Narratives for Change Foundations training
Courses
Online Foundations short course
Our Narratives for Change Online Foundations short course is for people who want to understand and use better narratives for talking about the big issues. Changing how we talk about big issues helps shift mindsets and helps people understand and support changes that will make the biggest difference to people’s lives. Foundations is where you can start your training journey with The Workshop.
| Duration | 8 weeks, 3-4 hours per week |
| Format | Online short course |
| Course features | Weekly self directed modules, individual activities, small group work, trainer feedback |
Upcoming public trainings
Public training is perfect for individuals or small groups.
Our next public training will start on 2 September 2024 and run through until 25 October 2024, book before 4 August to take advantage of Early Bird pricing.
We are offering a limited number of scholarships for our online trainings. Scholarships are intended to support people working on systems change who face financial barriers to attending. Scholarships will be prioritised for people and kaupapa where Narratives for Change training can make the biggest impact. The scholarships provide discounted registration of $250+gst for our public courses.
What to expect from Online Foundations
Delivered online over eight weeks, Online Foundations is the most comprehensive of our Foundations trainings and provides the most flexibility of all our training. Content runs at a weekly pace and new content is released each week. You can choose when you read and watch the content for that week, when to do your individual activities and when to do your forum work for that week.
You’ll meet your pod group for small group work , normally virtually. The pod decides together when and how they meet each week.
We recommend you spend 3–4 hours a week:
working through the course content
doing the activities
connecting with your group
How Online Foundations works
Online
Each week there will be new material for you to work through at your own pace online
Lessons to read and watch
Individual activities
Discussion forums
Pod groups
Each week you will meet with your pod group (small groups of 3-4 people) in real time to:
Work through pod activities
Discuss reflections on your learning
Support and learning from your trainer
Your trainer will primarily support your learning within the online platform. They will do this by:
Providing insights and responding within discussion forums
Providing feedback to the group on your activities
Answering questions about your work
Your trainer will also join you for the live Zoom introductory session and the final live Zoom Q&A session.
Who should attend
Foundations training is ideal for:
Scientists, researchers, writers, advocates, campaigners, communicators, organisers, fundraisers, policy makers, and leaders of organisations who want to deepen people’s thinking on complex issues so that people will support the big changes that are needed.
Anyone who wants to motivate people to support big social and environmental changes over the long-term, and build a more just, sustainable, and democratic world.
What you will learn
By the end of this course you’ll:
Understand why narrative work can contribute to long-lasting change
See how your more effective communication can contribute to long-lasting change
Recognise what gets in the way of our messages creating the change we hope for
Understand why shifting to more helpful narratives is the most helpful shift we can make and how it will move the rock of public opinion
Know who to focus your communications on
Understand how to engage people with a clear, compelling vision right at the start — and give people hope that change is possible
Recognise the role of values in shifting the mindsets that people hold, and providing your audience with a connection to your vision and your helpful narrative
Understand how to create a pathway to your vision using better explanations instead of descriptions
Recognise the importance of seeking and building collaboration so that we can shift narratives and mindsets together
Name and apply the key components of a Narrative Strategy
Practice creating a story that reflects a helpful narrative and contributes towards shifting mindsets.
What’s the difference between online and one-day training?
We all learn in different ways and have different demands on our time. That's why it is important to choose the training format that works best for you and your organisation. We've broken down the key differences between in-person and online training to help you decide the best training format for your needs in this graphic.
Book private training
If you’ve got a group of 12 or more people wanting to work together on a similar topic or issue, talk with our team about booking private Foundations training. Private training runs just like our public training but you’ll get the extra benefit of building connections and learning alongside other people who are working on similar topics.
One-day in-person Foundations
Our one-day, in-person Foundations training is designed for people who want to talk more effectively about the changes that will make the biggest difference in their area of work.
We'll teach you how you talk more effectively about your topic, so that you can shift unhelpful thinking in your area and help people understand and support the solutions that will make the biggest difference to people’s lives.
