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Public Narrative 101

Running for office is all about getting other people motivated and activated - to donate, to vote, to door knock alongside you. One of the main ways that we motivate people is by sharing stories.

Below, you'll learn what a public narrative is and how to connect with your audience, motivating them to action. And you'll practice creating a first draft of your public narrative.

CONTENTS

Downlod Workbook
KEY DEFINITIONS
Downlod Workbook
PUBLIC NARRATIVE
Narrative Example
NARRATIVE EXAMPLE
Jump to recap
RECAP
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DOWNLOAD WORKBOOK

Key Definitions

Paints a picture of who you are and what you care about by sharing specific moments from your life when your values were challenged and when you chose to act on them.

Connects you to your audience by highlighting shared experiences, values, and challenges. It shows that you and your community are part of the same story and capable of acting together.

Describes why action is urgent by showing what will happen if people do nothing—and what becomes possible if they act together now. It ends with a clear, specific call to action.

A storytelling structure that brings stories to life: a challenge reveals what you value, a choice shows how you acted on those values, and an outcome shows the impact and what it calls you to do next.

A clear, specific request for action that tells people exactly what you want them to do and why it matters. A strong ask is visible, time-bound, and connected to the story you just shared.

Story & Public Narrative

WHY STORIES

Stories create a connection between the audience and the story’s main character. A personal story shows who we are and what we care about.

Motivational stories tap into our emotions and activate our hope and belief that we have the power to create change.
THINK OF THE HERO'S ARCH
    • They experience a challenge
    • They make a choice given what they learned from that challenge
    • They feel called to lead and take on that leadership.

Understanding your own story and learning how to communicate it will help you connect with and motivate others around you.

WHAT IS PUBLIC NARRATIVE?

A public narrative – a story that you share that motivates others to action – has three parts:
     • A Story of Self that tells us who you are and what you care about
     • A Story of Us that connects you to your audience
     • A Story of Now that shares why the audience must act

It is based on moments from your personal life, often times from childhood, and picking out moments that make sense of who you are and your motivation today.
YOU MIGHT USE A PUBLIC NARRATIVE WHEN:
     • You’re at a local party committee meeting for the first time to introduce yourself and ask for their endorsement.
     • You’re at a fundraiser asking for donations.
     • You’re launching a canvass.
‍
Really - anytime that you’re asking someone to join you in action!

Credit: Marshall Ganz for creating this framework

ALIYAH'S NARRATIVE  

In this example, you’ll hear a candidate for city council give their Public Narrative.
LISTEN FOR HOW SHE ILLUSTRATES VIVID MOMENTS THAT SHOW:
      • When and where she learned the values that motivate her to run
      • When she acted on those values
      • How her audience is connected to one another
      • Why action is urgently needed
      • What action the audience can take
CLICK EACH SECTION BELOW TO LISTEN ALIYAH'S NARRATIVE

STORY OF SELF

Paints a picture of who you are and what you care about by sharing specific moments from your life when your values were challenged and when you chose to act on them.

HEAR THE NARRATIVEREAD THE TRANSCRIPT

STORY OF US

Connects you to your audience by highlighting shared experiences, values, and challenges. It shows that you and your community are part of the same story and capable of acting together.

HEAR THE NARRATIVEREAD THE TRANSCRIPT

STORY OF NOW

Describes why action is urgent by showing what will happen if people do nothing—and what becomes possible if they act together now. It ends with a clear, specific call to action.

HEAR THE NARRATIVEREAD THE TRANSCRIPT

My name is Aliyah Spring, and I’m running for City Council.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at our local community center. It wasn’t fancy, but I loved it. In the summer, I read books on beanbags and played foosball with friends for hours. During the school year, I sat under bright lights doing homework until my parents picked me up. It was a place where I felt safe and welcome.

One afternoon after school, I walked up and saw the big blue doors shut. A crowd of kids stood around them. A sign taped to the door read, “Closed Indefinitely.” My throat tightened, and tears filled my eyes. The community center wasn’t just somewhere to hang out. It was where I learned what it meant to belong.

When my mom picked me up, she dried my tears and asked, “Why don’t you tell the city how you feel? Maybe they can help.” That night, I wrote a letter by hand and mailed it the next day. I never heard back, but my parents learned the center closed because of city budget cuts.

Years later, in college, I felt that same knot in my stomach when I heard my favorite café was closing after storm damage. The café was owned by two sisters worn down from fighting the insurance company & city. I wanted to help. Between classes, I stood outside the café for three weeks, talking with students, neighbors, anyone who stopped by for coffee or pie. I asked them to donate so the café could reopen.

