{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Creating Story-Based, Narrative Content to Share Your Agency’s Mission |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Creating Story-Based, Narrative Content to Share Your Agency’s Mission",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/20/creating-story-based-narrative-content-to-share-your-agencys-mission/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Creating Story-Based, Narrative Content to Share Your Agency’s Mission","summary" : "As human beings, we love stories. We like regaling our friends with tales from a recent road trip. We listen intently as grandma recounts that special moment she first met grandpa. Stories are how we relate to people. Stories help us form memories. Stories carry on tradition and culture from one generation to the next.","date" : "2015-05-20T11:10:09-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"sarah-herrmann" : "Sarah Herrmann"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-05-20-creating-story-based-narrative-content-to-share-your-agencys-mission.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/05/2015-05-20-creating-story-based-narrative-content-to-share-your-agencys-mission.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/05/2015-05-20-creating-story-based-narrative-content-to-share-your-agencys-mission.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/05/2015-05-20-creating-story-based-narrative-content-to-share-your-agencys-mission.md","slug" : "creating-story-based-narrative-content-to-share-your-agencys-mission","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/20/creating-story-based-narrative-content-to-share-your-agencys-mission/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eAs human beings, we love stories. We like regaling our friends with tales from a recent road trip. We listen intently as grandma recounts that special moment she first met grandpa. Stories are how we relate to people. Stories help us form memories. Stories carry on tradition and culture from one generation to the next.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story is an powerful tool, and that’s why we’re focusing on creating story-based narrative content at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.abmc.gov/\"\u003eAmerican Battle Monuments Commission\u003c/a\u003e (ABMC). Every Memorial Day weekend, our 25 overseas military cemeteries honor our fallen with special ceremonies. But for those who can’t be there, standing amongst the marble headstones, how do we convey sacrifice, honor and loss using digital tools?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis month, as part of our Memorial Day efforts, we’ve created a special campaign that tells the personal stories of six people who paid the ultimate sacrifice during World War II and are buried overseas. We’re doing this through articles, video, photos, and social media posts. We have more than 100,000 Americans buried and memorialized overseas from World War II alone. All of these people were sons, daughters, husbands, fathers, wives, sisters or brothers. So instead of focusing on the larger efforts of one unit, such as the 1st Infantry Division, or highlighting the societal implications to the end of the war, we’re focusing on how the war affected six families.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe’ve been able to do this by connecting with our audience, specifically the American World War II Orphans Network (AWON). This group includes the sons and daughters who lost a parent in the war. \u003ca href=\"http://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/wwii-orphans-visit-hallowed-grounds-netherlands-american-cemetery-memorial-day#.VVunwflVikp\"\u003eFifty members of AWON are traveling to our Netherlands American Cemetery Memorial Day weekend\u003c/a\u003e to visit the final resting place of their fathers. In January, we began interviewing some of these men and women. Some were video interviews, and others were phone interviews. But through all of these, the AWON members supplied photos, primary source documents, such as letters and telegrams, and they shared their own perspective on what it is like growing up without a father.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/05/250-x-315-1st-Lt-Paul-Donald-Meyer.jpg\"\n    alt=\"1st Lieutenant Paul Donald Meyer and his wife, Elaine.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\nWith these items, we’ve been able to craft a series called \u003ca href=\"http://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/profiles-sacrifice-cpl-william-h-myers-jr#.VVun2PlVikp\"\u003eProfiles in Sacrifice\u003c/a\u003e, which we’re releasing throughout the month. And throughout Memorial Day weekend, while these men and women are in the Netherlands, we’ll be sharing content in real time. 1st Lt. Paul Donald Meyer, below, is \u003ca href=\"http://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/profiles-sacrifice-1st-lt-paul-donald-meyer#.VVun9PlVikp\"\u003eone of the men ABMC has profiled\u003c/a\u003e this month as part of the Memorial Day campaign.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery mission in the federal government can be exemplified by a person, a family, a community, a business, etc. Our agencies exist to maintain and improve the lives of Americans. Why not tell these stories? Why not put faces to our missions?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile it’s more time-consuming to create narrative based content, not to mention legally more complicated, your audience will respond.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"getting-started\"\u003eGetting Started:\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsult General Counsel:\u003c/strong\u003e Sharing personal stories does make content creation a bit more complicated in terms of permission and release forms; however, it can be done. Talk with your legal team and figure out what’s plausible.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStart Small:\u003c/strong\u003e You don’t have to start with a large, rigorous campaign. Especially if this is new territory and you’re working to get leadership comfortable with a new approach, work on individual pieces and begin sprinkling in story-based narrative into your existing \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/23/the-content-corner-building-a-content-strategy/\" title=\"The Content Corner: Building a Content Strategy\"\u003econtent strategy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRemember, Stories Vary in Length, Complexity and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/11/the-content-corner-ranking-six-common-content-types/\" title=\"The Content Corner: Ranking Six Common Content Types\"\u003eMedium\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e The idea of story-based, narrative content can be achieved in a tweet or in a long blog post. The story can be simple or complicated. It can be done through photos, text or video. No one method is better or more effective. It depends on your audience and your goals.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrainstorm a Plan:\u003c/strong\u003e Develop a draft plan. Think about your audience, objectives and tools. What will mark success? This does not need to be lengthy communications plan, but rather a beginning blue print.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUse your Existing Network:\u003c/strong\u003e People like sharing their stories. Use your existing social media networks to outreach and see who might want to share their story.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"next-stepswhen-youre-ready-to-start-collecting-stories\"\u003eNext Steps—When You’re Ready to Start Collecting Stories:\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo your Research Ahead of Time:\u003c/strong\u003e Before you begin communicating with someone, ensure you’ve done your homework on the topic. There’s no faster way to isolate someone then to make them believe you have no real interest in their story. You don’t need to be an expert, but you need to be able to ask smart questions.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUse the Phone. Video Chat. Meet in Person\u003c/strong\u003e: Email is great for sharing facts, details, and photos, but it’s not great for understanding who that person really is. You need to hear their voice and their tone.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGive Them a Game Plan:\u003c/strong\u003e Before you begin an actual interview, tell them exactly how the process will unfold. Tell them what to expect both during and after the process.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eListen:\u003c/strong\u003e People will be open and forthcoming with you. Let them talk. Do not interrupt. Take notes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBe Respectful and Sincere:\u003c/strong\u003e When people open up to you, and share their personal story, they are putting their faith in you that you will be a good steward of their story. You have now become their voice. This is a big responsibility.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThank Them:\u003c/strong\u003e Whenever you communicate with the person, thank them for participating. At the end of the project, hand write thank you notes. Trust me.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are some general recommendations to get you started on creating story-based, narrative content. If you can collect and share personal stories and perspectives, you can better share your agency’s mission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollow along with us Memorial Day weekend via our \u003ca href=\"http://www.abmc.gov/\"\u003ewebsite\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/abmcpage\"\u003eFacebook\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://instagram.com/usabmc\"\u003eInstagram\u003c/a\u003e as we continue to share these personal stories.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAuthor’s note: I want to thank Geraldine Morenski, Billie Myers Meeks, Arthur Chotin, Nancy Meyer, and Patricia Rathje for sharing their stories with me as part of this project. All of their fathers are buried at Netherlands American Cemetery.\u003c/em\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eSarah Herrmann is the Digital Communications Manager for the American Battle Monuments Commission.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}