What is public narrative?

Public narrative is a leadership practice that enables people to act on shared values and join together in collective action. By telling our story of self, story of us, and story of now, we can articulate the origins of why “I” care (who am I), why “we” care (who are we as a community), and why “now” (urgency), and motivate people to join us.

How does a story of self illustrate the storyteller’s agency instead of focusing on their victimhood?

Before telling her story, Rahaf asked the workshop participants, “In the coming 5 minutes, if I tell you that I am called to act for domestic violence as a woman, what questions will you ask me to get to know why?”

Some participants responded to the prompt that they will ask about Rahaf’s own experience with domestic violence.

Rahaf then proceeded to tell her story of self, painting the picture of the moment of her choice in the face of her challenge of domestic violence in her family. How does it differ from telling the story of only the challenge? After hearing her story, what have you learned about who she is as a person?