Inclusive Storytelling: New Tools for Climate Resilience

A valuable session at the APA Minneapolis conference emphasized inclusive storytelling. Most of us have personal experience with the way stories can have a bigger impact on our thinking and beliefs than data. So the idea of using storytelling to help reach consensus on community’s plans or individual projects makes a great deal of sense. Three aspects of this session were unique and particularly thought-provoking.

First, the focus on storytelling that is inclusive adds another dimension to the discussion. The stories that are told about how a neighborhood or a city got to where it is today often rely on the information and recollections of the people who played a major role in the history that’s being discussed – mayors, leading business owners and so forth. Including other voices provides a more nuanced understanding of what actually happened and how.

Second, the role of inclusive storytelling in helping communities become more climate resilient is also notable. This is an issue that can easily become focused on data and statistics; perhaps more problematic, it becomes polarized because people in two camps disagree about the basic facts and analysis. Storytelling about experiences people have actually faced or changes that really reduced climate impacts can give a discussion – or a planning process – a way to move ahead and find common ground to consider solutions.

Third, the session was unusual because it included an exercise for the participants! People at each table created their own approach to the use of inclusive storytelling for a climate-related issue. Each table picked a situation, then worked out a storytelling strategy to address it. This included planning the content for varied audiences, developing key messages, deciding on the appropriate platforms for outreach and identifying communication tactics.

The session combined useful information with a creative experience that helped to make the ideas more real. For me, it also offered a completely different benefit – I reconnected with someone who’d been on my staff in Austin decades ago and met someone new who’s now here in Dallas! Good people, interesting ideas and useful tools – all the best a workshop session can offer!