Building a Story Bank - A Systematic Approach

Background: Several public health programs in Iowa are now employing a systematic approach to collecting stories that help highlight their successes and demonstrate the need for additional support.

Program background:  Since the audiences these programs engage with are so diverse, the project began with the assumption that the key to a robust collection of stories is volume, volume, volume.  That is, it is important to recognize that one or two stories—however memorable they may be—are not going to suit every message, every audience, every time. Given this focus, a tool was developed to help programs “bank” their stories for future use in 5 to 15 minutes per story. In addition, the tool has been effective in reducing the perception among program staff that stories need to be written out in Pulitzer-prize winning narrative to be effective. It does so by focusing primarily on the core elements of stories—character, setting, conflict, action and resolution.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  The success of this model is particularly evident among Iowa’s tobacco prevention grantees who serve 91 of Iowa’s 99 counties.  Program staff at the state level now require each grantee to bank at least one story per county per quarter. Surveys show that grantees are now more apt to use stories as a communication tool when engaging local partners, including policy makers, advocates and the media.

Conclusions:  Grantees now appear to be banking a much wider variety of stories, including not only those that highlight their successes, but also those that demonstrate need for additional support and sustainability.

Implications for research and/or practice:  During the recent Communities Putting Prevention to Work Annual Meeting in Atlanta, a formal presentation of this project was well received.  Attendees requested the story banking tool and the training materials.  In addition, tobacco prevention specialists in Nebraska have invited the project coordinator to provide a program summary and training at the Tobacco Free Nebraska Conference in April 2011.