a framework for storytelling · retail activity real estate value and affordability. compelling...
TRANSCRIPT
A Framework for Storytelling
Communicating the Civic Commons
October 2017
• Every month: • Three Story Ideas • Five Photos (with captions) • Any Other Content
• Quarterly Calls • Annual or Biannual Hosting
What We Need From You
Submitting Your Monthly Story Ideas • Visit www.URL-TO-COME.com to submit your story ideas and all supporting content • Each city should submit at least three story ideas per month • You’ll receive a reminder email on the 15th of each month
Submitting Your Social Photos and Captions • Visit www.URL-TO-COME.com to submit your social media photos and captions • Each city should submit at least five social media-worthy photos with captions per month • Ideally, each city will submit approximately one photo per week (five total over the course of the month) so that RCC’s social cadence is
balanced and the content is current • Captions should provide enough context that an unfamiliar viewer will understand what we’re highlighting and why it matters • Captions may also include a relevant quote from somebody in the image/knowledgeable about the content in the image or a link to an article
related to the image • You’ll receive a reminder email on the 15th of each month
How This Works
Story Themes to Mine
Socioeconomic Mixing Mixing Reputation Bridging social capital Neighborhood diversity
Environmental Sustainability Access to nature Ecological indicators Walkability/bikeability
Institutional Change Governmental/organizational shifts in policies, priorities and staffing
Value of collaboration across asset silos
Innovating Civic Assets Relevance to today’s (and future) users
New approaches to design, technology, programming, communication and branding
Civic Engagement Public Life Stewardship and advocacy Trust
Value Creation Safety Retail activity Real estate value and affordability
Compelling images have the power to attract attention and tell a memorable story. But how do we capture them? The following tips will help.
Capturing Great Photos
• Think of the story themes and make shot lists that help you tell those stories
• Incorporate vivid colors
• Take photos of individuals or small groups of people looking toward/exposed to the camera
• Capture people showing emotion — joy, pleasure and surprise are especially photogenic emotions
• Be friendly and inquisitive — this will help loosen up your subjects so you can take more honest shots and learn something about them that advances the story
• Look for simple angles and use them to frame up your photo
• Take a range of photo types — an expansive scene-setting shot, supporting images of project details, individual portraits and others capturing the ”day-to-day”
• Remember that many photos will come together over time to tell a story, so take shots of construction sites and projects-in-progress
• Before and after images are especially compelling: consider site plans and locations of activities as you take pre-intervention images, so that when you use similar angles in the “after” shots it is easy to compare
• Quality counts, so make sure that all of your photos are at least 300 DPI and minimum 1024 pixels wide (though 1440 is preferable)
• Take plenty of photos and curate the best — the more you take, the more likely you are to snap a few gems
What You’re Now Doing • City teams are now submitting at least three story ideas each month • City teams are now submitting at least five images and captions for use on social media and to support broader storytelling • City teams are now joining quarterly calls with the national storytelling and PR teams • City teams are now hosting members of the national storytelling and PR teams once or twice per year
What You’re No Longer Doing • City teams are no longer responsible for hiring and managing local storytellers • City teams no longer need to set aside a prescribed budget for storytelling • City teams no longer need to produce and submit blog entries (though we’re still always glad to receive them) • City teams no longer need to produce semiannual long forms (though we’re still always glad to receive them)
What You’re (Not) Doing
Contact your national storytelling, PR, and Learning Network teams.
Contact Us
Storytelling
Made By Little Chris Maier [email protected] 202-550-3145
PR National Learning Network
Brink Communications Leslie Carlson [email protected] 503-805-5560
Reimagining the Civic Commons Bridget Marquis [email protected] 617-477-9969