About This Episode:
In our most recent episode, Vanessa dives into how social change organizations can bring narratives to life with our guest Anat Shenker-Osorio, Principal and Founder of ASO Communications. Whether it’s “Freedom”, “Life”, or “Us”, some words are worth fighting over. Listen in on this fascinating conversation, discussing examples of how language can shift social norms, help us reimagine our collective future, and define our moment.
About Anat Shenker-Osorio:
Anat Shenker-Osorio, Principal and Founder of ASO Communications and host of the Words to Win By podcast, is a leading researcher on political and social change messaging. Through priming experiments, task-based testing, and online dial surveys, she investigates why some narratives inspire action, while others fall flat. Her data-driven insights have shaped winning strategies on issues from labor rights and clean energy, to immigration and criminal justice reform, leading to progressive victories around the world. Anat’s research and commentary have been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Atlantic, and she is the author of the book, Don’t Buy It.
In her words…
“We have to recognize that there are certain words and concepts that are so integral to human beings that we simply cannot let the opposition have them, even if we have been conditioned and told that they belong to the opposition.”
“We need to make deliberate choices about our language, including what we choose not to talk about.”
[As a social change organization, your job] “is not to report on what is occurring. Your job is to first ask two critical questions: What do you wish people would believe and what do you wish people would do?”
“If you want people to believe a different story about your city, you can’t make them believe that story, unless you show, not tell, that something else is going on.”
“Narratives that work actually get noticed and they break whatever the dominant paradigm of speech is—to make people look over there.”
Questions Answered on this Episode:
- What do you see as the most promising narrative areas for social change organizations and other members of civil society to shape in conversations today?
- What role do you see language playing in the development of social and political consciousness and civil education?
- When you think about the evolution of language, how do you gauge when it is time to evolve, when it is no longer working?