STORY OF NOW PRACTICE of SELF, US & NOW (all

together)

Goals for this session:

* To learn how the story structure (Challenge, Choice, Outcome) applies to telling a story of
now that moves others to action with you

* Each participant practices telling a story of self, us and now and to gets feedback on their
story.

Developing Your Story of Now

Having developed your Story of Self and Us, we know why youve been called to a particular
mission, we know something of who it is you want to call upon to join you in that mission, so
what action does that mission require of you right here, right now, in this place?

A story of now is urgent, it requires dropping other things and paying attention, it is rooted in
the values you celebrated in your story of self and us, and requires action.

The Elements of a Story of Now

The strategy your plan to achieve your goal.

A strategic hopeful choice that each person in your audience can make

A specific ask for each person that involves a commitment of time, resources before
they leave.

A description of what collectively can be achieved.

Why It Matters

The choice were called on to make is a choice to take strategic action now. Leaders who only
describe problems, but fail to identify a way to act and bring others together to address the
problem, arent very good leaders. If you are called to address a real challenge, a challenge so
urgent you have motivated us to face it as well, then you also have a responsibility to invite us to
join you in action that has some chance of success. A story of now is not simply a call to
make a choice to act it is a call to hopeful action.

Tying Together all of the Pieces into a Successful Public Narrative

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

When I am only for myself, what am I?
If not now, when?
st
- Hillel, 1 century Jerusalem sage
Pirke Avo

As Rabbi Hillels powerful words suggest, to stand for yourself is the first but insufficient step.
You must also find or create a community to stand with, and that community must begin acting
now. To combine the stories of self, us and now, you have to find the link between why you are
called to this mission, why we as a community are called to this mission, and what our mission
calls on us to do now.

That linking may require you to rethink the stories of self, us, and now that you have been
working on.

Storytelling is a dynamic, non-linear process.

Each time you tell your story you will adapt it to make yourself clearer, to adjust to a different
audience, to locate yourself in a different context. As you develop a story of us, you may find
you want to alter your story of self, especially as you begin to see the relationship between the
two more clearly. Similarly, as you develop a story of now, you may find it affects what went
before. And, as you go back to reconsider what went before, you may find it alters your story of
now.
Storytelling takes practice.

Our goal in these materials is not to leave with a final script of your public narrative that you
will use over and over again during your campaign. The goal is to help you learn a process by
which you can generate your narrative over and over and over again, when, where, and how you
need to in order to motivate yourself and others to specific, strategic action.

STORY OF SELF, US, NOW PRACTICE:

In Pairs

GOAL
Learn how integrate strategy into your story, and create an urgent call to action that
you can use to ask for commitments.

NOTE: Its more than an ask. Its a choice about whether someones going to stay on the
sidelines or dive into the campaign. Its an opportunity for them to join WITH you, not just work
FOR you.

AGENDA
TOTAL TIME: 35 min.
1. Take some time as individuals to silently develop your Story of Self, 5 min.
Us & Now paying particular attention to the Now. Use the worksheet
below.

2.Practice your story of now. 10 min.

Each person has 2 minutes to tell a story of now and 3 minutes for
feedback.
3. Practice telling your whole story: Self, Us, Now (all together) 20 min.

- 6 minutes each to tell your story of self, us & now:

* Focus on a specific challenge AND hope AND choice youre
asking
others to make in the story of now
* Be specific & give lots of details

- 3 minutes each for feedback:

* What is the Challenge, Choice , Outcome in each
story?
 Write them in the boxes below.
* Did the story of self relate to the story of us and story of now?
If so,
what was the common thread?
* Were there sections of the story that had especially good
details or images (e.g. sights, sounds, smells, or emotions
of the moment)? How did those details make you feel?

STORY OF SELF, US, NOW PRACTICE:

Groups of Four (Recommended for trainings)

GOAL
Learn how integrate strategy into your story, and create an urgent call to action that
you can use to ask for commitments.

NOTE: Its more than an ask. Its a choice about whether someones going to stay on the
sidelines or dive into the campaign. Its an opportunity for them to join WITH you, not just work
FOR you.

AGENDA
TOTAL TIME: 60 min.
1. Gather in your team. Nominate 1 person to be a timekeeper. Choose 1 3 min.
person to be the facilitator for this section to help lead this agenda in
your small group.
 2. Take some time as individuals to silently develop your Story of Self, 5 min.
Us & Now paying particular attention to the Now. Use the worksheet
below.

