| Sumario: | This capacity-building session is for researchers and practitioners interested in learning more about how to turn evidence and experiences into compelling stories that can influence policies, practices and behaviors for greater equality in food systems. Storytelling has been widely acknowledged as a basic mode of communication and knowledge acquisition. Past research, particularly that focused on public health, has documented that, for example, using storytelling to communicate scientific evidence increases the likelihood of audiences recalling the evidence at a later point. Likewise, policymakers have been found to rely on narrative evidence for effective policy making. Lastly, long-established narratives dominate different policy and other decision-making spaces and determine which framing of evidence and experiences is likely to resonate with stakeholders in these spaces. That is why organizations pursuing research for impact should consider how to use storytelling to influence decision-makers and affect change. However, some challenges must be carefully deliberated: How to ensure diverse, intersectional voices and not rely on singular perspectives? How to weigh the complexity of evidence vs the power of a simple story? How to use storytelling to ethically persuade? Session objectives include: • Co-creating an understanding of what makes “a good story” when wanting to communicate facts, evidence and experiences for influence. • Sharing knowledge and discussing how research organizations and other food systems actors can increase their use of storytelling as one pathway toward impact.
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