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- Have any questions?
- 02 9247 6000
- media@commsroom.co
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There are always conflicting forces that point us in different directions, and part of what we love to tackle around this area are these challenges themselves.
A good example of this is the potential conflict between transparency and sensitivity in our storytelling. On the one hand, being transparent and painting a full and honest picture of a subject area is extremely vital in gaining the trust of the people and ensuring they are getting the right information. But in doing this, we also need to ensure that we respect the needs and potential vulnerabilities of our storytellers and audiences.
A strong way of building trust in government-run services and programs is to share the stories of other people who have experienced them. People love hearing authentic stories and are more likely to trust the message if it is from someone who they can relate to.
We film a lot of these ‘case study’ videos and they are informative, emotive and impact and impactful. However, they are not always straightforward. There are several factors to consider, including cultural sensitivity, accessibility, appropriateness of the message, potential risks to viewers or the person sharing their story, balancing the interview with unoffensive visual imagery, ensuring that we are not sensationalizing the story, and understanding how the story might affect viewers’ emotions and mental health.
We must always take a human-centric approach, as there are two key areas to consider concerning these videos. Firstly, there is the interviewee, who has kindly—and often bravely—offered to share their story, mostly in the hope that it might help someone else. Next, there is the audience and how watching this story impacts the viewer.
A good example of this is when we filmed an interview with a man who lived with serious mental health issues. He had accessed affordable housing, which had really helped him with his recovery.
Watch the video here.
During that interview, we needed to keep the following in mind:
For the viewers, when editing the story, we needed to ensure that our content was:
Sensitive storytelling doesn’t just apply to working with vulnerable people. It is a comprehensive communications approach that has heart at its core.
As a government agency, the last thing you want to do is create panic and anxiety. Messaging often focuses on serious topics like cyber threats, pandemics, and mental health. It’s crucial to be transparent about these issues without overwhelming people with fear.
More on communication: Navigating Crisis: A Proactive Approach to Communication Preparedness
Laundry Lane is a leading Australian video and animation agency. They believe that storytelling is the most impactful communications approach for government, health, and not-for-profit organisations. They believe in the power of video for social change, and are B Corp Certified and carbon neutral.
