‘how to say your story - a manual for south asia’s ngos, csr teams & government agencies on...

A manual for

South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams

& Government agencies on

communicating through

written stories

Ameen Ahmed

How To Say Your Story, 2013 Ameen Ahmed

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Disclaimer

This document has been written by the author in his individual

capacity. It does not represent the official stand or view of any

organisation. Any trade mark and creative content like

photographs included is the copyright of respective creator/

author.

Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC

This document can be remixed, tweaked, and built upon non-

commercially provided the new work is non-commercial and

acknowledges this document.

Published: July 2013 AD; Ramzan 1434 Hijri

Photo credits: As credited on each photo

Suggested citation:

Ameen Ahmed. 2013.

How To Say Your Story

A manual for South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams & Government

agencies on communicating through written stories.


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Dedicated to

My beloved father, Alhaj Janab Muneer Ahmed Saheb

And

Late Mr. K.S.Shankar, my high school Principal.

Mr. Ravi Singh, CEO & SG, WWF-India.

Padma Shri Zafar Futehally, Birdwatcher and wildlife conservationist

Mr. T.V.N.Murthy, Founder, Wildlife Aware Nature Club (WANC),

Tumkur


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This book’s chief objectives are, to help:

1. Identify stories.

2. Write stories.

3. Edit stories.

4. Improve story writing skills.

5. Disseminate stories.


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How to use this book

Every chapter presents a broad idea and the following are

included towards the end of each:

a) Summarised highlights in boxes to help readers remember

the concepts in the long run.

b) Exercises which readers can use to test their knowledge of

the aforesaid chapter.

c) References as well as further resources to help readers

gain more knowledge of the various themes and ideas

presented.


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Author’s note

The development sector, or third sector as it is also known, is

helping south Asia face its various challenges today, ranging

from environment to children’s and women’s rights. The

sector’s work is being carried out by Government agencies,

non-government organisations and Corporate Social

Responsibility (CSR) wings of the corporate. These need to

educate their various stakeholders, both internal and external,

on the various issues that need urgent social attention;

probable solutions to them; as well as their strategic objectives

and individual goals. There are few better ways to

communicate these than through stories.

There are many books and essays written on communications

for the third sector in the West, particularly in the USA. But

there are hardly any in south Asia, though there is literature

available on corporate communication here. The sporadic

essays written on the third sector are mainly done so by

communicators who have only spent a small part of their career

in this sector. Over the years, the senior and middle level

communication people I have met in the development sector

have mostly made their beginning in the corporate and it is not

surprising to see them freely apply their corporate experience

and ideas in this sector. Though there is no doubting the need


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to imbibe the corporate work culture in the third sector, it is

imperative that the development sector’s communication is

devised by people who have been into this long enough. The

need of the hour is to assimilate the corporate work culture in

the third sector at the same time as ensuring there is a fair say

in devising strategies and action plans of development sector’s

communication by people who have been into this long

enough. On the brighter side, some of the communication

campaigns run by the Government agencies show a fair degree

of refinement indicating the maturity with which the

communicators, chiefly external agencies, are handling the

assigned campaigns. To sum up, the intricacies of

development sector can be better understood by someone who

has rich hands-on experience at the grass roots - the ‘ground

zero,’ of third sector. And the sooner (and longer) a

communicator working in development sector gains this

experience, the better.

This manual, probably the first of its kind in south Asia,

attempts to help key players in the development sector to

create and use stories, either to gain new audiences or

strengthen their hold over the existing ones.

Ameen Ahmed

Bangalore, India

July 2013


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Thank you!

Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your

life.

Rumi, the Sufi

This manual is an outcome of the unstinting support I have

received from my parents, wife and siblings; the affection and

encouragement of my friends and colleagues; and the endless

opportunities provided by my motherland India. I thank my

fellow nature club members of Wildlife Aware Nature Club,

Tumkur and my colleagues at Greenpeace India as well as

WWF-India. Special thanks to my journalist friends, in particular

R.S.Iyer of the vernacular Kannada press; Devaraju Hirehalli,

Girish Babu, Subhash N, Amit Upadhye and Shivaraja B.N.

Jayalakshmi.K, former editor of Deccan Herald’s Sunday

supplement, has catalysed the blooming of many young

writers. She provided me the space to write on many a Sunday

in that news paper at a crucial juncture in my writing life.

Speaking to my friends who share the same concern for our

nation’s welfare, particularly its wildlife, Guruprasad.T.V,

Prasanna Kumar.D.R, Mallikarjun Manjunath (Malli),

Gundappa.B.V (Mestru), Chandrashekhar Upadhyaya, Dr.


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Manjunath.K.R, Dr. Mahesh.G.S, Mallesh.R, Harish Bhat.R,

Manjunath.P, Dr.Aravind Raj, Dr. Hussain.K.A, Mohanraj.N,

Jayachandran.S, Gurunath Desai, Laxmeesha, Suresh K

Mohammed IPS, Sridhar.S and all those whom I have not

mentioned here, has always propelled me to walk that extra

mile in life.

My well wishers in the Indian Forest Service and the Forest

Department have always welcomed me with open arms to help

me learn more. I particularly thank Dr. Uday Veer Singh PhD

IFS, Yekanthappa.K IFS, Vijay Mohan Raj IFS, Samir Sinha

IFS, Udayan.A IFS, Santhosha.G.R IFS and Pooviah.A.T.

Thanks to Shubhobroto Ghosh for holding the mirror to the first

draft contents of this book.

A special thanks to Fowziya, my better half, for her

encouragement throughout this work.

Here are a few names that I can remember of the many that

have helped me shape my writings over the years:

Aishwarya Maheshwari, Ahmer Siddique, Anil Cherukupalli,

Anshuman Atroley, Anupam Sharma, Amit Sharma, Asad R

Rahmani, Ashish Fernandes, Ashish Kothari, Binu Jacob,


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Dakshina Murthy, Dipankar Ghose, Diwakar Sharma, Elma

Okic, Gene Hashmi, Gopakumar Menon, Jai Krishna R, Javed

Naqi, Joydeep Bose, Juhi Chaudary, Kiran Rajashekariah,

Kandpal.K.D, Krishna.M.B, Dr.Naveen.K.S PT, Madhukar Rao,

Malini Shankar, Manoj Ponnath, Mohan B Kemparaju,

Moushumi Basu, Mudit Gupta, Nandeesha, Palecanda M

Aiyyanna, Peeyush Sekhsaria, Prabhakar Achar, Pramod

Venkateshmurthy, Pranab.J.Bora, Prasad.J.N, Prashant.N.S,

Ravindra.A, Raghuram, Rohit Mishra, Saket Badola IFS,

Sandeep Vegad, Sanjay Balachandran, Sejal Worah,

Siddhartha Gogoi, Shivakumar L Narayan, Siddhartha Ghosh,

Shivaraja B.N, Shubhobroto Ghosh, Sonali Nandrajog, Soumen

Dey, Subhash N, Srinivasalu.P.V, Sunil Kumar M, Sunny Shah,

Suresh C Sharma, Suresh Heblikar, Susheela Nair, Tarique

Aziz, Veena Narasasetty, Venkatesh Upadhyaya, Vijay

Mahantesh, Vikram Hiresavi, Vinay P Chandra, Vismaya.


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Contents

1) The power of story

Stories for all; South Asia’s rich story-telling

traditions; Why a story?; ‘Do I really need to tell a

story?’; Is there science to show stories last longer

than other narrations?; Create your story, now!

2) Before narrating your story

Forms of story telling; Which ‘avatar’ for your

audiences?; Fitting your story into your overall

organisational strategy; Maintain scientific

temperament.

3) Ideating

‘Why write a story?’; ‘Whom do I write for?’; ‘Where

can I find mine?’; ‘Whom to feature and what to

write?’; ‘When to write (and use)?’; Sourcing stories

from colleagues or the field offices.

4) Writing your story

News or feature?; Length; Constructing a story;

Organisation and clarity; Choosing the header/ title;

Example of a feature story; Example of a news story;

Writing styles; Captions and cutlines; Pictures to

accompany stories.

5) Proofreading and editing

Revision; Editing; Proof reading; An example of

revision and editing.


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6) Disseminating your stories

Showcasing stories; Mediums to disseminate stories;

Journey beyond the story and the call for action;

Stories and social issues’ awareness, a case study;

Stories for NGO fundraising; A step by step guide to

write your story.

7) Improving your stories

Providing a personal touch to stories on animals;

Why it pays to be politically correct; Continue what is

working right for you; Accept feedback honestly;

Measure the response; See what others are doing

right; Write simple and to the point; Use pictures to

help readers visualise the story; Take help of pictorial

representations; Expand the horizons of your online

story; Writing for external channels; Balance between

emotions and rationality; ‘Practise makes a man

perfect’.

8) The Author


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Stories for all

Recall the last time you heard a story and the chances are it

might not have been long ago since you actually started to

browse through this book. May be you had a friend calling you

to tell what happened at the office today. Or may be you

overheard your sibling or spouse gossip about their colleagues

or family. Or you may just

have watched an ad on TV

by a multi-crore rupee

brand, which used a

narration to try and hit the

marketing bull’s eye in 30

flat seconds.

Stories are being narrated

1. The Power of Story

Multi-crore rupee

brands take the route

of narration in trying

to hit the marketing

bull’s eye in 30 - 60

seconds.


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since time immemorial in various forms. The Stone Age

humans painted on rocks to narrate their lives. Today’s movies

and the many albums - entertainment that many often resort to,

to break from the monotony of hectic modern day life, are

stories - some times on self and sometimes on others.

They exist in all

languages and

among people of

all lands. If not for

the impact they

have on the

masses, they

would not have

been used in

major religious

texts to preach

common man the

‘divine’ word;

Lord Krishna narrates The Bhagavad Gita through stories and

speaks of the principles that need to be followed by humans.

The Bible has stories on Mary, Jesus and their forefathers and

tells people how God has commanded them to follow the

righteous path. The Quran narrates many stories of the people

A performance of Ram Leela, among the popular ways of narrating the tales of the epic

Ramayana.

Courtesy: http://www.pravasitoday.com/countrys-oldest-

official-ramlila-will-stick-to-tradition


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mentioned in The Bible and furthers the word of Allah as

narrated by Prophet Muhammad.

South-Asia’s rich story-telling traditions

South Asians have been at the forefront of story telling through

ages. Ramayana and Mahabharata, the great epics of

Hinduism, have been narrated through the breadth of the

Indian sub-continent (and even beyond, in south-east Asia) in

numerous forms, from puppetry and dramas to poetry, well-

known among them being the Hari Katha and the Ram Leela.

The stories

from

Panchatantra,

the Jatakas, as

well as the

tales of the

great Moghul

Akbar and his

witty courtier

Birbal make a

delightful

reading even

today. Many of these have also been reproduced as

animations as well as television serials and some have made it

A 'Dastangoi' being performed in Basti Nizamuddin, Delhi, in Dec. 2010. 'Dastangoi' is dramatized Urdu storytelling that dates back to

medieval Iran (Persia).