Delivered as a one-day, in-person workshop , our one-day Foundations is a great introduction to Narratives for Change. Whether you’re all in the same organisation, or individuals or groups working on similar issues, this training is the ideal way to come together to learn the fundamentals of using narratives to create change.
| Duration | 1 day, 7.5 hours |
| Format | In person in Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch |
| Course features | Live in-person training with expert trainer, small group work |
Upcoming one-day in-person training
Our Wellington one-day in-person training will be held on Thursday 12 September 2024. Book before 11 August to take advantage of early bird pricing.
Our Christchurch one day in-person training will be held on Thursday 10 October 2024. Book before 8 September to take advantage of early bird pricing.
Our Auckland one-day in-person training will be held on Thursday 17 October 2024. Book before 15 September to take advantage of early bird pricing.
We are offering a limited number of scholarships for our in-person trainings. Scholarships are intended to support people working on systems change who face financial barriers to attending. Scholarships will be prioritised for people and kaupapa where Narratives for Change training can make the biggest impact. The scholarships provide discounted registration of $250+gst for our public courses.
What to expect from one-day in-person Foundations training
Content is presented live in person by our expert trainers. During the day there will also be:
facilitated discussion
reflection questions
small group activities.
What you will learn
In this course, you’ll learn how to use your expertise in your area of work and put together communication in a way that helps people support the changes you’re working towards.
How to create long lasting change by shifting how people think and talk about your topic
How to see the current unhelpful ways people think and talk about your topic AND move to helpful ways of talking that will shift people's thinking
Who to work with for greatest impact. The difference between the loudest people and those who have the ability to bring about change
Why having a concrete meaningful vision for a better world is critical for opening a door for people to think deeply and differently about the big problems and solutions
Why connecting with what matters to people is key to them engaging with information in new and different ways. And why what matters to most people is often not what we assume
How to frame better explanations for people. Why explanatory pathways with clear cause and effects are more impactful than facts and data on their own
At the end of this one-day course, you‘ll leave with:
A new lens through which to approach your communications
A framework to identify the communications around you and their likely effect on people’s thinking
An understanding of the challenges you face
A set of strategies to connect with people and deepen their thinking on your issues
A template to create effective stories and to think about your strategic media and communication
A renewed sense of hope
Who should attend
Scientists, researchers, writers, advocates, campaigners, communicators, organisers, fundraisers, policy makers, and leaders of organisations who want to deepen people’s thinking on complex issues.
Anyone who wants to motivate people to support big social and environmental issues over the long-term, and build a more just, sustainable and democratic world.
What people say about this training
“It is worth every cent! This is an evidence based, well paced, informative and thought provoking course that will leave you with a renewed sense of clarity about your vision, purpose and skills to make it all happen!” Aych McArdle, Curative
"Absolutely do it, it is one of the biggest things I point to that has helped me strengthen my mahi in social justice "
"During the course of the day, all I could think was how great it would be if all our politicians, media and decision-makers could take this course! What a different world we might live in!" Georgina Morrison, Environment Hubs Aotearoa
"I appreciated having the full day to absorb all the information and delivered in a way with examples, kōrero, and questions from attendees interwoven. The trainers, Julie and Minette, were wonderful and it was clear that they both hold a wealth of knowledge, and able to draw from relevant examples to enrich the delivery. Thank you!” Stephanie Xie
"100% recommend it - offers such helpful frames, tools and ways to really shift how we talk about our mahi and to understand why some of the current ways we talk about it is getting us no where." Joy Davidson, CAYAD, Auckland Council
"It will change how you communicate and lift off a level of stress and negativity when you shift your focus to persuadables and leading with the right values." Patrick Gifford, Community Impact, Auckland Council
What’s the difference between online and one-day training?
We all learn in different ways and have different demands on our time. That's why it is important to choose the training format that works best for you and your organisation. We've broken down the key differences between in-person and online training to help you decide the best training format for your needs in this graphic.
BOOK Private training
Get in touch with our training team to book a private one-day training for your organisation or group.