Self Us Now Together

8/9/2019 Self Us Now Together

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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.


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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?

- Hillel, 1st

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 differentaudience, 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.


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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 thatyou 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,

Us & Now

paying particular attention to the Now. Use the worksheetbelow.

5 min.

2.Practice your story of now.

Each person has 2 minutes to tell a story of now and 3 minutes for

feedback.

10 min.

3. 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

askingothers 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?

20 min.


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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 emotionsof 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

person to be the facilitator for this section to help lead this agenda in

your small group.

3 min.


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2. Take some time as individuals to silently develop your Story of Self,

Us & Now paying particular attention to the Now. Use the worksheet

below.

5 min.

3. Gather in yoursmall group to practice your story of now.

Each person has 2 minutes to tell a story of now and 3 minutes forfeedback.

30 min.

4. Choose a partner.

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?

20 min.

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 thework your team has been doing in the earlier strategy sessions to fill in the answers to the

questions below.


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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

possibility of the people you will be

speaking to? What can they do confront

the challenge?

Why is it urgen

problems now?

overcome this c

first step that e

part of your sol


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OUTCOME

CHOICE

CHALLENGE

OUTCOME

CHOICE

CHALLENGE

OUTCOME

CHOICE

CHALLENGE

FACILITATION NOTES:

STORY OF NOW
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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 bedifferent 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


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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:


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Coaching Your Team's Public Narrative

As you hear each other's stories, keeping track of the details of each person s 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

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Documents

Self Us Now Together