(c) Ameen Ahmed


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to the big screen too. Among the many popular TV serials of

yesteryears that popularised dramatised story telling in India

are ‘Dada dadi ki kahaniyan’, ‘Vikram aur Betal’ and ‘Mulla

Nasruddin’, all on India’s state channel Doordarshan. Similarly,

Dastangoi a dramatised form of Urdu story has, over the

centuries, mastered Dastaan e Amir Hamza (‘The tales of Amir

Hamza’) in which the mythical world of fairies and magicians

comes alive. Stories from Arabian Nights have been translated

in many languages and are popular across south Asia just like

they are in the West.

Be it the bed time tales of grannies, folklores of the traditional

story tellers or qawwalis of the Sufis, story telling has been an

integral part of the way of life in south Asia.

Why a story?

We remember many of the world’s events that have left a mark

on us due to stories we have been told – many of them through

pictures. Few who have seen the picture of Phan Thị Kim

Phúc, the terrified girl child running down a road with her back

on fire during the Vietnam War after a South Vietnamese Air

Force napalm attack can forget it. Many in the western world

actually hear about the jungles of India and their tigers for the

first time through the stories of Sher Khan, Mowghli and other


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characters of The Jungle Book. These are just a few examples

of what stories can do to people’s perceptions. According to

Shubhobroto Ghosh, a science writer, “Story telling is an

ancient art and if one can hone their skills of sharing stories, it

could have a magnetic effect on enrapturing people’s attention

to social issues. Can you recollect how the master story tellers

frame their plots, unweave the mysteries and lay out the

intricacies for their audiences be it laymen or children? Well

known naturalists and scientists like George Schaller, Jane

Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikaas, Billy Arjan Singh and

Gerald Durrell, all of them in their writings evoke a powerful

emotional bond with nature that is reflected in their stories in

popular books that are far more effective than any number of

scientific papers.”

Using stories will not only help you further your organisational

objectives, it also will help focus the public spotlight on various

issues affecting our country.

‘Do I really need to tell a story?’

Here are a couple of simple ways to find out if your existing

communication is actually achieving its stated goals.

a) Ask your digital media analyst to analyse your e-

communications – the e-mailers, e-newsletters/ e-

bulletins, web pages, social networking posts among


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others to see which pages or issues have received

higher hits.

b) Find out how many compliments your corporate

communication team received through emails or verbal

feedback.

If the numbers are low, then obviously there is something that

needs to work better.

Then, sit back and try recalling these:

- How many times have you received compliments after

despatching your annual report to your donors and

trustees?

- How many of your individual or high end donors have

actually called and offered more support after browsing

through your periodical – your monthly magazine or e-

newsletter?

If the above has not happened often, check if you have stories

in the documents you have sent. If they are indeed present,

ask yourself if they have been told in a way that actually

inspires your audiences. There is always scope for you to

improve the way you communicate your work by improving

and telling your stories more effectively.


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Is there science to show stories last longer than other

narrations?

There are quite a few resources available in the public that use

the help of science to prove the better grasping power of the

brain when fed with stories. An interesting discussion is in

Kendall F. Haven’s Story proof: the science behind the

startling power of story on how brain is wired to understand

stories better than a plain, non-story narration. Dawes R also

says the human brain is built to process stories better than

other forms of input. Thomas Neuman, Professor of

Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Paediatrics, University of

California, advocates the power behind stories and the way

many doctors can find them useful. You may want to explore

the ‘Further resources’ section at the end of this chapter to

learn more.

Create your story, now!

A good story is a bridge between the situation on the ground

and the bigger picture. It can be a tool using which anybody,

from an ordinary citizen to a decision maker, can be made to

understand the issues affecting the society and the nation at

large. A good story can move a legislator to act, it can provoke

the mainstream media to further write about it, it can create

new donors or make the existing ones dig deeper into their


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pockets; and for corporate donors it can help educate their

shareholders the reach their CSR can have, or has had.

This is the time to discover the potential of stories to

communicate your work. Buttress the drab statistics on your

website’s home page with a small narration, a picture and a link

to a story that will provoke interest in those stats. Reach out to

those pictures sent by your field officer of a child smiling in a

narrow alley of Mumbai’s Dharavi or a labourer toiling in a

Tughlaqabad sweat shop in south-east Delhi. Weave a story

around them. Upload a photo gallery on your website. Post

them on face book. Tweet them. Go ahead and say aloud to

the nation the issues facing their fellow citizens. Inspire others

with what you have done, what you are doing and what you

plan to do.


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Go ahead and tell your story!

(c) Ameen Ahmed


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Chapter exercises

1. Prepare a list of story telling traditions around you.

Hints:

- Start with your family.

- Speak to your colleagues and learn about the

story telling traditions in their families. Chat with

your neighbours and find the same.

- Some of the best sources are the elderly.

FURTHER RESOURCES

John Kotter. “The Power Of Stories.” Forbes.com, 2006

Dan heath, Chip Heath. ‘Made to Stick – Why some ideas survive and others die….’

John Baldoni. "Using Stories to Persuade" Harvard Business Review. March 24, 2011.

John Seely Brown. "Storytelling in organizations: why storytelling is transforming 21st century organizations and management.” Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005, 192 pages.

David Lee. "The Mysterious Power of Stories." Blog, August 30, 2010

Terrance Gargiulo. "The Power Of Stories In Communication &

Management" linkageinc.com

John Seely Brown...[et. al]. “Storytelling in organizations: why storytelling is

transforming 21st century”. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

http://www.forbes.com/2006/04/12/power-of-stories-oped-cx_jk_0412kotter.html

http://heathbrothers.com/madetostick/chapterone.php

http://heathbrothers.com/madetostick/chapterone.php

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/03/using_stories_as_a_tool_of_per.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+harvardbusiness+(HBR.org)&utm_content=Google+Reader

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=lzDuiOwTOAkC&dq=power+of+stories&source=gbs_navlinks_s

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=lzDuiOwTOAkC&dq=power+of+stories&source=gbs_navlinks_s

http://www.hci.org/lib/mysterious-power-stories

http://www.linkageinc.com/thinking/linkageleader/Documents/Terrance_Gargiulo_The_Power_of_Stories.pdf

http://www.linkageinc.com/thinking/linkageleader/Documents/Terrance_Gargiulo_The_Power_of_Stories.pdf

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=lzDuiOwTOAkC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=how+our+brain+understands+stories&source=bl&ots=AmnBMTSxC8&sig=23VJM3vIPxsR2CGIAyd88FvEU6s&hl=en&ei=rBYjTazTJYH-vQO14dTMDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBzgo#v=one

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=lzDuiOwTOAkC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=how+our+brain+understands+stories&source=bl&ots=AmnBMTSxC8&sig=23VJM3vIPxsR2CGIAyd88FvEU6s&hl=en&ei=rBYjTazTJYH-vQO14dTMDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBzgo#v=one


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Thomas B Newman. "It's good to talk. The power of stories over statistics".

British Medical Journal 327 : 1424 doi: 10.1136/bmj.327.7429.1424

(Published 18 December 2003)

Trish Groves, deputy editor, BMJ. "Editor's Choice. The power of stories".

BMJ 2009; 339:b4887

John F. Steiner, MD, MPH. "The Use of Stories in Clinical Research and

Health Policy.” Journal of the American Medical Association 2005

John F. Steiner, MD, MPH. "Using Stories to Disseminate Research: The

Attributes of Representative Stories". J Gen Intern Med. 2007 November;

22(11): 1603–1607. Published online 2007 September 1

Kendall F. Haven. “Story proof: the science behind the startling power of

story.”

Dawes R. ‘’Message from psychologists to economists: mere predictability

doesn’t matter like it should (without a good story appended to it).” J Econ

Behav Organ 1999;39:29-40.

Salma Khadra Jayyusi. 'Classical Arabic Stories: An Anthology', December,

2010, Columbia University Press

Paula Richman. ‘Ramayana stories in modern South India: an anthology,

2008, Indiana University Press.

Paula Richman. ‘Many Rāmāyaṇas: the diversity of a narrative tradition in

South Asia’ 1991, University of California Press, 1992

http://www.improvement.nhs.uk/discoveryinterviews/documents/the_power_of_stories.pdf

http://www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b4887.full

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/294/22/2901.extract

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/294/22/2901.extract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2219793

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2219793

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=uspfMRlGXVoC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=how+our+brain+comprehends+stories&source=bl&ots=37EMt0_pFo&sig=YkqcflM6lSXrZm0tTsXsvJr1L4I&hl=en&ei=6hQjTc6rJI2EvAPpzY2fDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCDgK#v=onepa

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=uspfMRlGXVoC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=how+our+brain+comprehends+stories&source=bl&ots=37EMt0_pFo&sig=YkqcflM6lSXrZm0tTsXsvJr1L4I&hl=en&ei=6hQjTc6rJI2EvAPpzY2fDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCDgK#v=onepa

http://cup.columbia.edu/bookpreview/978-0-231-14922-8/

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=c-p9Iyk3lpkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Ramayana+Stories+in+Modern+South+India+An+Anthology&hl=en&ei=4u-yTa7ZLI3uvQPrsZCjBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=XkifYfljHP4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Many+Ramayanas:+The+Diversity+of+a+Narrative+Tradition+in+South+Asia&hl=en&ei=n_CyTa7CM4e2vwOau7GLBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Many%20Ramayanas

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=XkifYfljHP4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Many+Ramayanas:+The+Diversity+of+a+Narrative+Tradition+in+South+Asia&hl=en&ei=n_CyTa7CM4e2vwOau7GLBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Many%20Ramayanas


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Forms of story telling

Poetry, prose/ written essays, puppet shows, photographic

images, paintings,

illustrations are

among the many

ways to narrate. For

example, puppet

shows can be used in

melas or jatras

(village gatherings) to

convey to

communities a host of

messages ranging

from Government

2. Before narrating your story

The effective short film on Mukesh Harane an oral cancer patient who died at 24, due to tobacco chewing,

was telecast on TV channels in India in 2011-12.

Courtesy: World Lung Foundation

website on YouTube


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regulations on child marriage to dangers of AIDS. Illustrations

can be used to drive the message of road safety among kids. In

2010-11, the Government of India started using graphic images

of individuals with symptoms of cancer along with their stories

to create a greater understanding about the dangers of

consuming tobacco. Movies, particularly the short films,

increasingly are animated and tell stories.

Which ‘avatar’ for your audiences?

Find out who your audiences are and decide the best way to

reach them. Do you want

to write a feature story?

Prepare a colourful audio

visual presentation? Or,

create a photo gallery on

your website? How about

going a step ahead and

making a 1 or 2 minute

animated movie instead? Would having a narrative in the movie

and extending it, to maybe 3 minutes, help you convey the

message better? Asking your audience what they would like to

read and see is the best way to answer the above questions.

Conducting an online survey can be a big help. You may do

one yourself through commercially available web sites like

Find out who your

audiences are and ask

yourself what is the

best way to reach

them.


29

monkeysurvey.com or, if resources permit, you can ask a

marketing company to do the same for you.

Fitting your story into your overall organisational strategy

It is extremely important that you ask yourself where your story

fits into the organisation’s strategy or bigger scheme of things.

Is it to convey the need to introduce your audience to a

particular way of thinking of yours that you would like to get

registered in the audience’s mind? The answer to this question

will be yes if you are the planning stage of the project, to test

waters and see how your stakeholders react, Even beyond the

planning stage and into the initiation stage of the project, such

a story can be told to convince your stakeholders of your

conviction in the idea and that it is going to work.

