Sharjah 24: The 10th edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF), organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) at Expo Centre Sharjah, hosted a panel discussion titled ‘Nature of storytelling and function in discourse’ on Sunday, September 26, to highlight the effectiveness of storytelling in successfully translating government discourses to communities.

derated by Lebanese television presenter, Malek Maktabi, the panel highlighted the role of storytelling in government communications and reviewed examples of successful storytelling strategies from the government. Speakers at the session included Al Saad Al Menhali, Editor-in-Chief,National GeographicAl Arabiya and Rashed Al Falahi, Advisory committee member - Dignified Storytelling.

Highlighting credibility as the most important factor in government messaging, the panel discussed the other aspects that make for good storytelling. “It should have a human element that delves into the heart and gets instilled in people’s minds. Credibility, empathy and the impact it has on the target audience are the key factors here,” said Al Menhali.

Al Falahi offered a short story to illustrate what makes for good strategies in government communication. His example highlighted a fundraising effort for disadvantaged children led by members divided into two groups – one that distributed a brochure with all facts and figures about the children’s problems, and the second, which shared an additional story about a child in Mali. The second group received twice as much funding as the first one.

“To be successful, the storytelling effort must be ‘sticky’ – it must stick in our minds long after we’ve heard it,” said Al Falahi. “In the context of government communications, you can publicise all the policies and projects you want, but it’s how you narrate the story of these policies, why they have come about and the ability to convey it to the right target audience, that makes for good promotional strategy.”

The message must also be clear without any excessive additions. The most important thing is to create a simple story, especially if you have to deliver it in less than two-minute segments for social media.”