Tell Me What Stories to Tell

Indra Heerkens, Strategic Communications Lead, Planet

For the last five years I have been proudly part of the communications team at the IKEA Foundation, leading the strategic communications of our ‘Planet’ team, that works hard to mitigate climate change in line with the Paris Agreement.   My job and specialism—storytelling—connects with my personal drive: search for stories. In my free time, I write fictional stories based on people like you and me, that reveal their uniqueness and beauty. At the IKEA Foundation, I share the work of the Foundation’s Planet team and the wonderful partners we fund through storytelling. Stories about what we do to fight climate change, about the support we give to organisations that work hard and often behind closed doors to make sure we stay under 1.5-degree Celsius warming.

I focus on communicating about the climate crisis and showing that it will take a collective effort to solve it. That everyone has a part to play. By pulling together people, businesses, national and global organisations, the financial industry and governments, we can achieve our bold ambition to create a liveable planet for ourselves and our children. Who wouldn’t want that?

Mission Possible

I am deeply interested in stories that connect with audiences who are not familiar with climate change and its effects. People from all backgrounds need to know that the climate crisis is not a remote issue. Climate change caused by the way we make use of our planet is happening right here, right now and we are all feeling its impacts. Most importantly, everyone can do something in their personal life to help change the course we are on. Every action, no matter how small, counts.

Since I have never been a pessimist and am always up for a good challenge, I see this as “Mission Possible”. But I need help. When it comes to communicating about climate change, my immediate question is: What kind of narrative will plant seeds in the brains of my audience? I have so much news to share about all the wonderful work our partners are doing, but which stories have the power to trigger people to act for the benefit of our planet?

Should I combine hard facts with emotional language?

Should I make it local, showing the tangible impacts of climate change on communities, combined with practical steps people can take in their everyday life?

Or should I use war-like language and talk about “combating” climate change, as if it were a hostile alien visiting our planet, determined to destroy all the things we care about?

What kind of language will resonate with people who don’t already separate their plastics, drive electric cars and eat a plant-based diet?

Stories of hope

The climate crisis is a subject that should matter to everyone, everywhere. But we failed to reach the heart and mind of the many people. Perhaps we have even alienated them by using jargon? Even though we're seeing the effects of climate change happening everywhere, many people seem to turn away from it. How can storytelling help us to connect to people?

We need to find a way to tell engaging stories about it to diverse audiences and pique people’s interest. I would love to find new narratives, new stories and new languages to communicate about climate. It needs to be just as compelling as the latest news about, let’s say, celebrities, sports, or anything you find at the front page of a newspaper. 

So, what narratives would inspire people to join our mission to save the planet?

What do you want to read, hear and know about climate action?

What would inspire you, give you hope, unravel myths and fake news, or take away fears when it comes to climate change?

Tell me what stories to tell, so that I can share stories that make sense to you, in your world.

Please respond to this post, send me a message and share this blog with as many and as different people as possible. Can’t wait to start this journey for climate narratives together with all of you.