The power of human stories: how to be an authentic storyteller

Location: Illuminate Suite

Location: Illuminate Suite

Real human stories are what bring our content to life and allow audiences to understand and connect with the causes we care about. In this session, we’ll hear directly from the people whose stories we borrow. We’ll hear about their experiences, challenges and perceptions and learn how we can better support them. Telling their stories:

• Emma Campbell, author and media volunteer for Cancer Research UK
• Jon Arnold, CEO of Tiny Tickers and former national media executive with the Press Association 
• Onjali Rauf, author and CEO of Making Herstory

Location: Illuminate Suite

• 11.25 – 11.45: Book reading – The Boy at The Back of the Class
  A book reading followed by book signing with Onjali Rauf, CEO of Making Herstory and author of The Boy at The Back of the Class – Location: book reading in Smile 3, book signing at CharityComms reception
• 11.20 – 11.45: Sector networking – Location: next to the CharityComms reception desk
  • Health
  • Mental health
  • Disability

Location: Illuminate Suite

Every photograph or piece of film is a snapshot of someone’s life – it captures a unique part of the person, forever held at a moment in time. These images can cut through the noise and tell a complete story, humanising a whole issue. But when charities get imagery wrong, it can have a deep and lasting impact on public perception, cause and the people behind the images. Join this session for some fascinating insights and practical advice for creating impactful and ethical imagery.

Location: Smile 1

Stories aren’t just fun – they’re essential to what makes us human. The right story can shift attitudes, sell products and swing elections. By understanding the role storytelling has played in human evolution, we can learn how to identify and craft highly effective messages. This session will show you how, give you practical tips and include four, maybe five, good jokes.

Location: Smile 2

Scope became Disability Gamechangers in the summer of 2018, with a new brand to achieve equality for all disabled people. This included giving the charity a new brand story and personality, inspired by brand archetypes and challenger brand narratives. Then bringing the story to life with individual human stories of inequality and empowerment. Danielle will share the tale of how they created and brought Scope’s new brand story to life.

Location: Smile 3

Not only is Instagram a complete powerhouse in the social world, it is the perfect medium for charities to tell their stories and engage new audiences. In this session, Oscar will share insights about the great storytelling work WaterAid is doing on Instagram Stories and IGTV. From the technical aspects of using this platform to how they opened it up to their field officers from around the world to tell the real stories of the communities they work with. There will also be an opportunity to discuss Instagram with your peers.

Location: Illuminate Suite

Your story is worth telling, so why does no one care? Connecting with audiences has never been so tough with complete fragmentation of media and a world in flux. It’s not enough just to have a good story – you have to tell it in a way that will grab attention and encourage action. This talk looks to explore best practice for engaging storytelling; outlining top tips and inclusions to hook new audiences, reconnect with old ones and ultimately cut through the noise. There will also be an opportunity to work in groups on your own ideas. 

Location: Smile 1

Amputation. Blindness. Both potential complications of Diabetes that are hard to engage with. Diabetes UK needed to develop sensitive and hard-hitting content without turning people off. From user testing to handing over video cameras to people with Diabetes, in this session, we’ll learn how they develop their content with real people at every stage. There will be an opportunity for you to discuss the challenges of co-creation with your peers.

Jemma Sullivan, senior brand manager, Diabetes UK

Location: Smile 2

The Children’s Society helps some of the most vulnerable people in our communities – young people in crisis. In this session, we’ll learn how the team find and fiercely protect the young people that feature in their campaigns. From finding the right stories and developing a robust consent process to ensuring anonymity while preserving authenticity– we will hear the inside story. David and Rachel will offer their advice for other organisations walking the fine balance between developing hard-hitting content and protecting the people who lend us their stories.

Location: Smile 3

In 2017, Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care joined forces to become Versus Arthritis. One of the charity’s priorities is to change the public perception and dialogue about arthritis, so that people living with daily pain, fatigue and isolation get the support they need. As they built the new brand and first campaign, the comms team realised that people with arthritis found it difficult to tell their stories honestly, because they were so used to their condition being dismissed. In this session, Shree will share their challenges and successes as they co-created powerful and authentic content with the people whose stories they borrowed to bring their new brand to life.

