1. Communications: How to tell our story?
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
Communications: How to tell our story?
June, 2013

2. Outline Session Why do we care about Communication? ICNL Key Messages
Annual report stories
Tracker and bullet point entries
Outline
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

3. What is ICNL about?
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

4. Why are we here?
Our audiences don’t always fully understand who we are, what we do and why that matters
We must be understood and valued to motivate others to engage with us
Understanding comes from communicating in a meaningful—not a technical—way
Value is created when people see how an organization’s work directly benefits them them
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

5. What’s important about telling a story?
Training Overview
What’s important about telling a story?
It captures not just what you provide but the role you play in the world
It puts technical details into a meaningful context
It gives people a sense of what they can expect of you in the future
It provides a consistent framework for all of an organization’s communications
hem
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

6. GE’s story: Inventing to make life better
Training Overview
GE’s story: Inventing to make life better
hem
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

7. Red Cross’s story: Help can’t wait
Training Overview
Red Cross’s story: Help can’t wait
hem
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

8. Red Cross’s story: Help can’t wait
Training Overview
Red Cross’s story: Help can’t wait
hem
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

9. ICNL’s story: Advancing laws that help people improve their everyday lives.
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

10. MAIN IDEA OF ICNL STORY/CORE MESSAGE
Training Overview
MAIN IDEA OF ICNL STORY/CORE MESSAGE
Helping people improve their everyday lives requires a legal environment that protects and advances civil society
ICNL helps advance laws that protect and advance civil society, public participation, and philanthropy. We empower people to work together to help solve pressing issues including health, education, human rights, and development.
Your legal ally – collaborative, objective, knowledgeable
Organizations and governments across the globe – from developed democracies to high growth economies to transitional governments – work with us to create supportive laws and policies that lay the foundation for success. Our unbiased expertise and ability to bring diverse groups to the table, help our partners achieve their goals.
World class legal expertise that helps you achieve your goals
We are a community of experts and leaders from around the globe with unmatched expertise on international standards protecting civil society; laws governing the formation, operation and financing of civil society organizations; and ways that government and civil society work together.
Global experience, local insight
Our engagements in over 100 countries gives us unmatched perspective and insight. We share cutting edge research, innovations, and lessons learned with our extensive global network of partners and help them apply these insights to the local context.
Progress is possible. Our optimism stems from past success.
We have helped enact progressive legislation in over 40 countries. We also worked to fend off restrictive legislation in many others. With our partners, we are on track to ensure that all people enjoy the fundamental rights that allow them to work together to improve their lives.
Lipman Hearne | ACCP

11. How do you use ICNL’s messages to tell its story?
Training Overview
How do you use ICNL’s messages to tell its story?
As a general framework for key plot points
As a framing device for specific examples, e.g., How is this an example of advancing laws that help people improve their everyday lives?
As a starting point for tailoring
To ensure that the stories ICNL tells are consistent and compelling
hem
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

12. What a story and messages aren’t
Training Overview
What a story and messages aren’t
A script to follow word for word
A “dumbing down” of an issue
hem
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

13. When can you tell ICNL’s story?
Training Overview
When can you tell ICNL’s story?
All the time, in all your communications
Media interviews
Annual reports
Press releases
Conferences
Web site
PowerPoint presentations
Networking and social gatherings
hem
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

14. Ultimately it’s about creating a meaningful, unified voice
Training Overview
Ultimately it’s about creating a meaningful, unified voice
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

15. Exercise: Which one draws you in?
Which article does the best job of drawing you in and making you want to read more? What about that article made you want to continue reading?
What about the other article did not make you want to keep reading? What was missing?
What else is different about the two in terms of how they frame their story?
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

16. Good storytelling starts with assessing who’s listening
Best Practices
Good storytelling starts with assessing who’s listening
Who is your audience?
What matters to them?
What do you want them to believe about you?
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

17. Where does a good story (and effective communication) begin?
With something that matters to your audience.
Typically, it’s:
An outcome
A shared value
It’s not:
Process
Details
Facts
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

18. = = Communications filter Outcomes Results Shared Values More Engaged
Details
Facts
Process =
Less Engaged
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

19. Sample communications filter
We provide compassionate care to those in need as we improve and save lives. =
More Engaged
We’re a charitable humanitarian organization that provides emergency and disaster relief services. =
Less Engaged
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

20. Sample communications filter
Our dynamic innovation builds, cures, moves and powers the things that matter. =
More Engaged
We are a multinational, Fortune 500 corporation that operates in four technology and innovation segments. =
Less Engaged
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

21.  Involve, don’t tell. Outcomes Results  Shared Values two-way
Involving someone
Details
Facts
Process 
one-way
Telling someone
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

22. Where does effective communication about ICNL begin?
With something that matters to your audience.
Typically, it’s:
An outcome
A shared value
It’s not:
Process
Details
Facts
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

23. Extra tips
Ask yourself: What does my audience care about most? How does ICNL contribute to that want?
Outcomes first, then the details and shared values.
Keep it short. Let them ask a question and tailor accordingly.
Lipman Hearne | ICNL

24. Exercise: Write your own stories
Best Practices
Exercise: Write your own stories
Break up into your teams for writing the annual report story.
You will receive the story you submitted on Papyrs. Choose to improve that story or another issue you may want to work on.
Use the themes from the messages – expertise, collaboration, global/local, progress – to tell the story.
See worksheet for instructions.
Lipman Hearne | ICNL