[WORK] Futures Narratives Lab workshops: Narrative Mapping & Creative Storytelling

WORK | Wed 23rd Sept | 10am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

For professionals in political & communications strategy
Places are limited. Book early.

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Narrative Mapping for Political Strategy (morning)

In order to challenge harmful political ideas and systems, from carbon emitting industries to increasingly authoritarian governments, it’s crucial to shift public understanding and common sense. And to do that, NGOs, governmental bodies, and others need to first understand why prevailing narratives maintain their power and appeal. Only then does it become possible to strategically select and design interventions (from media-led campaigns to embedded community practices) that will be sufficiently powerful and appealing to change the political landscape for good.

In this session, we’ll share our expertise about how best to do this, building on years of experience working with coalitions and progressive institutions across the world. Together, we’ll map dominant societal narratives that keep our imagination and action trapped in a limited spectrum of possibilities, and tracing the institutions, practices, and policies that make narratives powerful. 

In this workshop, we will:

• Understand & analyse the landscape of prevailing assumptions and agendas around a topic.
• Apply this to a key political topic or area of focus, identifying opportunities to shift the conversation and alter common sense.
• Consider the role of narrative mapping in larger processes of social and political change

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Creative Storytelling in the Attention Age (afternoon) 

In this session, we’ll sharpen our storytelling skills, with the help of tools and frameworks that can guide and inspire us. And we’ll consider how to make the age-old power of a story work in the age of fragmented political soundbites and the shortest of short-form video. 

We will:

• Analyse what makes for an effective story, considering several different useful models and looking at what makes books and movies so compelling
• Practice telling an important social or political story in new ways
• Strategise for how to tell this story in the new mediascape, keeping people’s attention in a digitally fragmented world
  
  

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PARTICIPANTS

The workshops Narrative Mapping for Political Strategy and Creative Storytelling in the Attention Age are for all professionals working towards reframing a key social issue, or want to communicate more strategically or creatively about an important problem, on or offline.

If you are working in a governmental or nongovernmental organisation that is struggling to cut through the noise on a particular topic, this is designed with you in mind.

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Future Narratives Lab is a democratically owned and controlled non-profit that exists to build the independent cultural and political power of civil society. Based in London, their team works across Europe and beyond, typically through partnerships with groups working on entrenched and complex social challenges. Future Narrative Lab equips campaigners, coalitions and communities with narrative as a tool for building their collective power. 

Sarah Stein Lubrano is a researcher, author and broadcaster. Her academic research has focused on the role of emotion in political communication, and specifically cognitive dissonance. Lubrano is the head of research for the Future Narratives Lab. For many years she was the head of content at The School of Life, where she is still a content lead. She writes and speaks publicly on a variety of topics. In earlier lives, Lubrano made films and worked as a prison tutor and obituary writer.  

Dan Stanley is Executive Director at non-profit research body the Future Narratives Lab, and Strategy Director at economic development co-operative Stir to Action. Daniel has worked with campaigns, coalitions, foundations and political parties in the UK and globally to develop strategies for broadening the appeal of alternative social and economic propositions, including seven years leading digital mobilisation agency Small Axe.

TICKETS

MEMBERS 
Sngle workshop (am or pm) €200
Double workshop (full day)   €400

NON-MEMBERS
Single workshop (am or pm) €225
Double workshop (full day)   €400

KEY LINKS

Future Narratives Lab

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ADDITIONAL INFO

FOOD & DRINK	EVENT SIZE	ACCESS
Refreshments provided. Lunch available	Small (less than 20)	Available on request