Sharing stories without the people

How do we share human stories when someone doesn't want to be in them?

This same tricky question has popped up twice this week: first, during a storytelling workshop with a cracking fire service team, then during a webinar on social storytelling.

It can be a demoralising, frustrating barrier - knowing there's a great story to tell, one that could really elevate a message or campaign.

But the storyholder (remember them) is reluctant to be involved for any number of reasons - stigma, embarrassment, shyness or just good old-fashioned stubbornness.

It feels that without the central character, a story is impossible to tell. But we can still bring their story to life in different ways, without the need for them to be directly featured.

• ANIMATION - represent the case study or character, but without their face or identity being used. This video from fuel poverty charity National Energy Action carries a real-life story of a family benefitting from the charity's help, but using different names.
• VOICEOVER - if the storyholder is willing or able to provide their voice, but not their face, then we can use that as a soundtrack to animate or provide other visuals to, as in this story from a social worker from Stoke City Council. If they don't want their voice featured, you could provide your own voice track or...
• QUOTES AND TEXT - use the words of the storyholder as quotes and text on-screen or in visuals to carry the story. Again, this can be done anonymously or without attribution, such as this internal campaign from British Red Cross on addressing microaggressions (also pictured right 👉)

There is always a way - give me a shout to chat about any of your challenges.

STORYTELLERS = AWARD WINNERS

The Unawards Masterclass is a brilliant learning event, where you get to hear behind-the-scenes of all the award-winning work from the winners of the Unawards.

The golden thread running through so many of the winners this year was their storytelling - whether in campaigns, on social, video, email or as part of a team strategy.

Well done to all the winners and presenters - you can read a bit more about some of them and the day. ​

STEAL THIS: content and campaign ideas

Another pick-up from the Orlo social storytelling webinar - hooks. Grabbing people within two seconds - our human attention span on social.

Teasers or spoilers are increasingly being used to share part of the ending and keep you watching. This Irn Bru one certainly worked on me.

​

DATA STORYTELLING: Not always graphs

Great work-through of how to tell a story with data in the clearest, most compelling way - and the answer isn't always a graph.

COMMS SCIENCE: Time to smile!

Why do you almost always see the time 10.10 on a product image of a watch?

It's perceived as looking as if the clock face is smiling at you and so influencing our emotional response.

Any image or visual you could subtly sneak a smile onto?

NEW FAVE FACT

The vast majority of videos on YouTube have been viewed less than 500 times...

IN PUBLIC SECTOR COMMS? Diversity survey

LGcomms, the membership org representing local government and public sector communicators, is running its annual diversity survey and you could win a £50 High Street shopping voucher for taking part.

STORY SUCCESS? Share now!

I'm always on the lookout for great case studies, where stories and storytelling have contributed to a brilliant outcome or result, so if you've got something impressive to share - or know someone who has - then get in touch. There might even be a webinar series in there somewhere...

FREE LEARNING: catch-up links

📝 BLUE LIGHT HUB - I'm part of the Blue Light Comms Hub, run together with CAN Digital, a free community and resource centre for emergency services comms teams and partners.

We ran a recent webinar demystifying programmatic advertising and showing the impact it can have on your campaigns.

You can watch it back, along with all the other previous webinars.

📝 SOCIAL STORYTELLING - I've already mentioned the the Orlo webinar above - How social has changed storytelling...or has it?

It's well worth a catch up to hear from Social Storyteller (his actual job title) Simon Carr from Dstl, which is the Ministry of Defence's science and innovation lab for some cracking insights on their storytelling approach and inside Downing Street.

FREE LEARNING: dates for the diary 📆

📆 IRL EVENT - Orlo Tour, Newcastle (June 17)​
The next Orlo tour event heads north in June. Speakers will include comms2point legend Darren Caveney and data guru Alex Waddington. Book your place.​

📆 IRL EVENT - e-shot tour, Surrey/Bedford/London (June 11/18/25)​
Email superstars e-shot are hosting a series of collaboration workshop events throughout June, free and open to anyone in public sector comms. The events are all about maxing out your digital engagement and collaborating with peers. Book your place.​

NO-EFFORT IDEAS daily

Need inspiration for your next campaign or content, but you're totally snowed?

The Creative Catch of the Day WhatsApp channel shares a slice of creative inspo direct to you every weekday - campaigns, ads, social, anything to give you the spark you need.

ABOUT US

Turn The Page is a story-led communications consultancy, using the power of stories to create memorable, measurable campaigns, strategies and narratives.

Book a chat

​Book a FREE explora-story chat anytime, if you feel your comms could do with some serious story attention.

​​