Telling Stories 

When science and facts are not enough, try stories.

Why Stories?
Stories are more influential than facts alone and serve to make the facts real. Stories are remembered - they connect to emotions, and emotions influence decisions.

With stories we can demonstrate that we are doing a good job, highlight important accomplishments, show that we are making a positive difference in the lives of people in Wisconsin, and justify a continued investment in tobacco control.

Stories have the most impact when they:

Illustrate how someone's life has gotten better

Put a real face on positive statistics and outcomes

Show how the Tobacco Control Program has made a difference

Using Stories
The same story can be used in multiple ways:

In district meetings

In joint finance meetings

In the media

- Letter to the editor
- Special interest article
- Editorial board visit

How can stories be presented?

Audio

Personal testimonial

PowerPoint slide/Digital photo

Print with or without photo

Video

Story Examples UW-CTRI Quit Smoking Stories DPI Youth Impact Stories (See the talking points for schools and tobacco coalitions) First Breath Client Stories