3. Gather in your small group to practice your story of now. 30 min.

Each person has 2 minutes to tell a story of now and 3 minutes for
feedback.
4. Choose a partner. 20 min.
Practice telling your whole story : Self, Us, Now (all together)

- 6 minutes each to tell your story of self, us & now:

* Focus on a specific challenge AND hope AND choice youre
asking
others to make in the story of now
* Be specific & give lots of details

- 3 minutes each for feedback:

* What is the Challenge, Choice , Outcome in each
story?
Write them in the boxes below.
* Did the story of self relate to the story of us and story of now?
If so,
what was the common thread?
* Were there sections of the story that had especially good
details or images (e.g. sights, sounds, smells, or emotions
of the moment)? How did those details make you feel?

WORKSHEET:
DEVELOPING YOUR STORY OF SELF, US & NOW

Use these questions to help you to put together your story of now. You should draw on the
work your team has been doing in the earlier strategy sessions to fill in the answers to the
questions below.
Why is it urgent to build the progressive movement right now? What makes it urgent
relative to other problems? Who are you serving in your community and the world by
taking on this issue?

What is your strategy to address the current problems at hand? How will you know that
you are part of a solution? What will the outcome look like if you are successful?

What is the single most important first step(s) can people take to join you in this
strategy? What form will their commitment take? Is it clear what they should do? Is it
clear when they should do it?

SELF US NOW

What are your experiences and values
that call you to take leadership in
building the progressive movement?
What is your reason for believing in the Why is it urgent to dea
possibility of the people you will be problems now? What i
speaking to? What can they do confront overcome this challeng
the challenge? first step that each pers
part of your solution?
OUTCOME OUTCOME OUTCOME
CHOICE CHOICE CHOICE
CHALLENGE CHALLENGE CHALLENGE

FACILITATION NOTES:

STORY OF NOW
Your job as the facilitator is to help move your team through this team breakout so that
everyone practices their story of now (including you!) and everyone gets feedback.

Asking the following questions will help you coach your small groups through the telling of
their stories.

Remember to balance positive and constructively critical feedback. The purpose of coaching
is not to judge or criticize each others stories; rather, you are listening to the way stories are
told and thinking of ways that the storytelling could be improved.

Story of Us Coaching Questions

CHALLENGE: What is the specific challenge we face now? What details

of specific events or people make that challenge vivid and urgent? What details
would help make the challenge even more real?

CHOICE: Is there a clear choice we are being asked to make in response

to the challenge? How does that choice make you feel? (Hopeful? Like you can
make a difference? Etc.)

OUTCOME: What will be the specific outcome that could result if we all
make that choice together? Is there a clear vision of how the future could be
different if we act now?

Were there sections of the story that had especially good details or images
(e.g. sights, sounds, smells, or emotions of the moment)? How did those details
make you feel?

INTERWEAVING SELF, US AND NOW: Did the story of self relate to

the story of us and the story of now? If so, what was the common thread? If not,
what thread could the storyteller use to rethink the connections between self, us and
now?

WORKSHEET:
COACHING YOUR TEAMMATES STORIES
COACHING CHECKLIST

DO

Say what works first in the story, focusing on specifics.

Identify both the CHALLENGE and the HOPE in the story.

Clarify choice points, the moment when one thing happened and not another.

Connect the dots in the narrative, helping to illuminate how someone got from
here to there.

Look for themes.

Ask questions about the intended audience and the desired action or response.

DONT

Offer vague abstract "feel good" comments, unless youve established the context.
What does the story teller learn from you did a great job, as opposed to, the way you
described your moment of choice made me feel very hopeful because. . . .

Make value judgments about the story tellers voice or the validity of the point they want
to make. The key here is that a person find ways to express themselves in their own voice
word choice, humor, metaphor, etc. Of course they need to know if choices theyve made
communicate what they want to communicate.

Record Feedback/Comments from Your Team Members Here:

Coaching Your Team's Public Narrative

As you hear each other's stories, keeping track of the details of each persons story will help
you to provide feedback and remember details about people on your team later. Use the grid
below to track your team's stories.

Name Challenge Choice Outcome Notes