What stories are told – and how they are told – matters.

Storytelling is a powerful communication tool in global development. Stories evoke emotions and can connect people across geographies and backgrounds. Stories provide an avenue for understanding different perspectives and can be an impetus for action. At their best, stories bring us together and remind us of our shared humanity.

Within development contexts, stories serve as a platform for advocacy and a means of sharing information and raising awareness. Stories can help orient the wider public to the on-the-ground realities of the complex contexts where development work takes place. For development organization, storytelling is also a way to emotionally connect with potential supporters in an increasingly competitive fundraising landscape.

Effective communication is central to good storytelling that captures people’s attention, sheds new light on important issues, and brings people together in our shared humanity. If told irresponsibly, stories can undermine the realities of development work, including the challenges, and fail to lead audiences to deeper and more nuanced perspectives on issues of global importance. Inaccurate or shallow accounts, told in a language evoking pity, can exploit contributors and impede progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have human dignity at their core.