Environmental Story-telling (Right brain for behaviour change)

How telling green campaign stories draws out empathy in our audience

·       Stories are satisfying as they involve a beginning a middle, and an end.

·       They help the audience identify with the characters and their situations.

·       Stories play a dual role: conveying information whilst also arousing an emotional response, but the story-telling keeps the information at the general audience’s level of understanding

·       Stories aren't laden with facts! This is ideal where the audience aren’t receptive to lists and tips,  facts and moral strictures!

·       With stories, we can raise the characters up to hero-status, which makes the audience think: I want to be that person, I want to do and be like that person (mirror neurons). 

.       Stories work really well with children (and those of us still in the process of growing up!)  Weren't we like sponges - soaking up new stuff when we were children, and story-telling allows us to drop our guards, and be right-brain receptive.  Stories work in inspiring environmental change as they arouse sympathy, as well as making sustainability fun, working on our sub-conscious minds and ultimately building up trust, empathy and purpose to convert to action.