Evaluation & Iteration

Finally – we move to iteration & evaluation which tell us if the tree is actually growing and if the narrative space is being rewilded!

This is divided into three parts:

1. Impact on audiences 
2. Impact on discourse
3. Impact on tipping points & systems change

1) Impact on audiences: prototyping your hack

Think of your first hacks as prototypes: they won’t be perfect the first time – they grow through experiments. Prototyping allows you to compare which memes, formats, tones, spaces, scales and moments resonate most with your audience. Don’t invest everything into a single action. Instead, design several possible interventions, try them out, and observe what sticks and gains traction. 

This process is cyclical: launch > monitor > evaluate > adapt > relaunch. Each cycle sharpens your strategy and increases the chances of your hack shifting the narrative space.

When evaluating impact on your target audience – was there reach and response?

• Reach (how many people in your target audience saw your hack?)
• Response (did it spark the emotions and reactions you intended?) 

There are various techniques to test different prototypes and audience reach/response at varying costs and levels of efforts (e.g. A/B testing on social media; or focus groups – find out more here).

2) Impact on discourse: measuring micro-shifts

But how do we know if our prototypes are actually shifting the narrative space? Here we move from actors (audience impact) to discourse (narrative space and narrative community impact)… Narrative shifts happen when your audience repeats and integrates your reframe into their own discourse so your narrative becomes not only known but also owned.

When evaluating impact on your target narrative community – was there a shift in Attention, Network & Power (ANP)?

1. Attention: Did your hack draw focus within the discourse? Did it shift which ideas or frames or metaphors are being noticed and reproduced?
2. Network: Was there a change in the network – are new connections or associations forming between previously separate actors, platforms or domains? 
3. Power: is there stronger narrative coherence around your reframed logic? Are your frames gaining authority and legitimacy?

To evaluate discourse shifts, you can repeat step 2 of the method: LISTEN.

3) Impact on systems: contributing to tipping points

When many micro shifts accumulate (through the work of multiple hacks and social movement work) – a small but catalytic shift in ideas, symbols, or frames spreads widely enough that it reshapes the cultural common sense. Here, we reach a tipping point in the discourse that creates fertile ground for systems change.  

1. Attention: A tipping point is reached when enough people are shifting focus.
2. Network: A tipping point is reached when disparate actors/platforms begin to connect – when networks converge, it multiplies the discourse’s force.
3. Power: A tipping point is reached when the reframe becomes common sense: A catalytic narrative community flips from fringe to mainstream – this is where narrative change starts to restructure politics, culture, and material life.

When these three align, we’re not just changing minds and discourse: we’re changing systems.

As a final reflection when doing social movement work on narrative-led systems change, it is important to ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the implications of this work for me personally?
• What are the implications of this work for my community?
• And what are the implications of this work for the planet?