A participatory workshop exploring how our nervous systems, lived experiences and cultural narratives shape the stories we tell about climate action…and how to create more honest, human impact stories in an AI-saturated world.
At a time when audiences are overwhelmed by information and trust in institutional messaging is fragile, communicators are being asked to simplify complex realities into increasingly short, algorithm-friendly narratives. The result is often storytelling that feels polarised, performative, or disconnected from the real work happening on the ground or in the background.
This workshop brings together somatic awareness, group reflection, and practical storytelling tools to help participants reconnect with the human truth behind their work and communicate complex climate challenges in ways that rebuild trust, credibility and collective agency.
The problem this workshop addresses
Right now:
Climate storytelling is often polarised, performative, or doom-heavy
Organisations are struggling with declining public trust
Storytelling is increasingly shaped by algorithms rather than human connection
Communicators feel pressure to simplify complexity or exaggerate certainty
As participants reflected during the festival:
“Cognitive dissonance is so strong that nobody points to the obvious.”
and
“Stories can get us stuck in loops… but they can also help us imagine beyond the reality we are in.”
This workshop helps participants break those loops and reconnect storytelling with honesty, nuance and lived experience.
Workshop flow (2–3 hours)
1. Arrival: noticing the body
We begin with a short somatic grounding practice to help participants notice how climate narratives land in the body.
Participants reflect on questions such as:
What do you feel when you hear climate stories?
Urgency?
Paralysis?
Hope?
Disconnection?
This exercise introduces the idea that our nervous systems influence how we tell and receive stories.
2. Story autopsy
Participants examine the dominant narrative patterns shaping climate communication today, including:
Doom narratives
Hero narratives
Technological salvation narratives
Blame narratives
Together we explore:
Who does this story empower?
Who does it silence?
What emotional response does it create?
This helps participants see how narratives shape perception, responsibility, and possibility.
3. The honest story exercise
Participants reflect on a real project or initiative they are working on.
Instead of the polished version often shared publicly, they explore:
What tension or uncertainty shaped the work?
What difficult decision had to be made?
What trade-offs emerged?
What unexpected learning occurred?
These reflections become the raw material for honest impact storytelling.
4. The “Zip File” story method
Inspired by a reflection shared during the SILP Learning festival:
“Jokes are like zip files — they pack lots of information into a small package.”
Participants learn how to compress complex systems work into short, human stories that audiences can understand and connect with.
Using a simple narrative structure, participants craft a 90-second impact story that includes:
The moment something felt uncertain or difficult
The decision someone made
The tension or trade-off involved
The unexpected learning that emerged
5. Collective narrative mapping
Finally, the group explores how climate storytelling might evolve.
Questions explored include:
What climate stories are currently missing?
What futures feel believable rather than dystopian?
What stories help people feel agency instead of paralysis?
This connects to a key reflection from the festival:
“What does a future that is not dystopian actually look like?”
Participants begin to identify new narrative directions for their work.
Workshop Outcomes
Participants leave with:
A clearer understanding of how narratives shape climate communication
A 90-second impact story they can immediately use in their work
A somatic awareness tool for recognising how narratives affect people emotionally
A practical framework for ethical and human-centred storytelling