Laura Elizabeth Pohl of Bread for the World discusses great story-telling and how organizations working in global health can use photos and stories effectively in social media.

1. Stories and Social Media
By Laura Elizabeth Pohl - Bread for the World | lpohl@bread.org | For CCIH Conference | June 9, 2012

2. Why story?
Stories get into a person’s head
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/you-illuminated/201106/why-sharing-stories-brings-people-together
Stories elicit more compassion than facts
http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/news-in-story-form-may-increase-empathy/
Stories are part of every culture
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/03/09/the-science-of-storytelling/

3. Do you have a story?
- Character & Challenge: Ensure the person is
relatable and the issue is framed in a clear and
easy-to-understand manner.
Action: Don’t be afraid to share obstacles,
hardships and planning gone wrong - these make
the stories real.
Result: Share triumphs and lessons learned.

4. Do you have a story?
CAR will drive the story.

5. Good storytelling
MSF blog by Trish Newport
http://blogs.msf.org/trishn/
Health Development International story
http://healthdevelopment.org/HDIStories.php?id=1
United Methodist Church Global Ministries
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI5MWwB7jtk&feature=player_embedded#!

6. Speaking of photos…
Demographic shifts in Mexico mean that over the long-term fewer young people – like these high
schoolers in San Miguel Huautla, Oaxaca - are entering the workforce. This also means fewer
young Mexicans who can't find jobs will choose to go to the United States. Photo by Laura Elizabeth
Pohl/Bread for the World

7. Why photos?
It’s a visual world out there and pictures help
people better remember the text
http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~cfc/Chabris1995.pdf
A migrant worker picks
tomatoes on David
Mann's farm in Fort
Blackmore, VA. All of
Mann's laborers are H2A
workers from Mexico.
Almost 3/4 of U.S. hired
farm workers are
immigrants, most of them
unauthorized. The U.S.
food system depends on
immigrants more than
any other U.S. economic
sector.
Photo by Laura Elizabeth
Pohl/Bread for the World

8. Why photos?
Photographs of people are great -- just as long
as they’re pictures of real people
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/photo-content.html
Helen, 12, smiles at
Laurence’s attempt to
amuse her at Omoana
House, a child
rehabilitation nutrition
center in Jinja,
Uganda.
Photo by Laura Elizabeth
Pohl/Bread for the World

9. Stories on social media
- Bite-size chunks
- Memorable
- Easily understandable
Mary, 3, peeks out
from behind some
leaves in her Aunt Jane
Sabbi’s farm in Kamuli,
Uganda. Among Jane’s
crops are beans, which
she used to grow for
cooking as a sauce but
now uses as a
nutrtious staple of her
family’s diet. Photo by
Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread
for the World

10. Sharing on social media
Quotes from stories

11. Sharing on social media
Quotes from stories

12. Sharing on social media
Pictures

13. Sharing on social media
Pictures

14. Sharing on social media
Video

15. Sharing on social media
Apps: Instagram, DMD Panorama, Snapseed
Instagram is like
Twitter but just for
photos
DMD Panorama
lets you take wide
photos