Creating a Culture of Storytelling Webinar Recap

TechSoup kicked off its 2013 Digital Storytelling Challenge with the webinar Creating a Culture of Storytelling. The webinar provided case studies of how one nonprofit and one library created storytelling cultures within their organizations. The case studies were presented by Zoe Blumenfeld, communications manager for Global Fund for Women, and Viktor Sjöberg, digital services librarian at Escondido Public Library. The talk concluded with tips from Brandon Walowitz of Lights.Camera.Help. on how to get your organization started telling stories digitally. 

How to Create a Culture of Storytelling

Blumenfeld kicked off the discussion by talking about making the transformation into a storytelling organization. Creating a storytelling culture begins with getting leadership buy-in. Blumenfeld also suggests that organizations move from classic corporate-speak to more natural, emotional language. Getting to natural, emotional language is possible by asking staff about their proudest moments fulfilling your organization's mission.

Helping staff articulate their stories and developing them might require storytelling training. Blumenfeld organized workshops for staff that taught them about the important aspects of stories, incorporating calls-to-action in their stories, and more. Once staff understand how to tell stories, the organization should empower them to share these stories. Stories should be shared on the organization's official channels and staff members' personal channels, like to their Facebook friends.

Sjöberg introduced the work of Escondido Public Library by noting how historically libraries have provided content to be consumed. Escondido Public Library has upended that paradigm by embracing technology to empower its community to create content for library use. Escondido Library's LibraryYOU and Pop Up Podcasts teach library users to operate audio and visual equipment to record, edit, and produce content.

User-generated content includes how-tos, interviews, and life stories. To encourage library patrons to continue making content, Escondido Public Library trains library patrons using mostly free and open source software. By utilizing free open source software, LibraryYOU and Pop Up Podcast participants are encouraged to take their training outside the library and continue creating.

Why Tell Stories with Video?

Video, according to Walowitz, is important because it's an emotion medium that can be easily shared. The nature of the web and social media is also means that our online supporters expect our organizations to provide video content. The idea of getting started might seem daunting but it’s completely possible for any organization. Embracing a storytelling culture is the first step and the second is to determine what you have on hand for digital story creation.

For instance, an organization can use easily use their headquarters as their studio. Adding music and editing your final product can be done internally with access to the Internet and a search royalty free and open source tools.

Much more information about creating a culture of storyetelling, with question-and-answer session with the webinar’s experts can be found on the archived webinar recording. While there, make sure to check out upcoming and past TechSoup Digital Storytelling Challenge webinars and online resources