SECTION III: STRATEGIZE
STEP FOURTEEN: CHECKLIST GUIDE
Words aren’t neutral. Neither are our images. We want to tailor our messages in a way that maximises impact while staying true to the values that inspired us to do this work in the first place.
As we build our narrative through our communiques, press releases, social media posts and other storytelling tools, the following checklist can address potential blindspots and prevent harm in our storytelling.
- Did you investigate the narrative landscape around your issue? Have you asked frontline communities how they frame the problem, and adequately incorporated those frames into your narrative? Did you analyse your opponents’ frames, and consider how they can be strategically countered?
- Have you coordinated with allied organisations working on the same issue, both to find unifying themes to connect your narratives and to avoid redundancy in your efforts?
- At each stage of the storytelling process (brainstorming, planning, writing, etc.), do you involve people from diverse backgrounds in terms of race, gender, age, sexuality, disability and socioeconomic background? When soliciting feedback on ideas or specific communications, did you take care to demonstrate that you’re honestly open to critique?
- Have you carefully scrutinised your words to look for ways they could be misconstrued by the public, or even manipulated or distorted by your opponents?
- When sharing the stories of individuals, have you taken care to offer a diverse mix of protagonists? Are you alert to the ways your communications could accidentally reinforce stereotypes (e.g. characterising male activists as “brave” and female activists as “caring”)?
- Are your diction and cultural references appropriate for your target audience? Or does your terminology exclude some portion of the people you’re hoping to connect with?
- Have you thought carefully about the history and power dynamics involved in your specific issue? Have you taken care to ensure that your communications don’t accidentally strengthen frames and mindsets that you’re seeking to undermine?
- Does the specific goal of each piece of messaging support the larger story you’re attempting to tell?