Editing Telling Stories (section)

=== Story of Us ===
A Story of Us expresses the values and shared experiences of the “us” you want to move to action. Your “Us” can change depending on whom you’re addressing. The goal is to create a sense of unity and highlight the shared values of your listeners. 

A Story of Us brings those shared values to life.

While there may be obvious commonalities among your Us (e.g., living in the same community, working for the same employer, sharing a gender), the Story of Us goes deeper: What shared values and experiences does this Us hold? Those values and experiences may be shaped by those commonalities (for example, a community facing an affordability crisis will likely share common experiences). Ultimately, it’s about experiencing shared values with others “in the room.”

For example, an organizer giving a rally speech may ask, “What values unite this audience? What experiences have we shared that embody those values? As a community, what choices have we made to enact those values?” An organizer in a one-to-one (1:1) meeting with a new volunteer may ask questions to discover shared values and experiences, and then tell a story from their life that connects to the volunteer’s values. In a house meeting, an organizer might ask each person to share why the campaign matters to them. While listening, the organizer can ask, “What values connect these stories? What experiences has our community shared that embody these values? As a community, what choices have we made to enact them?” Then, when the organizer tells their story, they can craft a Story of Us that weaves in those answers.

Like a Story of Self, a Story of Us also centers on choice points—but the character is the community you’re motivating to act. It traces origins, challenges faced, choices made, outcomes, and lessons learned. A compelling Story of Us doesn’t only highlight challenges; it also lifts up successes to give people hope. As Ganz writes, “Hope is one of the most precious gifts we can give each other and the people we work with to make change.”3

We each participate in many Us’s. Each time you craft a Public Narrative, the Us may change, and your Story of Us should reflect the values and experiences of that specific audience.

<div style="background:#f5f5f5; border:1px solid #ddd; padding:1em 1.25em; border-radius:6px;"> <p>In developing your Story of Us, reflect on these questions:</p> <ul> <li>What values do you share with this community (the “us” in your story)?</li> <li>What experiences have had the greatest impact on this community?</li> <li>What challenges has this community faced?</li> <li>What challenge is this community facing now, and what choice must it make?</li> </ul> <p>For more help with developing your Story of Us and full Public Narrative, see the “[https://harper.whc.ca:2083/cpsess2505230392/frontend/jupiter/filemanager/showfile.html?file=worksheet+-+Developing+your+Public+Narrative.pdf&fileop=&dir=%2Fhome%2Flqpvahro%2Fpublic_html%2Fresources%2Fassets%2Fworksheets&dirop=&charset=&file_charset=&baseurl=&basedir= Developing Your Public Narrative]” worksheet.</p> </div>