Do you have a scene from a television show or movie that continues to live rent free in your mind?
Mine’s pretty easy to pick. It’s stood the test of time with me – a regularly reviewed inspiration and simultaneous rebuke against me when I’m falling short. You’ll probably be able to guess that it’s from The West Wing.
You see, Rob Lowe’s character, Sam Seaborn, has always appealed to me. He was the idealist among idealists. He was the embodiment of the presidential voice. He understood the value of words. If I can ever thank Aaron Sorkin for one archetype on a The West Wing, it’d be Sam’s (with Charlie Young in a VERY close second).
In one scene he captured what I wish I could when it comes to storytelling – and he did it about a fictional spacecraft (bonus points to you, Mr. Sorkin).
You can watch the clip here. (No, seriously you should watch it or the rest of this may not make sense.)
A few observations. First, I recognize Sam comes off a bit cocky here. His character is naturally competitive. What if I told you that’s ok? Even in the world of advocacy, it’s ok to have a competitive streak. We should want to be the best at what we do – but humility will allow us to place that competitive edge in the service of others.
In Sam’s case, he’s directly serving the President. By way of extension he’s also serving the students participating in the virtual classroom session. But he’s only there because he’s accepted his competitive streak and found an avenue to put it to good use.
Secondly, if you’re paying attention, he doesn’t conflate grand ideas with grandiloquent language. None of his wording is especially high brow. He’s not searching for polysyllabic words. Rather, in a few lines, he paints a simple, compelling, and beautiful picture.
I wanted to share that observation with you because, at its core, advocacy is about storytelling. Yet for some reason, advocates (and many elected officials) default to a different setting than Sam when communicating their agendas. I’m certain you’ve noticed it. Why do we approach communicating our proposals as if we’re trying to add a new paragraph to the Declaration of Independence?
Storytelling is most effective when done simply. Take Sam’s formula as an example:
Scope – he demonstrates the scale of the undertaking, placing it in terms middle schoolers could grasp.
Ask – he invites the students to participate in the viewing.
Meaning – he drives home what all of that preceding work will allow the participants to experience that day.
Advocacy requires storytelling. We are compelled to relay ideas in the hope that those ideas will inspire action. That requires us capturing the scope of our issues, delivering a thoughtful ask, and clearly laying out what it means to the listener. Sadly, data shows that very few organizations are empowering their advocates to do just that.
How are you investing in tactics to de-mystify storytelling for your advocates? How are you bringing it to their level of comfort? In the end, their genuine, relatable experiences will carry them further than your talking points.
Part of the Possible 