Stronger Stories

Earlier this week, we celebrated two firsts: - Our first bilingual workshop. 🗣️ - Our first workshop in Egypt. 🇪🇬 We got to share one of our favourite storytelling tools – our Lean Story Canvas – with the brilliant AUC Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation team at The American University in Cairo, who work with thousands of entrepreneurs across Egypt. Our enriching discussion with them got us thinking, asking, and planning. As we further test and explore our ambitions for the Lean Story School, and for how we can “Train the Trainers” of storytelling, we remain guided by our values: ✍🏾 Earn it backwards. 💬 Not about them without them.  ✌🏾 Work with purpose.

Definitely not something to be mortified by Sarah Vincent! One of our learnings from using the science of story to help people better communicate change is that we all tend to tell stories that appeal to our own values (which might not match the values of others). The work we've been doing with you, along with the polarization we all face, inspired us to write this recently: How values can bring people together in a divided world: https://lnkd.in/ecPwcJEe

Definitely not something to be mortified by Sarah Vincent! One of our learnings from using the science of story to help people better communicate change is that we all tend to tell stories that appeal to our own values (which might not match the values of others). The work we've been doing with you, along with the polarization we all face, inspired us to write this recently: How values can bring people together in a divided world: https://lnkd.in/ecPwcJEe

🌍 How can we bring people together in a divided world? 🌍 In our latest article, Will Hill explores the power of diversifying your values to make change happen: https://lnkd.in/ecPwcJEe. 📊 25% is all it takes. Research by Damon Centola shows that when just 25% of a group adopts an idea, it can rapidly become the norm. But most change efforts fall short because their stories only reflect one set of values: their own. To spark change, we must connect with the values of others. 🔑 Change the narrative, change the world. Narratives are the big ideas that shape beliefs and behaviours – but they only spread through stories of change that emotionally activate our values. And that’s where many movements stumble. People instinctively judge stories based on how they impact their most deeply held values, either embracing or rejecting them. 💡 Understanding the role of values. Our Narrative Adoption Curve (pictured below) maps how narratives move from emerging to mainstream. At its heart is the adoption chasm – the gap between early adopters and the early minority. To create lasting change, stories must resonate beyond our worldview and connect with the values of others. 👀 3 advantages of diversifying your values. By expanding our stories to resonate with different values beyond our own – we can unlock three powerful advantages on the path to crossing the narrative adoption chasm.

Thoroughly enjoyed pitching at the Faraday Battery Challenge Investor Showcase event last week! It was a treat to be joined by so many people passionate about innovation in energy storage (and in a wonderfully festive setting too🎄) Thank you to Faraday Battery Challenge, Innovate UK, Mountside Ventures and Stronger Stories for supporting Enough Energy.

Another incredible idea that deserves to be heard... Rebooted is a newly-launched digital inclusion charity. It takes unwanted laptops from businesses, cleans them, loads up learning content, and passes them on to prisoners and their families. These recycled devices can then help them build new skills and break the cycle of reoffending. Stronger Stories is proud to be helping James Tweed and his team spread the word about this important work. If you think you might be able to help - either by supplying unwanted laptops, or finding and connecting Rebooted to digitally excluded communities - then get in touch with them here: https://rebooted.me/ #storytelling #learning #digitalinclusion #charity #rehabilitation

From fisherman’s poetry and Will & Grace to creating a sense of place in Ukraine and Gaza - this panel was full of insights and inspiration on using stories to mobilize action. I’ll share more details on key takeaways soon but for now a huge thank you to these awesome panellists: Lacey Stone Debi Blizard Jennifer Strachan Linda Low. Phew it’s been a busy day at Global Washington’s #Goalmakers2024 conference. Thank you as well to Joel Meyers - grateful that Stronger Stories is a member of this powerful network.

Excited to hear the pitches today at the Batteries & Critical Materials Investor Showcase event at The Conduit in London today. As Kienan Bruemmer, Net Zero Investor Communities, Innovate UK Business Connect says: “A great technology in a sector ready for disruption doesn’t always mean people have a compelling business model or are good at communicating it.” Why we’ve been proud to work with this great cohort of companies on their storytelling alongside Mountside Ventures. Stronger Stories

The view from the top of BT's Three Snowhill - almost as inspiring as the conversations today at the Social Value UK (Institute of Social Value) annual conference 😁 Though impact is the driver for our work at Stronger Stories, we only began our journey into social value at the start of this year. As relative newbies, it was very reassuring and affirming to hear a lot of our thoughts echoed by those of other attendees! ⭐ A few key takeaways: 👉 Transparency is so key. When reporting your impact, that includes warts and all, not just a version of the story that makes your organisation look good. Every activity offers a learning opportunity, even (or especially!) when there are unintended consequences. 👉 This helps build trust - a recurring theme throughout the day. According to Edelman's Trust Barometer 2024 report, business is more trusted to integrate new innovations into society than government, media, and NGOs. There is still a level of public skepticism, however. 👉 Happily, storytelling also came up a lot 👀 "Stories are just data with a soul" - Brene Brown said this, but it could have easily been a quote from today! The power of social value doesn't lie in the numbers (though they play a key role), but in the emotional resonance that comes with being able to explain exactly how your initiative affected real people's lives. Thanks so much to all the amazing speakers for today (I was particularly inspired by the words of Zoë Colosimo, Hana Kapetanovic, Dr. Tumi Hawkins, and Simon Godfrey; go stalk their work!!), the fabulous Isabelle Parasram OBE and the ISV team for putting this event together. And many thanks to Tom Winter for embarking on this learning journey with me. I look forward to reflecting on the year to come at the 2025 event 🤩

Went back to The American University in Cairo today, this time rocking my Stronger Stories hat. What was supposed to be a planning session with Hala Barakat and Sherine El Essawi for a Storytelling workshop at AUC Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation turned into a deep chat about the power of storytelling, the importance of democratising access to the skill of storytelling, and what it all means amid the madness of today's world. Going back to my alma mater with a mission to inspire and upskill felt so energising, and I can’t wait to see how this workshop unfolds—stay tuned for updates! 👀