Kia ora from Jess,
With local government elections coming up, we’ve been thinking about the most helpful ways to talk about government, and its work for the long-term public good. The good news is that we can build people’s support and understanding of this work for the public good, by talking about it differently. In this newsletter, Jess launches our new guide - How to talk about government and its work for the long-term public good - which contains practical advice for doing just that.
Here at The Workshop we collaborate with many caring and dedicated people across local and central government. We see the sense of responsibility they feel to do the best they can for all people in our communities and for the planet and ecosystems that sustain us.
We’re at a critical point — for people, local communities, and our environment. People in governments, and especially local governments and related organisations, are being asked to implement changes that will make a big difference to people’s long-term wellbeing. They’re building the infrastructures that:
care for all people better, for example changes to our water infrastructure for people’s health
recognise our connection with, and reliance on, the environment more appropriately, for example changes to our transport systems to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels
help people contribute in meaningful ways, for example changes to make local democracy more inclusive.
Shared mindsets and social narratives can unlock — or block — support
This work is social change work at its most exciting, and it’s work that needs more people to understand and support it.
However, some shared ways we have of thinking (shared mindsets) and talking (social narratives) about government and its role make it harder for the public to understand and support this important upstream work.
Our communications are a powerful tool to engage the narratives and associated mindsets we need — and avoid those that we don’t. All of us are communicators, no matter what our job title, so we all have the power to shift public understanding. Especially if we shift together.
A new guide to help get backing for important long-term decisions
We’ve done the research and brought together some insights in a new guide called “How to talk about government and its work for the long-term public good”.
If you want people to back important decisions that’ll make the biggest difference to the long-term public good, use the recommendations in this guide.
What does the guide do?
Our guide will help those of you working within and with different types of government organisations. It will help you to:
understand the mindsets and narratives about the work of government that may be getting in the way of the understanding and support you need
learn what shifts you can make to your communications to avoid bringing these unhelpful mindsets to the surface
learn what shifts you can make to your communications to deepen people’s understanding and strengthen the shared mindsets that align with the evidence behind changes you’re making.
Five shifts to your communications to deepen understanding and build support for change
Here are five things you can do to help more people understand and support the necessary work of government for the long-term public good.
Shift to your true narrative about the work of government in building public good — shift away from engaging in untrue and unhelpful narratives about government.
Shift to meeting the information needs of people who need the changes most and those people who can understand a different perspective — shift away from listening to and addressing noisy opponents.
Shift to talking about communities, citizens, and people — shift away from talking about ratepayers, consumers, and what people get for their rates and taxes.
Shift to naming people in government systems and their ‘all-of-us’ motivations — shift away from abstract communications about ‘government’.
Shift to talking about creating public structures that prioritise care for people, connection between us and the environment, and contribution — shift away from talking about ‘providing services’.
Want to know more? Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw, Co-Director, is doing a free online talk on this guide on November 3rd. Go to how-to-talk-about-the-role-of-government.lilregie.com to register.
Notes & examples from the Narrative Movement
Hutt City Council’s integrated transport strategy
“We want a sustainable, low emissions transport system that improves the quality of life for today’s community without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own social, environmental, economic, and cultural needs. This means providing our community with transport options that connect people easily, safely, and affordably to where they need to go, whether travelling by foot, bike, or public transport.”
We love this quote, from Hutt City Council’s integrated transport strategy. It does a good job of talking about building infrastructures that connect people with each other and with the places they go to for work, play and community.
Read Hutt City’s transport strategy on Hutt City’s website
Stories for Life
Through the power of story, the Stories for Life collaboration inspires us to bring about “An economy where we put life at the centre, the health and wellbeing of people and planet, of all life, an economy re-designed to be in service to life.”
They are drawing on an engaging collective and collaborative process to share both ‘love stories’ and ‘horror stories’ from across cultures and communities to expose the fatalism narratives that prevent change, and the new and ancient wisdom that will guide our future.
Welcome Paula
We are delighted to welcome Paula White as our Knowledge and Impact Manager. We’ve asked Paula to answer some questions to get to know her more.
What were you up to before The Workshop?
For the past 20 or so years I’ve been supporting organisations to get insights and use them well for decision-making. My work has traversed social research and strategic policy and programme evaluation, with a public sector focus. Most recently I grappled with how to measure wellbeing impacts across a suite of regional economic development initiatives. I’ve learned a lot working alongside amazing community and technical experts doing
the ‘hard’ stuff: from Whānau Ora champions up against the system, to lab technicians in the Pacific managing with obsolete technology, to disabled business owners forging their path to digital inclusion
What does your ideal Saturday look like?
Family brunch, followed by a trip to the local fresh markets including a rummage for treasure at the vintage stalls. Getting out on one of the many Kāpiti walks and cycleways, or getting inspired at an art gallery. And later catching up with friends for a spot of live music or a film.
What drew you to The Workshop?
I’ve observed over and over again during my life and career that good communication is the secret sauce. It's not surprising that The Workshop had my full attention when I attended their Science of Story training in 2019. The narrative techniques resonated strongly - and still do! Now I’m looking forward to supporting this leading edge work for a better Aotearoa. My next challenge is helping our team and our clients know and show the impact they are making.
Get in touch with operations@theworkshop.org.nz if you would like to talk to us about how we can help you with specific advice or do training for your team.
The Workshop Team - Marianne, Jess, Carolyn, Jordan, Gidion, Ellen, Jayne, Tom, Julie, Hannah, Minette, Nick, and Paula.
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