What if you are at a stage where you would like to inform them

about the way things are progressing or perhaps not

progressing? For example, if you have invested in a micro-

credit project to support a small, impoverished community and

if the same is not making an impact in the lives of your projects

beneficiaries the same within the timeline it was supposed to

wouldn’t it be prudent for you to convey a story that informs the

audiences of the same and the factors behind it? Writing an ‘all

is well’ story at that stage and then letting the force of the issue


30

suddenly hit the stakeholders will do a great disservice to your

brand.

Maintain scientific temperament

To maintain a loyal reader base who put faith in what you write

and look forward to reading your stories over a period of time,

have the essence of a scientific essay in your story. Here are

some pointers in this direction:

1) Make sure the facts you quote have the relevant and reliable

references. Avoid theories and ideas that can not be backed by

scientific (measurable, repeatable) evidence.

2) Choose the words for your story carefully and ensure they

convey exactly what you want to. There is a difference

between, “This locality has the largest number of poor in the

city,” and “This is among the localities with the largest number

of poor in the city”.

3) Ensure your audience understands your language. Avoid

jargons and abbreviations or acronyms that are not easily

understood.

4) Use a dictionary to see how a word you have rarely used or

never used in your earlier write-ups, fits into the context of your

latest sentence as well as the overall story. Make sure nothing

is said, and nobody is quoted or paraphrased, out of context.


31

5) Before you start keying in, you might want to choose the

right language dictionary in the MS word (in windows). If you do

take the help of a dictionary, ensure the dictionary language is

set to the country of your choice. I personally use an English

(India) dictionary to help me edit. Be careful to check your draft

thoroughly after keying in using the ‘auto-correct’ option, as

there is a risk of the dictionary ‘auto-correcting’ a typed word to

an almost similarly spelled word but conveying a something

that you don’t mean.

Chapter exercises

1. Prepare a list of different story telling forms in your

state.

2. List the different story based campaigns run by the

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government

of India, since 2007.


32

FURTHER RESOURCES

Writing Process - Brainstorming, Oracle, Think Quest Education

Foundation

National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). “Specified Health

Warnings spots for Tobacco”

YouTube channel of Website of World Lung Foundation

http://library.thinkquest.org/J001156/writing%20process/sl_go_storymap.htm

http://mohfw.nic.in/SMOKING/ENGLISH%20SMOKING.PNG

http://mohfw.nic.in/SMOKING/ENGLISH%20SMOKING.PNG

http://www.youtube.com/user/WorldLungFdn


33

Why should you write a story?

OK, let me ask you to

perform this small task.

Take a pen and a piece of

paper. Jot down the

reasons ‘Why’ you want to

write your story.

Need help? Try answering the following questions:

- What do you want to achieve from your story?

- What should your target audience do after reading your

story?

a) Should they change their lifestyles or attitudes to help

the situation?

b) Should they write to their legislator to intervene?

c) Do you want them to help you, either financially or as

volunteers?

3. Ideating

Reasoning why you

need to write a story

is a way to identify

your stories.


34

d) Any other thing you want them to do?

Answering the ‘Why’ will help you answer the five Ws (Whom,

Where, Who, What, When) and 1 H (How) and help you

complete your planned story.

Now, let me help you answer your questions.

‘Whom do I write for?’

There is obviously somebody who is going to read your story.

Try identifying the ‘whom’. For a health campaign by a

Government or Non Government agency the targets can be

very specific –first time parents for a children’s immunization

campaign or a campaign to have the right time gap before the

second child; smokers and their relatives for an anti-tobacco

campaign; High risk groups like the youth and long distance

lorry (truck) drivers to prevent STDs, etc. Like wise, a corporate

CSR wing might want to reach out to their shareholders on how

the company’s profits are raising the levels of primary

education in the communities surrounding a plant in a remote

part of the nation or how increased numbers of people from a

community have access to potable water.


35

‘Where can I find mine?’

Stories are present all around you. Look around to source one.

Ask why this issue, event or the action you have taken or plan

to take, is unique in the bigger context? Try quantifying it. For

example, if 95 of 100 kids

aged 6-35 months found in a

particular community or

village are anaemic, against

India’s national average of

79%*, the high rates of

anaemia can be the reason

for your story.

Speak to the people you are working with to know the impact

your work has had. If you see a story some where, the chance

is your audiences will also be able to see it too, provided you

convey the same in the right way.

How about giving an ear to the experiences of your

beneficiaries? Find out if the problems persist, have decreased

or even increased. Start asking questions and you will realise

getting out stories is not difficult.

Stories are present

all around you. You

just need to look

around to source

one.


36

Needless to say, stories need not be rosy all the time. There

might be stories of your project not making a big difference in

your beneficiaries’ lives, the reasons for which can be many. If

the chief reason is insufficient funds, that can be a story to tell

your donors the urgency of the situation, inspire them to walk

that extra mile and request them to pitch in again with the

amount needed to make the difference.

You can make a story even after some time has passed by off

an event or achievement. Recall the story of six blind men and

the elephant. Your new story of an event gone by might show

your audiences a hitherto

unknown facet of the

issue. Each part of the

elephant’s body in the

above context means a

story with a different

angle of the same event

or project, or

achievement, but

ultimately pointing out to

the bigger picture, that

the elephant is a huge

Remember the story of

the six blind people and

the elephant? Your

story of an event gone

by might show your

audiences a hitherto

unknown facet of the

issue.


37

land animal with different parts of its body contributing to its

strength.

* NFHS3, National Family Health Survey, India, 2005-2006

‘Whom to feature and what to write in my story?’

If you have seen the Bollywood movie Swades, recollect the

part where Mohan Bhargav (Shahrukh Khan) accompanies

Mela Ram (Daya Shankar Pandey) to recover the rent of Kaveri

amma’s (Kishori Ballal) farmland from her peasant tenant in a

village in India’s hinterland. This followed by the child selling

water in earthen cups to the train passengers. You have

multiple characters and plots that you can relate to in those

scenes. You could be the well settled NRI who is hit hard and

left speechless on witnessing the struggle for a couple of meals

a large no: of Indians face daily. In the half-naked kid selling

water you might see the street kids that you run into every day

on the way to your office. I for myself relate my grand parents

and great grand parents to the poor farmer finding it hard to

feed his family. It took a lot of hard work for their generations to

break away from the cycle of abject poverty and destituteness

and for my father, his siblings as well as cousins to come up in

life. So, whom do you identify yourself in those scenes with?

Do you see your project beneficiaries facing or having faced a

http://www.nfhsindia.org/pdf/India.pdf


38

similar scenario and can you try conveying this as a story to

your audiences?

In the above scenes,

you have the

following that make

up the story:

a) Actors or

characters: These

answer the question

‘Who should feature

in my story?’

b) Plot: This

answers ‘What to

write in my story?’

c) A central thread: This answers ‘what connects the different

actors and plots’.

Now let us go a bit more deep into the above three.

a) Actors/ characters: These are the ones that your plot

encircles. Though there can be multiple actors or characters,

all present within the main plot, there needs to be at least one

The Bollywood movie Swades has multiple characters and plots that you can relate to in the popular ‘child and

train’ scene.

Source: www.swades.com


39

character whom your audience can readily identify or associate

with or even replace them selves with.

A central character adds the

much needed personal touch

to make your story attractive to

your audiences. It helps your

audiences feel the emotions –

the pain, joy, sorrow, hope, of your beneficiaries and show the

urgency of the problem and the subsequent need to intervene

and make a positive difference. The actor can even be you.

There can be more than one central character, as in a group of

volunteers or a group of jawans (soldiers) involved in rescue

and relief operations.

Note: In the part of the movie Swades mentioned above, the

actors are the individuals whom I have highlighted.

b) Plots: Plots are the different scenarios of the issues and

characters you are working on. And guess what? Finding them

is not difficult. Your plot can be the narration by a contented

child on how benefits from your project help her prevent

sleeping on an empty stomach. Hearing this will give immense

satisfaction to your donors. The other way round, in the

Actors are those

whom the plot

encircles.


40

absence of your project the same child could be desperately

looking for

help as she/ he is being forced

into manual labour to feed

herself in the absence of

support from her/ his poor

parents. This plot can make a

story for your donors on how

your intervention is needed as

is their financial support, to help that kid.


two plots I have referred to are of the farmer not having money

to pay his land rent and the boy struggling to meet ends by

selling water.

c) A Central thread: There is

one thread that binds the

lead, body and conclusion. It

is the central theme that

connects the character/s to

the plot and ensures nothing

in the story is present without a purpose. It can be the poverty

in a city neighbourhood; a disease epidemic that has hit a

Plots are the

different scenarios

of the issues and

characters you are

working on.

Central thread

connects the

character to the

plot.


41

remote village; or, the lack of education among the youth of a

certain section of the society - something that stands out in the

bigger scheme of things.


central thread is poverty.

When to write (and use)?

As mentioned earlier (Chapter 2, Fitting your story into your

overall organisational strategy) you don't necessarily need to

have achieved the objectives of your project or funding before

starting to tell stories to your stakeholders. Stories can be

sourced and told either before intervention or at various stages

into it.

1) Before: A story before you

begin your project can show

your stakeholders the gravity

of issues facing your

subjects and the potential

to make a difference. It can

therefore be used to invite

funding from would be

donors. In the case of issue-based campaigns, such a story

can be a launch pad to gain public support, as seen in the case

Stories can be

sourced and told

either before

intervention or at

various stages into it


42

of the ‘Save our Tigers’ campaign by telecommunications

company Aircel.

2) During: As the intervention is happening, a story can show

the progress you have made. It can make the fence sitters–

both among the donors and public, switch to your side and aid

your campaign objectives. The other way around, for some

reason if the results are not coming in as expected, one good

way to convince your stakeholders of the challenges you are

facing is by giving a name and a human face to these

challenges. This can help you prepare your stakeholders for a

potential extension of the project deadline.

3) After: Once you have completed your project, you can use

stories in many ways to show the benefits your work has

brought to the target audiences or communities. Or again, if the

results have not been as projected, these can be a good way to

explain your stakeholders the failures and the lessons learnt.

So…have you thought over the stories you want to start

writing? Go ahead. Construct them. Present them. Use their

power to captivate your audiences.


43

Sourcing stories from colleagues or the field offices:

Below is a ‘STORY INFORMATION FORM’ that I developed for

the communication team of the Species and Landscapes

Programme, WWF-India in Oct. 2011 to help generate stories

from the field. You may use it to develop a similar one for your

organisation to help generate content for stories.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) Story type: (please tick one)

Category

Significance

Subject/ Header

[ ] Category 1:

Media & news section stories

Most urgent

These stories are of pressing events and most urgent news, hence given prominence. They need to be sent out immediately and should not be delayed even by a day.

Examples:

- Sikkim earthquake relief;

- Tiger report release; - Dudhwa floods; - Sundarbans cyclone; - Awards etc.

[ ] Category 2:

Important

These are also

Examples:

- Brown bear sighting in Kargil;


44

Interesting developments and sightings

usually uploaded on a priority basis, although not the same day as we receive them.

- Snow leopard sighting in Kargil;

- Black pika sighting in Arunachal Pradesh.

