There are a couple lessons I’ve learned over and over in the short time I’ve been with The Wilderness Society.

  1. We have about a billion stories to tell - stories about current issues; stories about our history; stories about our staff, our supporters, and our eco-enemies; stories about how things are and how we want them to be. You get the picture.
  2. We’re in a bit of a rut about how to share these stories in a compelling way.

We’ve got a bit of a challenge on our hands. But what’s really awesome is that most of us realize there’s room for improvement and we’re pretty pumped about the possibilities. There’s been a lot of internal buzz about videos, blogs, and interactive maps (all of which are great storytelling tools). But a new tool does not a good story make - or however that saying goes. Basically, without a good story, it doesn’t matter how cutting edge or interactive the tool is.

Let me guess? There are a few of you out there thinking our communication is on the verge of turning into a whole lot of fluff. We’re thinkers, scientists, strategists, and dang good communicators. We don’t need no stinkin’ stories to be effective. If this is you, let me point you to an interesting article that Betsy starting sending around in conjunction with the branding efforts. It should ease some of your fears. There’s a lot of of good stuff, but here are a few highlights:

  • Stories aren’t purely about entertainment.
  • We don’t have to lose our authenticity - a story can be authentic and compelling!
  • A good story is about truth to the teller, the audience, the moment, and the mission (yes, lots of buzzword, but read the article if you’re curious and it’ll make more sense). Basically, if any element is missing, it’s just not that great of a story.
  • And a story comes in many forms. You can tell a story in person, on paper, online, over the phone…the story can be oral or written…it can be based on words or images. There aren’t many limits.

So let’s hear it/see it/design it/read it/draw it/map it/film it. What’s your story?