We are now into the second week of a new year and a new decade — so recaps and resolutions are still very much on the brain. Along those lines, I would suggest checking out Network for Good’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog, which has offered a number of helpful resolution-related posts over the past week. In particular, Katya Andresen’s list of “What’s In and Out for Nonprofits in 2011” caught my eye:
In: Integrated communications/Out: Multi-channel communications
In: Appropriate use of technology/Out: Maximum use of technology
In: Speaking from the heart/Out: Speaking from the left brain
In: Narrative/Out: Bullet points
The list continues on, but I became fixated on this pairing: narrative and bullet points. Did the former indeed hold sway in 2010, while the other will dominate in 2011? Are stories now more appealing than lists? Are we more drawn to characters and arcs than to numbers and facts? In part, I wonder whether the “more optimistic” view of the economy perhaps plays a role in this. When money is tight and the outlook is dim, perhaps we gravitate towards what is simple, brief, and reliable — towards a shopping list of items. Towards, in short, bullet points.
But when we are (hopefully) on the road towards improvement and growth, the bullet points become less appealing and the narrative becomes more so. Stories, after all, depend on forward momentum. They have a shape, a climax, and at last a resolution. Are we looking for those very things in the coming decade? Is that why narrative is “in” and mere points are “out?”
Philosophy aside, telling stories (and telling them well) is crucial not only to fundraising, but to defining who we are in our communities. When someone asks what you do, you can always refer to your mission statement — but a really cool story tend to catch and hold their attention much longer! That said, I also would not be so quick to discount those friendly bullet points. First, we sometimes need a clear, itemized list as an appendix to our narrative. Moreover, I would suggest that narrative has not in fact replaced bullet points. Rather, many of us in the non-profit field have become more aware of (and more interested in) why we turn to one or the other. More aware not just of what we do, but of how we talk about it.
We are more capable than ever of talking to one another across time and distance, so it follows that we have become intrigued by the diverse forms that those talks can take. So do you communicate more in narrative or bullet points? Does one form work better than another in certain circumstances? If narrative truly has deposed bullet points, why has that happened? Or like, most trends, is the “why” simply a mystery? What would you like to see be “in” in 2011? Let us know!
I am convinced (for whatever that’s worth) that narrative, or really the personal narrative, came into play in a big way in Ronald Reagan’s administration. Really: that long ago! Reagan was a master of the personal story, and he used it very effectively, though often, I felt, as a way of turning our attention from fundamental issues. Maybe you were against some particular policy, but Reagan would say “A man I met in Detroit told me that …. Tom is with us here today….” and then the REAL PERSON would be trotted out, or would stand up in the audience at a speech before Congress. How could you argue with Tom’s experience? His reality?
It’s now commonplace to speak in stories, particularly examples. I think it’s fine, but I also think it can REALLY be overdone, and it sometimes assumes that your audience can’t be expected to understand the bigger, underlying issues. So as a storyteller I’m all for stories, but I’m not for using individual personal stories to trump everything else. Writer beware!