Stories v. Narrative

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(Photo of trees in a forest by Ingemar Johnsson)

Have you heard people use "story" and "narrative" interchangably? Maybe you've wondered if there's a distinction... or maybe you've assumed they are the same?

In fact, there's a difference - a very important difference.

I share this not to be persnickity about words, but because to be an effective advocate, you need understand how the difference impacts your work.

In short, your stories all live within a much bigger frame: narrative. Narrative is the larger lens through which we see and interpret stories; narrative is both the experience we bring to stories and the meaning we make of stories.

Let's Dig in Deeper

Consider this:

“A young girl escapes a war-torn country with nothing but a backpack, and years later, she’s a doctor, helping refugees like herself.”

That's a story. A very short one, to be sure, but a story all the same.

Perhaps you felt something reading it? In only a sentence, maybe your emotions changed just slightly? Did image of the girl come to mind? Perhaps you thought, "I want to know more about her."

That’s a tiny sample of the magic of story.

Humans are the only species to tell stories. Thus, we're the only species to be able to connect with fellow humans through words, images, and sounds alone.

Whales, dogs, and other animals can communicate, of course. But they have no equivalent of Tale of Two Cities, Breaking Bad, or Dr. Seuss.

What is a Story?

As we cover in Storytelling 101, story is:

• A sequence of events

• Told with a beginning, middle, and end

• Involving a character

• Who faces a challenge...

• and experiences change.

A story is concrete and, told well, relatable. A story invites us into someone else's world.

Told well, stories build empathy. Told well, stories build trust.

Told well, stories help people see other people not as statistics, but as fellow human beings.

Told well, stories make problems real and, in advocacy, encourage solutions.

What is a Narrative?

In short, narrative is bigger - MUCH bigger. You can think of narrative as the water that story swims in.

If a story is the star, narrative is the constellation.

If a story is a brick, narrative is the house.

If story is the tree, narrative is the forest.

Put less tangibly, narrative is the overarching framework that gives stories meaning.

Narrative is a deeper (and often invisible) pattern that helps us understand why something matters, what’s at stake, and what we should believe or do as a result.

Take a story that conveys, “This family has no place to live other than their car.”

A narrative could say: "Everyone who works hard enough succeeds, so that family must not be working hard enough."

Or a narrative could say, "Current circumstances are making it next to impossible for many people to find safe, healthy, and affordable housing - and that needs to change.”

KEY POINT: The same story can be heard very differently by different people depending on the narratives in which they frame the story.

Narratives shape our sense of

what’s normal,

what’s possible, and

what’s right.

Why Does This Distinction Between Stories and Narrative Matter?

Too often in advocacy, we stop at stories. We gather them, share them, feature them in visits to the Hill, videos made for policymakers to (hopefully) see, and in fundraising emails.

And don't get me wrong, stories are powerful.

But without recognizing narratives, we risk only touching hearts, without changing minds - or laws, policies, and systems.

Even worse, if we aren't careful, individual stories can reinforce harmful narratives.

Like the example of the family above, stories about “exceptional” people can unintentionally suggest that if someone just tries hard enough, they too can beat the odds. That assumption implies that the conditions people are facing and the systems involved aren't a problem.

If we want real change, we have to recognize the larger narrative context surrounding our stories.

What Does This Look Like in Practice?

Let’s say your organization works on issues of health and environment. You might tell the story of a single father whose daughters have asthma made worse by nearby refineries.

Ideally, you share this story in a way that the people you need to reach understand the struggles the family is facing, care about them as people, and want to find a solution.

But you don’t stop there.

Why? More often than not, the solution lies within the larger narrative - and that way of seeing the world may not match how the people you're trying to reach see the world.

So, don't forget your frame. Frame your story within the narrative you need people to use, whether that's one of corporate accountability, the historic shutting out of people based on race and class, and/or the need for community-led solutions.

In advocacy, you aren't telling stories just to evoke empathy or sympathy; you are telling stories to fuel understanding and action.

Why it Matters:

By understanding this distinction, you can appreciate the role of both story and narrative in your work. You can see that stories change people while narratives change culture. And you'll be clear that stories are shared in a fraction of the time it takes to "change the narrative."

In the world of advocacy, understanding the difference between story and narrative can be key to changing hearts and minds - and laws, policies, and systems.

- Piper Hendricks, CEO

May 2025