[ ] Category 3:

Success of our interventions

Normal Any positive impact of our work can go as a story provided there are eyewitness accounts of the people who have benefited from the same.

Examples:

- A forest guard telling us how our support in the form of a wireless set has increased the efficiency of his anti-poaching efforts.

- A Pardi student from

Panna who is telling how she/ he has benefited from our support to the school for Pardis, in turn

eliminating her/ his need to hunt wildlife or reduce dependence on the forest resources.

(ii) Date of event: ______________(or) Date range of activity: ____________to ___________

(iii) Names and designations of WWF-India staff involved:


45

1) _____________________

2) _____________________

3) _____________________

(iv) Names and designations of Forest Department or

Government officials involved:

1) _____________________

2) _____________________

(v) Multimedia available: [ ] Video [ ] High res photos (5

MP & above) (vi) Impact of the activity/ event seen or measured (or expected):

__________________________________________________

___________________________

__________________________________________________

___________________________

__________________________________________________

___________________________

(vii) Statements by eyewitness (WWF-India staff, Forest Department/ Government officials, villagers/ community dwellers, tourists or any one impacted by the activity/ event):

1) ____________________________________________

___________________________


46

_______________________________________________

___________________

2) ____________________________________________

___________________________

_______________________________________________

___________________

3) ____________________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

__________

(viii) References, if any: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ (ix) Contact person for further information:

Name - _________________________ Email:

____________________________________

Phone No:s – Cell - _____________________ Landline - (

) ____________________

Best time to call - __________________

(x) Additional info/ Comments: (Please use extra sheet/s if needed)


47

-___________________________________________________________________________ -___________________________________________________________________________

Chapter exercise

1. Make a quick trip to one of your project sites and

list three different stories that you have come

across.

2. Can you identify 3 different types of audiences to

tell your stories?

3. List five reasons why you want to write a particular

story for your donors.

4. Identify a story and your target audience. List the

main characters and the plot.

5. Open your annual calendar of projects,

a) Prepare a list of ‘curtain raisers’ or stories

that can be written before each project.

b) Prepare a list of probable stories that can be

written half way through each project.

c) Prepare a list of probable stories that can be

written at the end of first week and first

month, after the projects’ conclusion.


48

FURTHER RESOURCES

Bruce Itule & Douglas Anderson. “News Writing and Reporting for

Today’s Media”. 3rd. Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

Official website of Swades, 2004

Health worker Guide, National Tobacco Control Programme, 2010

* NFHS3, National Family Health Survey, India, 2005-2006

Six Blind Men And The Elephant, Teaching English, British Council

http://www.swades.com/

http://mohfw.nic.in/HCW_Apr_15_2010_final%20for%20print%20version.pdf

http://www.nfhsindia.org/pdf/India.pdf

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/language-assistant/primary-tips/six-blind-men-elephant


49

News or feature?

What are planning to write about? Is it a freshly concluded

event or a success of yours that you have ‘discovered’

recently? Answering this will pave way for the creation of either

a feature or a news story.

In a famous study, Galtung and Ruge (1973) have identified a

set of conditions, informally known as ‘news values’, which

need to be fulfilled for an event to gather enough attention and

be called ‘news’. We shall leave the details for the mass

communication students to explore and list only the basic

differences between news and a feature story for our vested

interest here.

A news story has ‘shelf life,’ beyond which it will not make an

interesting read. It can go out in the immediate aftermath of an

4. Writing your story


50

event, to convey its urgency. Also, a news story is written in the

inverted pyramid style, meaning the most important information

or the information about the incident or event is told in the very

beginning followed by the least interesting parts appearing

towards the end. This means the five Ws: Whom, Where, Who,

What, When and the H: How appear at the beginning of a news

story.

Illustration: Inverted pyramid style of writing used in news

story


51

But when things settle down you can select the different

characters and plots to make feature stories out of them. In a

feature story, unlike news story, the most important facts are

included in the body and explained in detail after taking the

readers through a small journey to the event/ achievement. A

feature story might give you more time to research and use

your creativity than news, as there is a time gap between the

actual event and the point of time when it is being told or retold.

Please see examples further ahead in this chapter.

Length

On the widely used computer monitor screen of 600 x 800

pixels, any feature story more than 2 screen lengths might

make your readers loose interest. Hence, don’t make the story

too long, unless it is a blog where you are expected to say

more than what is said so in other narrative forms. I normally

write a 700-word story for the web. This runs into two A4 sized

pages with 6 paragraphs in New Times Roman point 12 font

separated by 1.5 point space.

Constructing a story

Stories, both news and feature, traditionally are composed of

the following three parts:


52

1) Lead

2) Body and

3) Conclusion

The following bring sense to the story parts:

a) Transitions and

b) Quotes

All the above need proper organisation and clarity to bring

sense to the story.

1) Lead: A lead is the

introductory paragraph of your

story. In a few brief sentences it

should tell the reader what the

story is about or hint at what to

expect as they read further. Use

words and construct your sentences in a way that interests

your readers to complete their reading of your story.

In a two screen length web story of 650 – 700 words, you may

want to use 4 to 5 sentences totalling about 100 words as lead.

These sentences can be built in the following way:

A lead is the

introductory

paragraph of your

story.


53

i) One or two sentences introducing your subject or actors:

Show the subject or actor/s as a part of the bigger picture,

which your audience can relate to or knows of. Is it a

geographical location or a person? If it is a location, then is it a

village, city, area in a city, district, state or is it an interstate

region? Is it an island or is it located among the hills, or in the

plains fed by a perennial river? If it is an actor/s, is that

person/s a city dweller/s, resident/s of a village or tribal/s who

is/ are far away from modern amenities like satellite TV and

internet. Is that person/s, a government officer/s or a

volunteer/s?

ii) One or two sentence on the importance of your subject/

actors: Explain why that place or person is important. Is the

place the scene of high incidences of water borne diseases? Is

the actor an eight-year old boy who is doing hard labour

instead of being in school? Or are the actors a group of

villagers living in a perennially water starved place? Is the place

home to rare wildlife?

In a feature story you can keep the suspense by restricting your

lead to the first two paragraphs and revealing the plot in the

body.


54

In case of a news story you will have to add plot and conclusion

in the lead, as mentioned below in point iii).

iii) Speak about the achievement/ event: Add a sentence or two

on these events, incidents or achievements. Have the

Government authorities done something good that has not

been done in other parts of the region, country or world, in that

particular situation? Example: The building of an underpass on

a national highway to allow, elephants to pass through

smoothly without fighting with humans and vehicles for space?

Has the person, organisation or community in focus done

something against great odds? Example: A community or

group of villagers living in a water deficit area who have

volunteered time to build a community structure like a rain

water harvesting unit, pooling in their own money. Or is a rural

community facing an unusual situation, something that needs

urgent attention? Example: The

sudden spike in the number of

people having respiratory illness in a

particular village.

Note: The above part (iii) is

applicable to news story only

In a feature

story the body

reveals the

main plot.


55

2) Body: In a feature story the body reveals the main plot of

the story and it is the section where you give out all the details

relevant to the overall thought process behind creating this

story. In terms of percentage of the word content of a feature

story, I allot 85% to the body and conclusion (550 to 600 words

in a web-story) and the rest to the lead. Body is the place

where you include the different quotes to give your readers a

‘horse’s mouth’ perspective, as well as transitions that tie the

different quotes and make readers to look the way you want

them to and think the way you want them to.

a) Quotes: Quotes allow you to make full use of your

interviewing skills. In a feature story this is where you

go into the details of these five Ws: Whom, Where,

Who, What, When and the H: How. At the beginning of

the interview ask open-ended questions and allow the

other person to speak freely to rake in as much

information as you can (which can always be edited

later on). As you progress, you can take help of close-

ended questions - whose answers end with either a firm

‘yes’ or ‘no’.


56

b) Transitions: They bind

various parts of a feature

story and allow readers to

shuffle seamlessly between

its various sections. They are

the threads which tie those

parts of the story that resemble one another and help

better understand the similarities i.e. the ideas in the

story that are common. You can use facts you have

acquired from different sources as well as through

research and interviews of people to reinforce your

views.

Transitions are paraphrases of actual statements of

your sources or refer to a quote introducing a new idea

in the story. They give you the flexibility to paraphrase

quotes your audiences may find difficult to grasp, by

converting them into reader friendly language and as

said earlier they help your audiences look in the

direction you want them to.

Transitions

bind various

part of a feature

story.


57

3) Conclusion: This is where you

have your ‘final word’ on the

feature story and take the reader

beyond the plot to draw inferences

from it (the plot). Restricting the

conclusion to two sentences of the

last paragraph may be a good idea

to pack the needed punch in it.

Here are some situational

examples. If the local communities

or the Government authorities have done something that is

very unique to that part of the world or situation, would you

recommend other people to replicate the same? Or, has your

agency or organisation supported the above and would like

your donors to take satisfaction in their association with your

work?

You can have an interesting end by using the last sentence to

convey the meaning behind your entire story. This can be the

paraphrasing of a quote, or better, the quote itself, which

completes the cycle of your story and connects it back to its

lead.

The final

sentence

completes the

cycle of your

story and

connects it back

to its lead.


58

Lead

Body

Conclusion

Ilustration: A visual representation of the feature

story cycle

Organisation and clarity

The story parts need to be organised and there should be a

clear purpose of everything included.

i) Clarity of thought: Ensure the thoughts you put in your

sentences are clear, precise and succinct. Choose the right

words. Ensure your sentences are complete and leave no

doubt about the point you are making.

ii) Length of sentences: Anything above twenty words in a

sentence might bore your readers, particularly on the web.

Maintain the right balance by suitably blending small and long


59

sentences to ensure the story is not monotonous. Imagine how

a story teller or your grandparents narrated you stories. Put

yourself in their place and presume the audience you are

writing the story to, is actually sitting in front, looking into your

eyes and keenly listening to you.

iii) Alternate text forms and graphics: Including tables or boxes

highlighting text can supplement or compliment your story’s

content. The same goes with maps and images. And, if you

choose to include them, ensure they are clear and convey the

information you intend to. Use discretion to ensure there is no

excessive duplication of information with text and illustrations/

images.

Choosing the header/

title

1) Include a title that

tells your audience

what your story is

about.

2) The title is the

‘gateway’ to your

story. You should

ensure it is

The title is the

gateway to your

story. It is your

invitation to your

audience to walk

through it and

witness the beautiful

world that lies inside.


60

decorated enough to invite your audiences to walk

through it and witness the beautiful world that lies

inside.

3) You may also want to use a sub-title, which offers

additional space to inform audiences the issue and

your solution, or the follow-up action you have taken.

4) Care should be taken to ensure the sub-title

supplements the title and not be the title or header by

itself.

5) If the story you would like to make is for a project that

is yet to be initiated, the title can be the problem/

issue and an initiative you have taken to resolve that

problem can be the subtitle. On the other hand, if you

have achieved something significant, then it makes

sense to have the same as a bold header and a line

below it telling the magnitude of the problem solved.

6) Section or paragraph headers can be included to

summarise contents of the upcoming text. It is a good

way to guide the readers in the direction in which your

story is moving.