With a few other students, we raised over $5,000. It was enough to fix the water heater. We also helped the owners apply for a city grant, which paid to replace damaged electrical work. When the café reopened, we celebrated together, sharing slices of pie. That experience showed me what people can do when they work together to protect the places they love.

Those moments led me to join AmeriCorps VISTA in community development. I spent my days listening to residents, business owners, and city leaders. And they are why I’m running for city council today, to protect and grow the community spaces that make Springfield feel like home.

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Right now, we have a choice. We can do nothing and hope the swings at Maple Grove Park don’t break the next time a child climbs on. We can do nothing and watch more “Foreclosure” signs appear on our favorite restaurants. We can cross our fingers and hope the next storm doesn’t knock a tree or power line into our homes.

Or we can choose a different path. We can support new leadership that listens. Leadership that calls public works to clear streets fast after storms. Leadership that works with small business owners so they can keep their doors open. We can build a city led by its people, not ignored by those in charge.

I’m running for city council to be a voice for residents who are tired of being brushed aside and want to protect the places they love in Springfield. I know how to listen, bring people together, and turn concerns into real solutions, and that’s what this campaign is about.
I want to have conversations like this in every neighborhood across Springfield. But that takes time, energy, and resources. That’s where you come in.

How many of you have a phone?
Go ahead and take it out. Type in www.springbackspringfield.com

If you believe in this campaign, please click the donate button and give $40. If everyone here gives $40, we can host community conversations in North Park and on the East Side. Together, we can bring people together and fight for what matters most. Who can commit to supporting our community of Springfield and donating $40 to this campaign today? [Pause]

Amazing - thank you so much! Really looking forward to having more community conversations and building support for this campaign!

I can’t wait to continue the conversation with you all as your city councilor.

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Before we started today, I talked with many of you, and I heard the same thing again and again: we’re here because we love Springfield, and we want our city government to love it too.

We were shocked to read about the cracked beams on the swing set at Maple Grove Park and the city’s response that “not many kids use the swings in the winter anyway.” We’re worried about the power lines the city failed to maintain and that came down in the last big storm, crashing into living rooms and leaving families without power for a week. And we’re heartbroken to see a foreclosure sign hanging over Freddie’s Barbeque after they waited more than a year for a small business grant.

Too often, our concerns are ignored, brushed off, or met with silence by the people elected to serve Springfield.

That’s why some of you have written to your city councilor or started petitions to city hall. And it’s why, instead of doing laundry, running errands, or getting ready for another busy week, you chose to be here today. You showed up because these problems matter.

That gives me hope. It tells me we’re ready to stand together, take action, and protect what makes Springfield special.

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DEBRIEF

Download Workbook
DOWNLOAD WORKBOOK
The purpose of a Public Narrative is to connect you to your audience through values, connect the audience to one another, and motivate the audience to action.
PAUSE AND THINK:
     • What was effective about the candidate’s personal story of self? What images or details stuck out to you?
     • How did the candidate connect the audience to one another? How was the connection based on experiences instead of categories?
     • What made the ask at the end more effective than simply asking “Will you support my campaign”? What created a sense of urgency in the ask?
     • How are detailed moments used throughout the public narrative?

Wrap Up

The candidate does the following in their public narrative:
IN THE STORY SELF
Share a moment when their values were threatened (challenge), when they acted on them (choice), and how it informs their candidacy now (outcome).
IN THE STORY US
Share a moment when their values were threatened (challenge), when they acted on them (choice), and how it informs their candidacy now (outcome).
IN THE STORY NOW
Paint a picture of what happens if the audience doesn’t act, what happens if the audience does act, why they urgently need to act now, and give a clear direction for an action they can take.

PUBLIC NARRATIVE IS:
    • Your unique story
    • Values-centered
    • Hopeful
PUBLIC NARRATIVE IS NOT:
    • Oversharing of personal trauma – feel ready to share your challenge before you do
    • A resume listing off all of your accomplishments. These are great, but they don’t bring you to life in the way that vivid snapshots do.
    • Story of Other – someone else’s challenges that you witnessed. The audience will feel connected to that person instead of you.

Download Workbook
DOWNLOAD WORKBOOK
Now that you’ve watched this Public Narrative, draft your own Public Narrative by:
     • Writing out clear moments where you learned your values and when you acted on them.
     • Thinking of several audiences that you might tell your public narrative to, and what shared values those audiences might have.
     • Writing out moments of what happens if people do or don’t act.
     • Writing out a clear, tangible, and visible ask.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Tell us about your experience with Public Narrative

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