we created Map the Gap. This campaign invited participants to take a digital skills quiz to identify the areas in which they fell short. Are you a “Clumsy Creator” taking their first steps into digital art tools, or a “Lost Investigator” struggling to master efficient search techniques?
Bisera invited her audience to take the quiz themselves, and participants couldn’t help but share their results with each other and their networks over social media. By taking an abstract concept and making it personal, explained Bisera, our team created a powerful narrative that led MEPs and policymakers to focus on our client’s issue — just as the audience had done right here.
Our mission is to help our clients get the attention and action they need by illustrating complex policy issues with emotionally powerful stories that drive change. Furthermore, this event gave us a valuable opportunity to demonstrate our methodology with a live audience and showcase the power of storytelling in its native environment: a community.
Is there a story that you’ve been waiting to tell? We’re eager to hear all about it. Get in touch with us to begin.