61

Example of a feature story

Published on WWF-India website, on 14 April 2010

Pardis - hunters in need of help

How changing times have turned against a traditional

hunting community

Ameen Ahmed

An adventurous people

Hardly has a community in India’s recent history been more

affected by changing laws and times, as the Pardis, a nomadic

tribe of Central India, have. Spread across the states of

Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh as well as along the latter’s

borders with Rajasthan; the traditional occupation of a majority

of Pardis is hunting and selling wildlife derivatives, including

meat.

The erstwhile Maharajas used their skills in their hunting

expeditions. Pardis used to drive the wildlife towards the kings’

hunting parties. They would also indulge in hunting expeditions

or ‘hakas’ and provide meat to royal kitchens. They would be


62

rewarded in return. Many farmers in Central India used Pardis

to guard against crop raiding wild herbivores. The Pardis would

halt over in farmlands and trap the crop raiders. In return, they

would benefit from temporary shelter to stay around villages as

well as get to retain the hunted animals’ meat, which they

would consume and also sell. Over centuries, they honed their

hunting skills this way.

Their various

occupations and

hunting practises

evolved them into

different sub-

castes. For

example, the

Phaandiya Pardis

hunt their quarry

using a rope

noose. The Teliya Pardis sell meat and oil extracted from

reptiles which they capture. But, the most remarkable aspect of

hunting by Pardis is their total dependence on traditional means

and basic equipment, like twines, wooden clubs (lathis) and

The Teliya Pardis sell meat and oil of reptiles

that they hunt.

© Ameen Ahmed/ WWF-India


63

knives to bring down wildlife. They rarely use a search light,

vehicles, guns or electricity. There are also some among them

who moved away from nomadic life and settled down to

practice agriculture.

Troubled times: Post independence and Wildlife Protection

Act (1972)

Some Pardis like Langoti Pardis have been attributed with

thievery since a long time. However, the British treated a

majority of Pardis as social pariahs. Most of their sub-sects

were included in the list of ‘criminal’ tribes in the Criminal

Tribes Act notified in 1871. Though the act was over turned in

1952, after Independence, and they were ‘denotified,’ the

historical stigma continues to haunt them.

Pardis had to endure more post-1972, when the Government of

India brought into effect the Wildlife Protection Act. They were

not only prohibited from entering many of the Government

controlled lands that are now designated as protected forests -

national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, but they were also

required to stop hunting overnight. With hundreds of years of

practice and perfection in making a living out of hunting, they


64

were suddenly left without a profession they could legally

practise. With no formal and organised training and assistance

provided to them to earn their bread in any other way, they

covertly continued with

their hunting practices.

According to

Mr. Golla

Krishnamurthy, IFS,

who has served for

Panna Tiger Reserve in

the past “They mainly

hunt big game and

trade their skin with

middlemen located in

cities for further illegal

export. They hunt

animals like deer, wild

boar and other small

herbivores for staple

food on a day to bay basis”.

The Wildlife Protection Act’s

implementation in 1972 suddenly turned

the Pardis from traditional hunters to poachers.


65

Added was the problem of them being an ex-‘criminal’ tribe

and the fact that they were nomads. Village after village across

their vast land of existence viewed them suspiciously and

prevented them from living close to their habitation. There are

reports in the media of this happening even to this day. This

discrimination and blanket denial of opportunities may have

actually prevented them from giving up poaching as well as

criminal activities and may have even encouraged them to

indulge in them for their survival.

The way forward

According to

sources in the

Madhya Pradesh

Forest Department,

a vast amount of

the wildlife

poached in that

state, particularly in

and around Panna

Tiger Reserve, has links to Pardis. Most of India’s big wildlife

WWF-India has been helping run the schools

for Pardi kids

© Diwakar Sharma/ WWF-India


66

traders and illegal trade mafia have used them to source their

wildlife. Their links to poaching have surfaced in many other

forests across India, even in the core of well-known sanctuaries

like Karnataka’s Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) National Park, over

a thousand kilometres away from Panna.

The challenge lies in rehabilitating them into the social

mainstream. Many wildlife lovers and NGOs have thought on

this and are making concerted efforts to save both the Pardis

and the wildlife around Panna Tiger Reserve. The strategy has

been to wean their children away from turning to hunting as a

profession by providing them formal education. To initiate

formal education for their children, WWF-India along with the

forest department has been conducting a ‘Residential bridge

course’ (RBC), at two locations around Panna, under the

Government supported ‘Sarva Shiksha Abyiyaan’ (‘Education

for all’) scheme. The bridge course is 9 month long and

prepares these kids to enter a state-administered formal

education system. Their stay at the student hostel helps them get

into the mainstream by inculcating physical hygiene. Says Mr.

Krishnamurthy “They live for months without bathing. Most of


67

them lack general hygienic habits”. A residential school has

been specially set up for this in Panna District.

Simultaneously the adults are being trained in alternative

professions. It is felt that those who do not wish to do either

should be dealt with a firm hand according to provisions of the

law. “This school for Pardi kids has few parallels as it not only

aims at mainstreaming a nomadic tribe but also aims at holistic

development of the entire area by attempting to interlink

solutions for the

problems faced by

the wildlife and

forest department”,

adds Mr.

Krishnamurthy.

The devastating

impact which the

Pardis have had on

the wildlife around

them is undoubted,

Learn more on WWF-India’s initiatives

to conserve the tiger in Central India:

Increased protection for Panna

Satpuda-Maikal Landscape

Kanha-Achanakmar Corridor

Education and awareness

campaign in MP and

Chhattisgarh.

Marathon for Tiger in SML

Strengthening law enforcement in

Maharashtra’s tiger areas

http://wwfindia.org/?4100/protection-for-Panna

http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/tiger_wildlife/our_work/tiger_conservation/satpuda_maikal/

http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/tiger_wildlife/our_work/tiger_conservation/satpuda_maikal/kanha/



http://www.wwfindia.org/news_facts/?3980/Run-for-the-tiger

http://www.wwfindia.org/news_facts/?3360/Maharashtras-tiger-areas

http://www.wwfindia.org/news_facts/?3360/Maharashtras-tiger-areas


68

especially after the degradation of wildlife habitat outside and

within some of the PAs. The irony however is, there is no future

for wildlife, particularly tigers, in vast parts of India, without

rehabilitating these people from hunting. Their future

generations have to be weaned away from poaching to save

India’s wildlife. These schools are a step by the MP Forest

Department and WWF-India in that direction.

------------- End of story -------------

Example of a news story

Published on WWF-India website, 29 Mar 2011

Increase in tiger numbers reported

Experts’ meeting at New Delhi to help save the tiger

concludes

New Delhi, India – The Government of India released new

tiger population numbers since the 2007 estimate, indicating

that numbers have increased in the country that has half of the

world’s remaining wild tigers. The findings were presented by

Dr. Y.V. Jhala of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on the

opening day of the International Tiger Conference held at New


69

Delhi on 28 and 29 Mar 2011, to a gathering of dignitaries from

the Government of India including Dr. Montek Singh

Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Shri.

Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Environment and Forests

and Shri. Salman Khursheed, Union Minister for Water

Resources,

international

delegates from tiger

range countries,

senior forest officers,

Chief Wildlife

Wardens, Field

Directors of Tiger

reserves and

members of NGOs

working for tiger

conservation

including WWF and

TRAFFIC.

The government estimated current tiger numbers in India at

1,706, up from 1,411 during the last count in 2007. However,

Dr. Jhala from WII explaining the tiger

estimation results as dignitaries of

Government of India Dr. Montek Singh

Ahluwalia, Shri. Jayaram Ramesh, Shri.

Salman Kursheed and Shri. Rajesh Gopal

watch.

Photo: WWF-India


70

the 1,706 figure includes an additional tiger reserve in the

count, the Sundarbans that contained 70 tigers. This area was

not counted in 2007.

Therefore, when comparing the previous survey with the current

one, the official estimate stands at 1,636 when leaving out the

Sundarbans, or an increase of 225.

Figures were broken down by site with some populations

showing increases, and others falling.

“As seen from the results, recovery requires strong protection of

core tiger areas and areas that link them, as well as effective

management in the surrounding areas,” said Mike Baltzer,

Head of WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative. “With these two vital

conservation ingredients, we can not only halt their decline, but

ensure tigers make a strong and lasting comeback.”

The count was conducted by India’s National Tiger

Conservation Authority with key partners, including WWF, in

the largest tiger population survey ever undertaken.


71

“In its detail, this tiger estimation exercise shows the

importance India attaches to this prime conservation issue,”

said WWF India CEO Ravi Singh. “The results indicate the

need to intensify field based management and intervention to go

beyond the present benchmark, bringing more people and

partners into the process,” he added.

Several areas in India, including those that are not Tiger

Reserves and outside national parks, were intensively surveyed

for the first time. The Moyar Valley and Sigur Plateau in

Southwest India’s Western Ghats Complex, that has been a

focus of recent WWF conservation efforts, was found to contain

more than 50 tigers. Similarly, the Ramnagar Forest Reserve

outside Corbett National Park showed a good number of tigers.

Numbering more than 100,000 at the turn of the last century,

tigers have lost more than 97 percent of their population and 94

percent of their home range in just 100 years. They live in

increasingly isolated pockets of land in Asia and the Russian

Far East in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos,

Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, China

and Russia. The Global Tiger Recovery Programme marks the


72

first formalized international initiative to save the species from

extinction.

------------- End of story -------------

Writing styles

The channel of dissemination and the target audiences guide

the writing styles.

If you are writing for a magazine or newspaper outside your

organisation, the publication’s submission guidelines need to

be read carefully before you begin to construct a story. Next,

browse the last few issues of the publication and work on a

story style which the editors have a taste for.

If you are writing something for your own website, journal or e-

magazine, you have at a greater liberty to let loose your

creativity. To convey your message you may want to choose

your own style which conforms to your organisation’s accepted

writing style guide.

Some tips to decide the right mix for your audiences:

1) If you write frequently (or intend to do so) for a medium

like your website or magazine, or have plans for a


73

regular feature for a newspaper, change your story style

over a period of time. The monotony of repeating the

same style each time might lead to your readers loosing

interest in your writings sooner or later. Balance the

style between first person and third person accounts as

you progress.

2) Have you ever thought of narrating any of your journeys

as you have eye witnessed it? How about trekking

through a jungle to reach a primary school in a tribal

hamlet or wading through the slush filled narrow lanes

of a city’s slum and narrating your audiences the things

you witness, as you take those steps? If you are

working for animal rights or wildlife issues, how about

having an ‘eyewitness’ account of an animal ‘narrating’

its plight?

3) Even with first or third person accounts, you can choose

to be different with each successive story. You can

alternate between starting with narrating your own

experience or describing the subject i.e. the place,

person etc first. For example, if you are describing a

walk to a slum area where children are in dire need of

basic needs and education and you are focusing on a

girl called Khushi you may start a third person account

in one of the following ways.


74

a) Khushi is not a normal five-year old though she

could have been one, like many others of her age.

All she remembers of her childhood is begging at

the traffic lights

along the only tarred

road her

neighbourhood has;

being abused by

unknown faces;

sleeping hungry on

the streets; and

watching her year-

old brother freeze to

death in one of the

five winters she’s

seen in her life after

being forced to beg to feed him. Her mother died a

few weeks ago and her alcoholic father needs help

himself! She is one of the many kids living in

Kushalnagar, a slum of twenty thousand inhabited

by some of the city’s educationally and financially

most backward communities, right in the heart of the

state capital. It seems the city’s planners and

Do not repeat your

stories in the same

style every time.

