Defining Narrative Objectives & Audiences
Now you have mapped the narrative space, let’s get practical! We will develop a Narrative Strategy to intervene in the narrative space. This step will focus on Narrative Reframing: the process of transforming frames in specific narrative communities to support your Point of View.
We will first define our Audiences. Your Audience is the group you want to target with your narrative intervention or hack.
We will first define our Audiences. Your Audience is the group you want to target with your narrative intervention or hack.
Remember your Attention Network Power analysis earlier? Your audience will be a group of people in the Network of the Narrative Community you wish to evolve. Ideally, your audience is a community with the potential to shift in the narrative space – moving the window of discourse (a Catalytic Community).
Once you’ve chosen your audience, we must define Narrative Objectives. A Narrative Objective is the strategic direction we want to pursue in the narrative space and provides the basis for the Reframe. This direction is based on the Point of View, the mapping process, and your chosen audience/s.
Essentially, you are describing the shift you want to create in your narrative hack. Think about:
- What is your narrative intention by connecting with this audience?
- Which frames and metaphors are you targeting?
- Where do you want to shift your Window of Discourse and why?
Now you are ready to write out your Narrative Objectives.
In the TOT example, Land Back communities were identified as catalytic communities because they already had networks, support and influence in the narrative space around the topic of land.
- The narrative objective was to engage the audience: activist groups in the Americas within the Land Back Narrative Communities in conversations about our relationship with land (ontology), expanding the conversation beyond ownership of land (justice) – and pushing the window of discourse towards a deeper ontological shift (justice + onto-shift).
