Boston, June 6, 2014. Organizers of the Common Bound Conference in Boston expected
300 people and we almost overwhelmed when 650 people representing 110
organizations registered, maxing out the accommodations (our publisher Rob Kall
was among those who couldn't find a room.) The theme is "Moving Together Toward
a New Economy." The notion of a new
economy proceeds from the recognition that the economy is much more than just
money. Traditional economic modeling treats society and the natural world as
externalities -- variables that are
ignored in the modeling of the system. The new economy would encompass the
totality of our biosphere and seek include sustainability and stewardship as
core values.
Gathering at Northeastern University in Boston on Friday, people from
cities across the nation began with a workshops at Northeastern
University.
(Program) Marguerite
Chandler, reported on the session
Storytelling & Memes based on the work of
Christine Cordero, Center for
Story Based Strategy. Twitter and
other public media require a very brief yet compelling
meme or story. When done well, the meme goes viral and is widely
re-tweeted reaching an expanding network of people. The workshop revealed how
to craft such viral tweets. You can get the flavor of the workshop from Marguerite's
outline:
What makes a
story? conflict, characters,
imagery, foreshadowing, underlying assumptions (of the listeners)
Narrative power
analysis
1. filters - not what people DON'T know, but what they DO
know (challenging underlying assumptions - e.g., "greed economy"
becomes a meme for the extractive, non-sustainable, lack of stewardship of our
current economy)
2. analyzing the DOMINANT STORIES that affect our
understanding of the issue
3. We have to re-frame and change the stories
Winning the battle of
the story
- frame the conflict
- amplify the voice of impacted individuals
- show, not tell (facts + images tell a fuller tale)
- engage people and their values
- foreshadowing (create a clear, compelling vision of
alternatives: e.g., people and planet
first, sustainable use and stewardship of resources, protection and valuing of
cultural capital, strengthening local economies, reclaiming democracy and
control of wealth, investment in renewable forms of energy)
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