The monotony

might lead to your

readers loosing

interest in your

writings, sooner or

later.


75

development authorities have long forgotten

Kushalnagar. The problems are compounded by the

area’s many residents being mostly poor migrants

from faraway villages, being uneducated even to file

an application under Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Writing letters to the authorities or filling petitions in

courts to get their civic rights is obviously a far cry

for them. But Khushi, and other kids from her

neighbourhood, will soon return to being like others

of her age, thanks to the intervention of this

Government aided NGO.

OR

b) Kushalnagar is a slum of 20 thousand inhabited by

some of the city’s educationally and financially most

backward communities, right in the heart of the state

capital. It looks like a neighbourhood long forgotten

by the city’s planners and development authorities.

The area’s many residents are mostly poor migrants

from faraway villages with their education level not

even helping them file an application under Right to

Information (RTI) Act, let alone writing letters to the

authorities or filing petitions in courts to get their

civic rights. Khushi, a five year old girl, is among the

many children who are in danger of following the


76

footsteps of their parents into poverty and

deprivation. She is one among the many children in

this slum who are forced to beg, sleep hungry, get

abused and even see their siblings freeze to death

in the cold winters, due to poverty. With her mother

dead a few weeks ago and her father an alcohol

addict, she is in dire need of support to lead a

normal life and get into school. Thanks to the

intervention of this Government aided NGO, she will

soon return to being like any other kid.

Caption and cutline

While some refer to the text appearing below an image

describing it as both caption and cutline, often interchanging

them, some others prefer to differentiate the two. According to

the later school of thought, caption is the small headline

usually consisting of three to four words that is followed by a

brief text explaining the photograph, called as cutline. I prefer

to use the caption with a cutline for images in photo-stories,

while sticking to only a caption for images used in feature

stories. See examples below.


77

It’s our world too!

A group of indigenous people stand in front of a replica of world atlas at the Press Club in New Delhi on 28 Aug. 2010. Various environmental and tribal rights groups under the umbrella of

Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) held a press meet highlighting the growing threat of Global Warming and the urgent

need to address it.

© Ameen Ahmed/ WWF-India


78

Captions (and cutlines) explain something in images that are

not self-explanatory; or they refer to the text in the story. Many

readers rush through the title, the lead, paragraph headings

and the images before deciding if they want to go through the

body, hence the captions should explain the image in a crisp

and brief manner. Sometimes a sentence or a quote from the

story is used as the caption. Please see the above example.

The Teliya Pardis sell meat and oil of reptiles that they hunt.

© Ameen Ahmed


79

Also, when using still images in a movie or an audio-visual

presentation, captions come handy in the absence of

background narration or voice over.

Pictures to accompany stories

If you have images accompanying stories, ensure the images

are directly related to your story line, place, theme or the

characters. If you are using an archived image, make sure you

mention the same. The rapid urbanisation sweeping India has

changed the face of many a place. You do not want an image

showing swanky malls and newly refurbished roads for a

neighbourhood whose approach is being described in your

story as unhygienic and filled with pot holes. Editing the image

for colour saturation, brightness and contrast, sharpening etc

is a good idea to ensure the stories’ subjects are clearly visible

to the audiences. Although this is the job of a photo editor or a

designer, if you work for a set-up which can afford the luxury of

in-house specialists it is imperative that the stories authors’

ensure the colours are as close to the original.


80

Chapter exercise

1. Open your annual plan and prepare lists of events

that can have news stories and those which can

have feature stories.

2. Identify an event and write a lead for:

a) News story.

b) Feature story.

3. Choose a story from a news magazine and rewrite a

conclusion. Get it reviewed by a colleague to see if

it leaves an equally lasting impression.

4. Choose a story from a news magazine and list the

transitions.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Shouse, Deborah;Fenner, Susan Ph.D.;Zoglin, Ron. “Making

Your Message Memorable: Communicating Through Stories”.

2003

Practical Magazine “Feature Writing/ Documentary Forms,”

http://journalism.winchester.ac.uk/?page=299


81

The University of Winchester

Abraham Aamidor. “Real feature writing: story shapes and

writing strategies from the real world of journalism”. LEA; 2nd

edition, 2009.

Joseph J. Marks. “Writing Features.” University of Missouri.

Extension. 1993

“Feature writing”. University of Missouri Extension.

‘Feature writing’. Vancouver University Island.

Dr. Lourdes D. Servito. ‘What is feature writing?’

‘How NGOs can use the images that Photographers produce!

(5 ideas)’

‘How to create simple digital stories’

Lecture notes of macro editing, Rowan University copy editing

class

http://web.ku.edu/~edit/captions.html William Allen White

School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University

of Kansas.

http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=CM350

http://extension.missouri.edu/swregion/news/publications/Featurewriting.pdf

http://records.viu.ca/~soules/media301/feature.htm

http://www.servitokss.com/what-is-feature/

http://www.hebervega.com/2010/05/20/how-ngos-can-use-images-photographers-produce/

http://electronicportfolios.com/digistory/howto.html

http://rowancopyeditprof.blogspot.com/

http://web.ku.edu/~edit/captions.html


82


83

Revision

After writing the first draft, you need to ensure your story

conveys what you want it to. As a first step, revisit the ideation

part and see if your story includes the original ideas. Open

your story cycle and make sure the end (last paragraph) is

connecting with the issue mentioned in the lead (first

paragraph). Make sure the body contains the important facts

that need to be there. Ensure the central thread connecting

different parts of the story and the flow of your thoughts is

maintained as you originally desired. Ensure you have not

included any words or statements out of the context before you

to take the next step and have it edited.

Editing

A story is first edited to ensure it meets the word limit i.e. the

number of words allotted to you or the limit you have set for

your self. Be cautious and ensure only the non-essential

5. Proofreading and Editing


84

sentences are removed or are altered in such a way that the

ideas you originally wanted to convey remain undiluted.

Self editing: You can edit the story yourself or ask some one to

do it for you. Organisations that do not have editors prefer to let

their writers do the editing as well, particularly when the

deadlines are shorter. If you are editing your own story it is a

good idea to step away from it at least for a day to ensure you

are able to see it afresh in an unbiased manner. I personally

finish a story and preferably work on another to ensure minimal

hangover of the first one before I come back to first, usually

after a day.

Levels of editing:

a) Basic copy editing is done to ensure consistency and

correct any mistakes in the following - spelling,

grammar, punctuation, speech, capitalisation, uniformity

of fonts and numerals, abbreviations and captions.

b) More detailed editing involves additional checking for

smooth continuity and flow of ideas, organisation of the

story, ensuring smooth transitions and proper

conclusion, matching the paragraphs with their headers

and correcting incorrect figures of speech. This might

also involve getting back to the author to ensure correct


85

attribution of quotes, verifying factual accuracy of

statements, buying OK to replace jargon with more

commonly used words and suggesting replacement and

addition or deletion of statements.

Like brand guidelines, many organisations have their own

‘writing style guides’, which are rule books that help write

stories or similar writings. Following a style guide helps in

uniformity of your organisation’s writing style, particularly with

grammar, punctuation and language use. Having such house

rules not only help you and other writers maintain consistency

in writings but also ensure minimal need for a copy editor.

Proof reading

Proof reading is the final step before submitting your story for

publication. It identifies the mistakes that have eluded your

eyes during revision and copy editing. It corrects any errors

like typos, misnumbering or other errors which a copy editor

might have overlooked. Again, if you are from a small

organisation where there is no dedicated proof-reader, it is a

good idea to have a colleague proof read your stories before

you send them to the press or before you publish the same

online. I personally run my stories through a colleague while

ensuring the corrections do not change the story’s inferences.


86

Additionally, in case of an online story, once it is published I re-

read it on the browser to ensure there are no major bloopers

and that there is no need to initiate damage control later on.

An example of revision and editing:

Saving the Red Panda in Arunachal Pradesh through

Community Participation

Local villagers come together to form a unique red panda

conservation alliance

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), classified as a Vulnerable

species by IUCN*, is found in parts of Nepal, Bhutan,

Myanmar, Southern China and India. In India, it is found in the

states of Sikkim, northern West Bengal, Meghalaya and

Arunachal Pradesh. Majority of the population of red pandas in

India occurs in Arunachal Pradesh. However, increasing habitat

loss poses a major threat to the survival of the red panda.

WWF-India has been working in the Western Arunachal

Landscape (WAL), which covers nearly 7000 sq. km area of

Tawang and West Kameng districts in partnership with local

villagers, Indian Army and Forest Department, for the

conservation of the rich biological diversity of the state, since

1992. In WAL, maximum forest area is under the customary


87

tenure of local indigenous communities. In 2004, WWF-India

facilitated the establishment of Community Conserved Areas

(CCA) to ensure sustainable management and community

protection of such forests. One such CCA is the Pangchen

Lumpo Muchat CCA, which comprises of Lumpo and Muchat

villages. According to Nawang Chota, Secretary of Pangchen

Lumpo Muchat CCA, “After the formation of the CCA, we

stopped hunting and fishing in it, especially by outsiders. We

also started community based tourism to provide a source of

income to the villagers.”

Recently, three other villages, Socktsen, Kharman and

Kelengteng came together to form the Pangchen Socktsen

Lakhar CCA. Together, the two CCAs control 200 sq km of

area. The forests that are part of this CCA harbour a wide

variety of wildlife including the red panda. While formation of

the CCAs stopped the hunting of wild animals, the continued

loss of habitat posed a threat to the long term survival of the

red panda. To prevent this villagers from the two CCAs came

together to form a unique Pangchen Red Panda Conservation

Alliance with the support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and WWF-

India. The aim of this community initiative is to help in red

panda conservation by not only banning hunting or capturing of


88

red panda but by also preventing habitat loss and protecting

the plant species on which the red panda is dependent.

Pijush Dutta, Landscape Coordinator, WAL, WWF-India said,

“With this one of a kind initiative it is hoped that conservation of

red pandas can be undertaken in a scientific manner with

proper records maintained of sightings by villagers. The next

step is to prepare a detailed master plan in consultation with

the villagers for the management of the forests in a sustainable

manner”.

By preventing habitat loss the alliance also hopes to mitigate

man-animal conflict caused by animals such as wild boar,

porcupines and monkeys raiding crops and villages. A Yak

dung briquette unit is also under construction in the area to

reduce fuel wood consumption as well as provide additional

income. In addition, a Pangchen Tourism Package involving

the 5 villages from the two CCAs is being developed to attract

tourists and thereby provide an alternate source of livelihood

for the locals.

WWF-India will support the Conservation Alliance by

undertaking a biodiversity documentation of the CCAs,

conducting training courses for the villagers for sustainable


89

management of local forests and support community based

tourism as a conservation incentive.

* Wang, X., Choudhury, A., Yonzon, P., Wozencraft, C. & Than

Zaw 2008. Ailurus fulgens. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of

Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>.

Downloaded on 09 December 2010

------------- End of story -------------

The above story was edited with the following

changes and published on WWF-India’s website:

a) The introductory paragraph was revised and one sentence

summarising each of the following was included, in the same

order:

1) The uniqueness of red panda.

