Standards & Best Practices
On the path towards industry standards.
Industry-wide standards and best practices have not been established — yet.
However, some organizations have shared their internal policies publicly (find some here) offering a resource to others who are developing their own internal policies.
Standards
Informed consent.
Story approval.
Publicity support equity.
Stakes-free storytelling.
Trauma-informed approach.
Informed consent takes place when the participant understands the objective of the story, the plan for its use and distribution, format and context. (A media release is not informed consent.)
Stories are approved for use — by participants — after the final product has been produced, to verify that the product matches what they understood to be consenting to.
Publicity support is available to staff and non-staff, equally.
Storytelling does not create stakes for the participant; there is no relationship between participating in a story and accessing an organization’s programs.
Stories that include traumatic events are collected using a trauma-informed approach.
Best Practices
Always be storytelling.
Consent, often.
Approval. Every time.
Publicity gets a publicist.
Narrative literacy training.
If it’s novel, let it go.
Invest in storytelling as an ongoing strategy to develop an ethical practice, rather than only responding to individual requests.
Confirm consent frequently during the storytelling process by creating opportunities where the participant can change their mind.
Stories are approved for use by the participant each time they are used.
Participants are provided with the support of a publicist to guide them through the publicity process.
Provide narrative literacy training for participants.
Organizational storytelling is representative and describes expectations — not exceptions.