Humankind signs the Dignified Storytelling Pledge

Much of our work at Humankind touches upon storytelling. Through our research, we advise our clients on how to tell stories about the people, places and communities they work with in order to inspire audiences to engage, support and take action. 

As such we recognise the huge power of storytelling. Stories well told can raise awareness around urgent issues, can drive emotional connect, can mobilise public support and create a platform for advocacy. 

But storytelling also comes with great risk and responsibility. Stories told irresponsibly can perpetuate stereotypes and lazy assumptions, can reinforce power imbalances, and exploit people’s vulnerable situations. 

We see this delicate balance playing out in the international development sector in particular. We regularly work with development charities seeking to get the balance right between telling stories from low income communities that drive UK audiences to engage with the cause at hand…whilst at the same time presenting these communities in a dignified, ethical, anti-racist way. 

But it’s not just our clients who bear a storytelling responsibility. We are conscious that as researchers we also have a huge role to play, as much of our work involves representing the stories generously shared to us by research participants, many of which cover sensitive, highly personal issues. Here we’re led by our people-first principles, and our focus on inclusive and participatory methodologies, to ensure stories are told in a dignified way, based on informed consent and participant agency (rather than reducing people down to a single quote without wider context or nuance). 

As we continue to grapple with these challenges, and evolve our approach, we were encouraged to come across the Dignified Storytelling Alliance, which is so well aligned with our viewpoint. 

The Dignified Storytelling Alliance lays out 10 interconnected principles of dignified storytelling, developed through consultations with storytellers, communication experts as well as the existing literature around ethical storytelling and communications in development. We’ve pledged to follow these as a framework for definition and for action, where story telling is grounded in deep respect, full transparency and social responsibility

The principles:

1. It’s Not My Story. Amplifies contributors’ voices and experiences, honouring their wishes on what story is told and how it is told
2. I Do No Harm. Applies a ‘do no harm’ ethic to all actions
3. We Are All Multi-Dimensional. Treats each individual as a whole and every community as dynamic and multi-dimensional
4. Consent Is More Than Paperwork. Obtains informed, full, and freely given consent from contributors. 
5. I Am Biased (Repeat). Acknowledges and mitigates biases, stereotypes, social stigmas, and power differences
6. I Do MY Homework. Values local social, moral, and cultural norms.
7. I Am Empathetic. Considers the impact of stories on individuals, communities, and the natural environment
8. I Protect Others’ Data Like It’s My Own. Processes and manages content responsibly in line with existing data protection guidance and laws. 
9. Truth Over Headlines. Depicts realities and change prospects with accuracy and authenticity
10. A Story Can Change The World. Empowers and inspires both contributors and audiences to work towards positive change 

We look forward to using these principles to further develop our thinking in this space, and to engage with others doing the same.

To read more about the Dignified Storytelling Alliance and these principles, please visit: https://dignifiedstorytelling.com/