2) Ecology of red panda.

3) The issues it faces.

4) Community Conservation Areas (CCAs)

5) What WWF-India is continuing to do to conserve it.

b) Three paragraph/ section headers were included to help

readers better understand the ideas.

http://www.iucnredlist.org/


90

c) The final sentence was put directly as a quote, to have a

better impact of the story and to complete the story cycle by

connecting it to the lead.

Communities stand up for the Red Panda in Arunachal

Pradesh

Local villagers form a unique ‘conservation alliance’ for

India’s own Panda

A rare beauty

Known for the beauty of its reddish-orange coat and white

‘teardrops’ falling away from its eyes, the red panda (Ailurus

fulgens) is found in parts of Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Southern

China and India. In India, it is found in the states of Sikkim,

northern West Bengal, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh,

where a majority of its population occurs. Classified as a

Vulnerable species by IUCN*, increasing habitat loss poses a

major threat to its survival. WWF-India is currently working with

its stake holders to conserve this rare animal in most of its

distribution range across North East India.

Communities for nature

Since 1992, WWF-India has partnered with local villagers,

Indian Army and Forest Department in the Western Arunachal


91

Landscape (WAL), which covers nearly 7000 sq. km. area of

Tawang and West Kameng districts, to conserve its rich

biological diversity. The maximum forest area in WAL is under

the customary tenure of local indigenous communities. WWF-

India facilitated the establishment of Community Conserved

Areas (CCA) in 2004 to ensure sustainable management and

community protection of such forests that also form the habitat

of the red panda.

One such CCA is the Pangchen Lumpo Muchat CCA, which

comprises of Lumpo and Muchat villages. According to

Nawang Chota, Secretary of Pangchen Lumpo Muchat CCA,

“After the formation of the CCA we stopped hunting and fishing

in it, and prevented outsiders from indulging in these as well.

We also started community based tourism to provide a source

of income to the villagers.”

In November 2010, three other villages - Socktsen, Kharman

and Kelengteng, came together to form the Pangchen

Socktsen Lakhar CCA. Together the two CCAs control 200 sq.

km. of area. The wide variety of wildlife found in these forests

includes the red panda. While formation of the CCAs stopped

the hunting of wild animals, the continued loss of habitat posed

a threat to the long term survival of the red panda. To prevent


92

this, villagers from the two CCAs came together to form the

unique Pangchen Red Panda Conservation Alliance with the

support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and WWF-India. The aim of

this community initiative is to help red panda conservation not

only by banning its hunting or capture, but also by preventing

the habitat loss and protecting the plant species on which it is

dependent.

By preventing habitat loss the alliance also hopes to reduce

human-wildlife conflict caused by wild animals such as wild

boar, porcupines and monkeys raiding crops and villages. A

Yak dung briquette unit is also under construction in the area to

reduce fuel wood consumption and provide additional income.

In addition, Pangchen Tourism Package involving five villages

from the two CCAs is being developed to attract tourists and

thereby provide an alternate source of livelihood for the locals.

WWF-India’s continuing support

Pijush Dutta, Landscape Coordinator, WAL, WWF-India said,

“With this one of a kind initiative it is hoped that conservation of

red pandas can be undertaken in a scientific manner with

proper records maintained of sightings by villagers. The next

step is to prepare a detailed master plan in consultation with


93

the villagers for the management of the forests in a sustainable

manner”.

“WWF-India will support this Conservation Alliance by

undertaking a biodiversity documentation of the CCAs,

conducting training courses for the villagers for sustainable

management of local forests and support community based

tourism as a conservation incentive,” adds Pijush.

* Wang, X., Choudhury, A., Yonzon, P., Wozencraft, C. & Than

Zaw 2008. Ailurus fulgens. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of

Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>.

Downloaded on 09 December 2010.

------------- End of story -------------

Chapter exercise

1. Prepare a list of five important things you would like

to look for in revising your story.

2. Write a story. Edit it within an hour of its first

revision. Keep it aside and re-edit it at the end of

third day. Compare the changes between the first

edit and the later one.

http://www.iucnredlist.org/


94

3. Write a story. Proof read it within an hour of editing

it. Have the same document proofread by a

colleague or friend whose English is equally good

or better. List the number of corrections done by

the other person.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Kim Cooper, “Editing the Essay”. Writing Center at Harvard University, 1999

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/edit1.html


Kim Cooper, “Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style.” Writing

Center at Harvard University, 1999

Editing and Proofreading, The Writing Center, University of Missouri

thinkquest.org The writing process

Editing Resources, Bay Area Editors’ Forum

Salem State Style Guide, Salem State University



http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/GP.html

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts_pdf/Editing_and_Proofreading.pdf

http://library.thinkquest.org/J001156/writing%20process/bc_editing.htm

http://www.editorsforum.org/resources.php

http://www.salemstate.edu/assets/images/Revised_Style_Guide_121510-mwrs.pdf


95

Showcasing stories

Stories can be used to:

a) Inform the communities with whom you work or intend to

work, the benefits they will get working with you for a

common cause.

b) Tell your donors (and shareholders of corporate) of the

benefits their contributions have brought or in case of

potential donors, the benefits they might bring.

c) Stimulate fellow citizens, other NGOs or the corporate

sector/ profit organisations to take up the various causes

crying for attention in the development sector and help

solve the issues.

Mediums to disseminate stories:

1) In print, they can go in your organization’s annual reports,

monthly magazines or even in flyers and brochures. You may

6. Disseminating your stories


96

also want to place them in mainstream media to highlight the

issues and your initiatives. Supplementary sections like

Science and Technology, Environment, etc of prominent dailies

are good avenues to showcase the issues, the possible

solutions or the actions you have taken.

2) In New Media, apart from electronic communication, they

can be used in social networking. Stories in e-bulletins or e-

newsletters can have great impact and can be used to push for

an organisation's campaign objectives - both donor campaigns

and issue based ones.

A view of Jungle Express, the e-bulletin of WWF-India’s Species

and Landscapes programme


97

Supplementary sections like Science and Technology, Environment etc of prominent dailies are good avenues to showcase your stories, issues, the possible solutions or the actions you have taken. Above is a story on the efforts of WWF-India and partner agencies in a Rhino translocation programme, in the Environment section of Deccan Herald, Bengaluru.


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Journey beyond the story and the call for action

At the end of the conclusion you may like to invite your readers

to take action. This is a journey away from the story cycle, to

help solve issues and make a difference. In a brief but clear

way explain your audiences how their small contribution fits

into the bigger picture of resolving development sector issues

as well as your long term strategy. Here you can reveal them

your plan of action.

For example, if your story focuses on the health crisis facing a

community, it would help to be ready with answers to the

following questions:

- Do you want your stakeholders to help you?

- If yes, how should they do so? Should they intervene

directly or you want them to do it through you?

- If through you, do you want them to volunteer time and

skills or should they help you with money and resources?

- Whom and how should they contact?

- In case they do, do you have a well defined plan ready to

share with them clearly conveying how you are going to

use their support?


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Stories and social issues’ awareness:

Stories are a powerful tool to create awareness on issues,

apart from raising funds for them.

Here is a case study on using a story for a campaign to

generate awareness around an issue:

The tiger is one of

India’s best

recognised symbols,

not only of its

wilderness but of its

culture as well. The

animal today is

facing a threat to its

survival due to a

host of issues

including poaching,

development and

infrastructure projects like highways and dams, apart from the

growing human population eating into its habitat. In January

2010, Telecommunication giant Aircel’s ‘Save our Tigers’

campaign raised the profile of this charismatic big cat using a

Source: Aircel


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simple yet powerful 1 minute video story striking at the

emotional quotient. The story, which appeared as

advertisement in all the major TV channels of India, showed a

helpless tiger cub waiting for its mother to return, which

probably would never do so, with a gunshot sound indicating it

being hunted on its way back home. A few weeks after this ad

was aired, a series of video clips of some of India's well-known

celebrities including Indian Cricket team’s captain MS Dhoni

appeared on TV, appealing to save the tiger.

The media campaign was launched in partnership with WWF-

India and as the communication liaison of WWF-India with

Aircel, I kept track of the tremendous support this campaign

generated from people across the breadth of India and even

beyond. While some showed their support in the form of cyber

activism, others came forward to commit their time and skills

towards this cause by offering to volunteer with NGOs including

WWF-India. This campaign successfully raised the public

profile of the critical issue of tiger conservation. Speaking of

the response in numbers, by 22 March 2010, 51 days after the

campaign was launched the following figures were recorded:

1) Signups on Aircel’s ‘Save Our Tigers’ (SOT) campaign

website: 2,03,361

2) Blog comments: 2,825


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3) Fans of ‘Stripey’ the cub’ page on Facebook : 2,04,919

4) Twitter followers: 5,619

The numerous requests from volunteers and the overwhelming

media queries as well as positive media reports pleasantly

surprised our team.

Stories for NGO fundraising:

Stories are probably the best

way to raise funds for an

NGO. Among the Fund

Raising experts vouching for

this is international NGO

consultant Sean Triner. In his

article ‘The power of

storytelling’, Sean Triner tells

how ‘Charities have the best

stories to tell’ and ‘they can be

powerful fundraising tools.’

Though e-newsletters & e-bulletins for donor and issue based

campaigns is the norm in west, we are yet to see many of

India’s NGOs do the same. Though the scope of this book does

not encompass delving into the details of using stories to raise

This fund is any

NGO’s dream. Think

out of the box on

how you can use

stories to raise the

much needed

‘unrestricted

funding’ for your

NGO.


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funds, I would like to make a passing reference to the positive

impact of raising funds through online donations and individual

fundraising for a type of funding that is commonly termed as

'unrestricted' funding in NGO circles.

Unrestricted funds can be used by an NGO for any project or

purpose it deems fit within that organisation’s broad objectives.

The NGO is not answerable to the donor on where it puts this

money into, unlike regular funding where most donors are very

particular about how and where their money should be put, like

not exceeding a certain percentage of it for administration

purposes or not using it as a capital to buy hardware, etc.

Hence, unrestricted fund is any NGO’s dream. Think out of the

box on how you can use stories to raise the much needed

unrestricted funding for your NGO.

Now that you have an idea on how to use your stories, go

ahead. Pen your stories. Publish them. Disseminate them. See

what your outreach communication has been missing all these

days


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A step by step guide to write your story

Step 1: Information. is received from the sources and the same

is cross verified to ensure the names of subjects and actors -

communities and regions as well as names and designations of

people are correct;

Step 2: Cross verifying events and dates (for example, has the

World Heritage Site status been given for Manas Wildlife

Sanctuary or the entire National Park? Or, when was the World

Heritage Site tag given to the Taj Mahal?);

Step 3: Story is written according to the organisation style

guide;

Step 4: Matching images are sourced and embedded in the

story with appropriate captions and cut-lines;

Step 5: If the story has been sourced from your field office, the

same is sent to the concerned persons in that office for review

of facts and picture credits and get their sign off. The same

process applies if facts are sourced from your own office.


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Step 6: After receiving back the story from the field or from your

office, proof reading and editing is done by a person other than

the writer.

Step 7: The concerned custodians read and sign off the story

for release.

Step 8: Follow up with external editors or media persons (if it is

being to an external publication), PR agency (if you are using

the services of a PR agency to disseminate the story) or your

own web admin (if it is your web story) to ensure it reads the

same as submitted as well as trouble shoot any issues.

