Informed Consent & Storytelling: 8 Things to Make Sure You Talk About
By Kate Marple
Telling a story about your life can be an empowering experience if you are in control of what is shared and how. But maintaining control of your story is often complicated when an organization is asking you to share it for fundraising, policy change, and/or outreach purposes and is coming to the table with its own goals for and perspective on the story. Organizations need to be mindful of this dynamic and cede power to individuals sharing their stories wherever they can. One way to do this is by engaging in nuanced consent conversations about what that story and story sharing process will look like, and about everyone’s boundaries, goals, and expectations.
When I think about someone giving informed and enthusiastic consent to share their story, I think of someone who: (1) understands what they are agreeing to; (2) understands any potential consequences of sharing their story in a particular scenario; and (3) did not feel pressure to participate. Consent conversations are an opportunity for an organization to pursue these three goals, communicate the reasons it wants someone to share their lived experience, and understand if, how, and why a person might be interested in sharing their story. In a larger sense, these conversations are a chance to position storytelling as an act of partnership and work with someone around how they want their experience shared and what they find meaningful to highlight and lift up in a narrative. Ideally these conversations should take place separate from and before an organization starts working with someone to document a story.
Below are eight topics that I cover whenever I ask someone to share their story. I also created a starter guide for organizations with a sample script and questions for each of these topics. Consent is a big and nuanced topic, and this brief guide is not meant to be comprehensive; context, issue, and community all matter. And how, where, and when these conversations happen can be as critical as their content. But I offer this tool as a starting place for organizations to examine their own processes and spark deeper discussions with their teams and communities.
8 Topics to Include in Consent Conversations
Communicate where, how, and why the organization wants to share this story. Don’t just say what you need; explain why you need it. Consider these questions: (1) What goal is your organization hoping to achieve by sharing this story specifically? (2) Who will see or hear the story? (3) Why did you ask this person specifically to share? Make sure to communicate each of these things to the person. As part of this conversation, explain what the person could expect from each stage of the storytelling process and talk through what different scenarios would entail. For example, someone who is sharing their story in a speech at a live event may be focused on what to say and who will be in the audience. However, they also need to know if audience members are allowed to take photos and/or videos and post them online. Similarly, if someone is being asked to share their story on a website or social media, it’s important to talk about how information and images can live on the Internet forever, even if your organization takes a story down later.
Explain that sharing is voluntary and in no way affects the services they receive from your organization. Consider who is delivering this message and how to minimize the chance that the person being asked could say yes because they feel like they owe something to the organization for the services they received there.
Ask the person about their own goals / reasons for sharing their story. Ideally, organizations will seek out and find people who benefit in some way from sharing and whose goals align with the organization’s goals. Revisit this question in more depth when gathering and crafting the story; for now, someone’s answer can help gauge whether or not this would be a good experience for them.
Discuss potential emotional, legal, and practical consequences of sharing this story to ensure the person has considered them and still wants to proceed. The specific questions an organization asks may differ depending on a person’s life, the issue, and the place and way the story is being shared. However, it’s good to inquire about both emotional concerns—like whether the person has ever told this story before and how they imagine it might feel for others to hear it—and practical concerns, like whether sharing the story presents any safety risks. The idea is never to make someone’s decision for them, but to make sure they think through what sharing their story really means.
Inquire about what parts of someone’s story are / aren’t okay to talk about. Ask if / how they’d want to be identified in a story. Whether or not to remain anonymous or use images should always be the person’s choice. You can explore these questions more deeply when gathering and crafting the story. However, at this point in the process, asking these questions can help gauge if someone is the right person for a specific storytelling scenario, especially ones that require someone to be identified in specific ways.
Discuss what format the person would be most comfortable sharing their story in. Some people prefer to tell their story in their own words, either live or on camera. Other people are much more comfortable taking time to document and revise their words in a written format. A lot of factors can shape the ways people are comfortable sharing. For each storytelling opportunity, look for people who want to share in the way that is needed, or adopt the opportunity to meet a storyteller’s strengths and preferences.
Ask about how, where, and for what reason(s) it is and is not okay to share the person’s story. For example, someone who feels passionate about sharing their story to bring about policy change may not feel comfortable being the subject of a fundraising email. Treating consent as all or nothing (i.e., either you want to share your story or you don’t) stops some people from participating who might want to if they had more control over shaping how and why it gets shared. Asking this question and honoring someone’s preferences opens the door for more people to participate, and for people to feel more confident when they do.
Explain the next steps and make a plan together for how to gather the story. Check to see if they have any additional ideas, concerns, or requests.
Download a Consent Conversation Starter Guide
This tool offers a sample script and questions for each of the eight topics discussed in this post to help guide organizations as they talk with someone about potentially sharing their story.
The suggestions in this guide do not constitute legal advice. Make sure you talk about consent procedures and documentation with staff and counsel.