Narrative Strategy & Resources

By centering Narrative Strategy as one of our four key impact areas, FSNE recognizes that the worldviews, underlying beliefs (“mental models”), and understandings about how our food system works now and in the future are key leverage areas for transformation. Food system change is culture change. Narratives have – and can shift – power. The stories that we tell, and how we tell them, are integral to our culture.

Developing and using a narrative strategy, both with our own FSNE communications as well as collectively with network partners, represents an opportunity to give life to compelling and aspirational versions of what’s possible and practical, like the New England Food Vision, and energize shared values as central to the food system we are creating together.

Current FSNE activities under the Narrative Strategy Impact Area include:

• Drawing on our own narrative research toolkit (2019) and guidance from other experts (see resources below) to craft our own FSNE-initiated communications, publications, social media, and other “collateral” to support food system transformation messages and actions.
• Developing an ongoing series of Resilience Stories to illustrate the power of our aspirational narratives.
• Developing a series of Issue Briefs that elevate our narrative strategy, policy goals, values, and vision for community leaders and decision-makers to use in their food system work.
• Supporting narrative and communications skills and capacity-building across the community of food system communications staff in our region on how to understand and use narrative strategy more effectively. Request FSNE staff to speak about food system narrative strategy at your upcoming event.
• Building connectivity and collaboration via a Food System Communicators Circle of Practice to share resources, get advice, and coordinate our narratives and messaging whenever possible.

 

Narrative Resources

Understanding Narrative & Framing in General:

NEW: Navigating 2022: Ideas, reports, and resources for narrative changemakers

NEW: How to build a transformative narrative – interview with Annie Neimand from the Center for Public Interest Communications

NEW: Resources from the Common Cause Foundation

NEW: Features of Narratives: A Model of Narrative Form for Social Change Efforts by the Frameworks Institute (September 2021)

The Narrative Initiative offers a vast range of resources about narratives, story, framing, and messaging. It’s worth spending time looking through their entire website.

The Opportunity Agenda, likewise, has an enormous set of resources for learning about narrative power and culture change. Don’t miss their narrative superhero, Helvetika Bold.

The Frameworks Institute continues to lead the way in social science research on framing, human cognition, and the effectiveness of various communications strategies.

Excellent article on the power of tapping into shared aspirations as a strategy for more effective communications. This builds on the 2020 original research conducted by the Hattaway Group.

NEW 2022 Narrative Predictions from This Is Signals

Food System Specific:

Food Solutions New England 2019 Narrative Toolkit for Food System Transformation

Framing Food from the Frameworks Institute contains a number of articles and memos for learning

Reset the Table: Transforming the US Food System (Messaging Guide & Research Findings) (2021)

H.E.A.L. Food Alliance (whose platform has been endorsed by FSNE) has an excellent Messaging Guide (2020)

Reframing Hunger in America (2018)

The Farming & Food Narrative Project seeks to close the gap between what experts know about our food/farming system and what the public thinks.

Good Food Movement Messaging Guide (2017)

Narrative, Framing & Story-telling for Racial Equity & Justice:

The Opportunity Agenda’s “Vision, Values, Voice” Communications Toolkit

Excellent Race/Class Narrative research to take into consideration

The Communications Network has been producing high-quality resources and articles for centering equity in communications activities

Racial Equity Tools has a library of narrative and framing resources here

NEW A Practical Guide to Ethical Imagery

NEW Imagery and Authenticity (video)

NEW Visual Storytelling in our New World (video from the Communications Network)

Article on communications with an equity and accessibility lens

On the importance of “asset framing” for equity outcomes

Storytelling for Good resources

The Role of Communications in Social Change (short interview with Shanelle Matthews)

A Collaborative Checklist for Social Justice Leaders Using Narrative Strategies for Change

Center for Story-based Strategy

 

Get Involved in transformative narrative & communications communities

Join the Northeast Food System Communicators Facebook Group

Join the Food System Comms Circle of Practice listserv (via Google Groups; need to be logged into a google account)

Join the RadComms listserv (via Google Groups)

Join the Communications Network listserv (via Google Groups)

Join the Global Narrative Community on Slack

Contact FSNE’s communications staff to learn more about how to get involved in our collective narrative strategy work for regional food system transformation. You can also use the same contact form to request a workshop or presentation from FSNE staff on food system narratives & framing or to suggest a narrative/framing resource for us to include on this page.