• 13.40 – 14.05: Book reading – All That Followed: A story of cancer, kids and the fear of leaving too soon 
  A book reading session followed by book signing with Emma Campbell, author of All That Followed: A story of cancer, kids and the fear of leaving too soon – Location: book reading Smile 3, book signing at CharityComms reception
• 13.45 – 14.10: Sector networking – Location: next to the CharityComms reception desk
  • Children / Younger people
  • Older people
  • Hospices

Location: Illuminate Suite

Storytelling is one of the most important skills for charities there is. But where do you begin? How do you take your raw content and turn it into a simple story that resonates with your audience? This practical workshop provides some tried and tested techniques to get you started with storytelling. And to help you create stories that are persuasive, easily understood, and remembered.

Location: Smile 1

There are plenty of social tools that can help you convey emotion, authenticity and immediacy in a short period of time. From Snapchat to Facebook, most social channels now offer a stories format. In this session, we’ll hear how the RNLI is creating effective storytelling campaigns on social media using a combination of both shorter and longer formats, plus Rich will offer his top tips for how your charity can do the same. There will also be an opportunity for group discussions with your peers.

Location: Smile 2

Strong brands should have a clear point of difference to stand out from the crowd. One way to differentiate your brand is via your personality. In this workshop, we’ll be building on the earlier session (breakout one with Scope) giving you the opportunity to learn about the theory of brand archetypes and challenger brand narratives. You’ll also have the chance to apply the theory with some practical exercises which will see you developing your own brand personality and story to compete with the market leaders. Watch out Goliath!

Location: Smile 3

As charity comms and marketing people we often tell our beneficiaries’ stories on their behalf. But in the right situation, it can be so much more powerful for people with lived experience to tell their story themselves. In this session, we’ll learn how as comms professionals we can help increase the confidence and skills of often vulnerable people to share their stories in a way that is going to be empowering and beneficial to them as well as impactful for your charity.

Location: Illuminate Suite

Join this interactive workshop run by narrative coach and playwright – Robert Holtom. From plot to character to world-building, you’ll learn the fundamentals of storytelling, and be shown how to apply these skills to your work in communications. Robert will also show you some simple techniques for unleashing your creative side.    

Location: Smile 1

In this session, we’ll hear from the amazing storytellers at Anthony Nolan. Beth and Hayley will showcase some extraordinary films and give us the lowdown on the work behind the scenes – how they found their stories from the frontline and developed relationships with the people they belong to. We’ll also hear how they’re getting staff at Anthony Nolan to buy into storytelling to ensure the communications and fundraising teams have incredible stories to inspire and move people to action.

Location: Smile 2

With little information about the impact of GDPR on photography, it can be tricky to know whether we’re taking unnecessary steps, missing steps completely or have all bases covered. Girlguiding has done extensive work around this topic. In this session, we’ll hear about how GDPR has changed the way their organisation approaches photoshoots, how they interpreted GDPR and some different approaches that can be taken to be GDPR compliant. We’ll also hear about their logistical considerations on the day and how they store images and consent forms post-shoot. You’ll come away armed with an action sheet to fill in for your own charity.

Location: Smile 3

Charities have access to a goldmine of authentic stories. Morever will share their experience of working with contributors to find those stories. We will explore the different techniques we can employ to tell those authentic stories… taking in film, mixed media approaches and stop frame animation. Join us for a fun and thoughtful session.

• 16.10 – 16.35: Sector networking – Location: next to the CharityComms reception desk
  • International development
  • Environment
  • Animals

Location: Illuminate Suite

Telling powerful stories about its work is essential for any charity.  Whether it’s to drive donation, communicate impact or highlight help and support available, storytelling should be a focus for the whole organisation.  Too often, it’s a real struggle and becomes the remit of a department or person.  In this interactive panel discussion, we’ll hear from charities who’ve made storytelling a part of their culture and gain practical tips on how to embed storytelling as a skillset and priority within your organisation.