New Episode: The Art of Adapting Stories with The Gaia Project’s Travis Daley
The same story can be told in many different ways. In this episode, The Gaia Project’s Strategic Partnerships Manager, Travis Daley, shares how this environmental and climate education organization adapts its storytelling depending on the audience (i.e. teachers vs government stakeholders vs donors) to make sure they resonate. He also brings insights on training your team to collect stories, how numbers intersect with narrative, and how The Gaia Project is doing more through cross-collaboration.
Listen now, or read on for a few highlights.
Adjusting Stories for Different Audiences
Travis explains that telling the right story to the right audience is key. The Gaia Project changes its stories depending on who they are talking to. When speaking to teachers, it makes the stories easy to integrate into classroom learning. But when talking to government stakeholders or donors, the focus shifts to the big impact and wider reach of their work. This way, every group gets a story that fits what they care about most.
Helping the Team Gather and Share Stories
The Gaia Project has struggled at times to collect stories because their delivery people are so passionate about the work that they don’t always remember to jot down notes or take a photo. To change that, the organization now instills the value of capturing stories before the semester begins by sharing examples and explaining how stories help engage funders, supporters, parents, and teachers. It also leverages team meetings, prompting the team to share stories by talking about their week.
Working Together to Do More
Travis discusses how working with other organizations enhances their storytelling. By teaming up with groups that have different strengths, The Gaia Project can spread their stories further and discover new angles. These partnerships enable diverse stories to be shared, and expands the types of environmental education it can deliver across New Brunswick.
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