Step 9: Once the story is published share it on the pre-decided

media and channels including social media sites like facebook

or twitter.

Step 10: Monitor for any positive feedback or adverse

comments, particularly on the web page on which the story is

hosted (if it is posted online). If it has been published in the

print media, look out for letters to editor. Have a plan ready to

respond to the same, if and when needed.


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Chapter exercise

1. Identify a story and make a list of the different

channels in which you would like to disseminate it.

2. Ideate a story that you want to use to seek support

of your audiences. List the number of ways in which

the support can be sought. Make a plan on how you

want to use the support, keeping in mind your

organisation’s objectives for the year.

3. Research and prepare a list of the most visible

campaigns in the development sector in India in the

previous calendar year.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Rosita Cortez. “Got Stories? 3 Secrets to Successful Fundraising”.

Fundraising. On 06.10.10

Sean Triner says how ‘Charities have the best stories to tell’ and ‘they

can be powerful fundraising tools.’ www.resource-alliance.org

http://www.rositacortez.com/social-media-101/fundraising/got-stories-3-secrets-to-succesful-fundraising

http://www.resource-alliance.org/documents/global_connections_issue_40.pdf


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There are certain ground rules that one need to follow to

ensure the objectives of writing stories are achieved. These

can range from formal sets of policies binding on you as an

employee or volunteer of an organisation, or they can be

feedback as a member of an informal social group like a club

or association. A few are listed here:

Providing a personal touch to stories on animals

Personal and individual stories about animals – wild or

domesticated, make a positive impact just like individual

stories of people. British anthropologist and zoologist

Desmond Morris has said that the story of Elsa, the lioness

raised by Joy Adamson, changed the public perception of the

lion as a species. Same for Tara the tigress and Prince the

7. Improving your stories*

*With Shubhobroto Ghosh


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leopard as written by Billy Arjan Singh, Dian Fossey's

description of the gorilla Digit, Jane Goodall's affection for the

chimpanzee David Greybeard and the individual orangutans

studied by Birute Galdikaas. Keiko's personal story as shown

in the Hollywood movie Free Willy has done much more to

raise awareness on killer whales (orcas) than a lot of research

papers put together could have ever have done on them.

Why it pays to be politically correct

The stories of any organisation reflect its policies. Hence, it

pays to sound politically correct to your stake holders or at

least ensure your choice of words conveys the meaning in an

inoffensive way. This is more true if you are working with the

Government or if your project or organisation needs the

support of the government at any stage. The way, and amount,

of editing of your stories by the final approving authority in your

organisation over a period of time is a reflection of not only

how your stories are being looked at from inside the

organisation but also how they would be looked from outside

by its many external stakeholders. Remember, many people’s

sweat has gone into building your organisation’s resources

and reputation. While the organisation will have its own checks

to ensure you are following the guidelines, ultimately it is your


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duty to ensure you don’t write anything that puts the

organisation’s reputation in the firing line.

Continue what is working right for you

Did some one say they liked your story? Great! Thank them for

the positive feedback and ask them what they liked most about

it. Occasionally I meet some one personally, whom I have

known only through the internet, who tells me how much she or

he still cherishes a story on some wilderness area which they

read 12 - 13 years ago. When I am writing a new story, I try to

recall the things some one liked about my story and think how

that success can be repeated. It has always paid me to walk

that extra mile and make an honest attempt to write stories that

will inspire my readers to read them and also keenly anticipate

the upcoming ones.

Accept feedback honestly

What you have written might make perfect sense to you, but

there may be people who have been around you long enough

and feel other wise. These might be your friends, colleagues or

those reporting to you. Respect honest criticism with humility

and take it to your advantage. The feedback of your readers

mirrors your writings and offers you vast avenues to improve.


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Such feedback helps you feel the pulse of your audience and

ensures your writings are acceptable to the majority of them.

A good storyteller, as a good communicator, has to be open to

criticism and keep in mind opinions can not only vary but that

people may feel very strongly about certain issues. One

cardinal principal to follow to improve one's work is to adhere to

the principle 'There is no such thing as a dumb question' which

means that a good storyteller and a good communicator has to

be prepared to face very basic and awkward questions and

keep his mind when his story is criticised. His response should

always be temperate and must never be designed in a way to

make the questioner or dissenter feel uncomfortable or foolish.

A good example of successful storytelling at a high level is that

of Carl Sagan who presented the series on astronomy Cosmos

and wrote the book of the same name. Sagan's extraordinary

success in narrating the story of the universe and how humans

came to be the way they are was based upon his respect for

the audience's intelligence, his unwillingness to talk down to

people and give a fair voice to all sides of an issue during a

debate. These qualities are of utmost importance for a good

storyteller when assessing honest feedback.


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Measure the response

Asking yourself a few questions like

“Has my writing reached the intended audience?”

“How has it impacted them?”

Because, measuring the response of your readers to know how

they view your stories is very important. This is something that

has been made easier by the advent of the internet. Apart from

the comments’ section and feedback forms in each of your

online story, the number of likes and comments on facebook,

the positive and negative ‘tweets’ as well as the email

responses you receive, you might want to speak to your

website admin to get details on the unique ‘hits’ or ‘clicks’.

Market surveys are another way to know what your supporters

like to hear more and what less.

See what others are doing right

It is a good idea to look beyond your organisation to check

what is working right for others. One way of doing so is to

subscribe to the e-newsletters of the host of NGOs and

organisations out there. I learn a good deal from the English e-

bulletins and campaign emailers of NGOs like WWF and

Greenpeace apart from CSR initiatives in corporate sector like

Wockhardt Foundation. Learning from others can not only


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saves your time reinventing the proverbial wheel but also helps

you set the bar higher, as it helps bring out the best in you by

identifying the set benchmarks. There are a host of other NGOs

with international presence like Action Aid, CRY, Save the

Children etc, who might have inspiring stories for you.

Try accessing traditional print magazines that carry fascinating

stories like National Geographic Society and BBC Wildlife and

Geo.

Write simple and to the point

A few years ago, on a birding outing with a English speaking

Canadian native, I asked him what the best way to

communicate in English was. ‘Convey more with fewer words’

was his advice. I have not been disappointed following him.

Having my information succinct - brief and clear has worked

remarkably well for me.

Konrad Lorenz the famed ethologist also was a great storyteller

and his classic ethology book King Solomon’s Ring is a

masterpiece that is accessible to laymen which lays out the

basics of ethology without too much jargon and technicalities.


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Use pictures to help readers visualise the story

Embedding appealing pictures related to the story can help

readers better relate to the plot and theme. The image, along

with a caption/ cutline should supplement the story information.

It is a good idea to have pictures related to a particular

paragraph placed a little above it, as it creates interest on the

upcoming narration.

Take help of diagrams and simple graphs

Simple graphs or diagrams can help your readers visualise

numbers and statistics. Choose the visual representation

according to your audience. For example, if your audience is

lay, a simple bar graph with corresponding time interval should

be fine to show the increase in the incidences of a respiratory

illness in a remote community over a period of time.

Expand the horizons of your online stories

A box with url links to the topics mentioned in your online

stories helps your readers learn more about the subject you

have narrated to them about. You may not want to include

external links unless they speak of your work or are related to

the subject directly.

Writing for external channels


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Each popular magazine, journal or news paper has its own

unique style and clearly list the requirements potential writers

need to meet. As an example, here is what BBC wildlife

expects from potential contributors

http://www.discoverwildlife.com/how-contribute-stories-bbc-

wildlife

Balance between emotions and rationality

Although you may want to ensure the audiences identify with

you in your story, at the same time avoid excessive attachment

to the stories’ characters or the plots. Be brief and to the point,

as explained earlier.

The above list is not exhaustive and you may want to create

and document your own rules to improve upon your stories

each time. When ever you have time stop and look back as you

progress in your writings and see what has worked well. Try

visiting your earlier stories at set intervals; say once in 3

months and compare where you stand both against yourself as

well in the outside world. See where the bar is and try setting it

higher using the pace at which you have risen since you started

as a yardstick. No one can inspire you like yourself.

‘Practise makes a man perfect’

http://www.discoverwildlife.com/how-contribute-stories-bbc-wildlife

http://www.discoverwildlife.com/how-contribute-stories-bbc-wildlife


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As Francis Bacon said, "Reading maketh a full man,

conversation a full man and writing an exact man." Reading the

works of master storytellers in different forms of the art - in

novels, non fiction, poetry, films, essays, commentaries and

documentaries will expose you to the best methods of writing

as well as the thought processes of those who have succeeded

at storytelling. Some of the nature writers who can be read

diligently for guidance are Gerald Durrell, Carl Sagan, David

Attenborough, Isaac Asimov and Richard Dawkins. In the

Indian context, the works of J V Narlikar, Salim Ali, M Krishnan,

Billy Arjan Singh and Ruskin Bond make inspired reading".

Chapter exercise

1. Request your colleague to suggest improvements

on your latest story. List the same.

2. Prepare a list of related links that can go with your

latest online story.

3. Choose a topic of your interest and prepare a list of

five all time ‘top’ writers in that topic.


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FURTHER RESOURCES

Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. “Writing Resources” The Writing Center, Harvard University. Handouts, The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University. ‘Wild Animals I have Known’ Ernest Thomson Seton. Conversations with Carl Sagan, Tom Head, University Press of Mississippi, 2006.

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/NiemanFoundation/Audiences/JournalistsAndWriters.aspx

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/index.html

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/


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Ameen Ahmed is a writer and a Communication and Outreach

Consultant who has written for mainstream English dailies and

major travel publications. He has over 100 published stories and

popular articles in international print and online publications to his

credit. He has authored proposals and reports for bio-diversity

surveys and content on conservation for organisations like Birdlife

International, SACON and IISc apart from Government agencies.

In his immediate past role as a Senior Communication Manager

with WWF-India, he helped communicate internally as well as to

the outside world, the latest happenings on that NGO’s

conservation stage. He is helping Wildlife Aware Nature Club

(WANC), a grassroots organisation working for environment and

wildlife conservation in a semi-urban part of Karnataka, India,

communicate since 1989. Among the NGOs he has worked full

time are Greenpeace. He is currently working in the corporate

sector and in his spare time manages content for several popular

conservation and travel blogs including ‘Call Of The Hill Myna’.

He can be reached at [email protected]

The Author

http://tumkurameen.blogspot.com/

mailto:[email protected]


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A manual for South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams & Government

agencies on communicating through written stories --------------------------------------------

This book, probably the first of its kind in South Asia region, aims to

help the region’s development sector create and use stories. Anyone

interested in educating their stakeholders about their work can use it

to tell their story. The author has over two decades’ experience

working with NGOs and Government agencies in communicating the

various challenges facing India facing today, ranging from

environmental degradation to women’s rights.

The following, in particular, may find this very useful:

1. Heads of CSR, Corporate Foundations, Cause Marketing.

2. Policy makers and Government officers.

3. Scientists, particularly ecologists and wildlife biologists.

4. Senior and mid-level Communication Managers.

5. Executives and officers working for Communication, Public

Relation, Investor relation, Liaison, CSR and Outreach teams.

6. Journalism and Communication students.

7. Teachers.