Narrative Strategy - Free Template

The Narrative Strategy toolkit gives you a structured way to build and communicate your organisation's story. It walks through six components: The Shift (naming the tension), Core Message (your central claim), Audience Map (who needs to hear it), Story Architecture (the three-act structure), Channels and Moments (where it shows up), and the Feedback Loop (how it evolves).

The PDF includes the full hero diagram showing how the five forward-building components connect to the listening loop that keeps the narrative alive. Use it alongside the summary card to plan your approach, align your team, and make sure your story lands consistently. If you are working on how your organisation communicates its purpose, this is a good place to start.

• Start with the tension, not the message. Most teams jump straight to "what do we want to say?" but a narrative without genuine stakes reads like a brochure. Name what is changing and why it matters before you craft the message.
• Make your core message specific enough to disagree with. If nobody could argue with it, it is not doing any work. "We put people first" is wallpaper. "Every community deserves a local team that knows their name" is a position.
• Test it in the corridors, not just the boardroom. A narrative strategy works when frontline teams retell it in their own words. If it only lives in leadership presentations, it is a campaign, not a strategy.
• Let the feedback loop do its job. The narrative should evolve as the organisation learns. Revisit it regularly rather than treating it as a one-off exercise.