Think Big Brief: Communicating Truth Through the Noise
What can the research tell us about how people come to accept new information as true? And what strategies can help communicators break through when truth itself is being challenged?
Narrative
Think Big Brief: Beyond Blame – Villains, Villainy & Heroic Solutions
What happens when we focus on the villain without fully reckoning with their villanous actions (villainy)? Think Big teamed up with the Topos Partnership to explore what social science reveals about the power of villains in advocacy storytelling — and what we miss when we fail to include their harmful actions.
Met Group: Housing as Well-Being
Written by guest author Jennifer Messenger from the Metropolitan Group, this article explores how framing economic conversations through the lens of well-being can drive meaningful impact.
Think Big Brief: Breaking the Doom Loop
How do we present injustices and wrongs in a way that engages people and allows audiences to see that a just, equitable, and joyful future is possible? Check out our framing science brief on helping our audiences break out of the doom loop.
Case Study: Developing Emerging Opinion Leaders in Maine
A key challenge to advancing a progressive worldview is the lack of representation of everyday people, particularly those impacted by racial, economic, and gender injustices, as recognized opinion leaders. The Maine People’s Resource Center (MPRC), in partnership with the Maine Beacon—a news website and podcast—has been working to address this gap by elevating underrepresented voices and cultivating opinion leadership among everyday Mainers.
Case Study: Empowering Voices for Change in Alabama
For too long, the narrative in Alabama has disempowered everyday people, but Think Big Alabama – a 2024 advocacy and narrative training program – aimed to change that. This four-part program, a collaboration between Alabama Arise and Alabama Values, equipped community members with the tools to drive change by addressing critical issues that matter most to them – like poverty, healthcare, and transportation.
Belonging in and to America: A Short Video Series
Over the last year, we traveled from coast to coast, from city to small town, to talk with people about American identity and take an honest look at the stories we tell about ourselves, who we are, and what we value.
This short video series features some of these voices and is based on the Topos/Bridge Project jointly-released report: Belonging in and To America.
Advancing a Well-Being Narrative
Developed by the Metropolitan Group and RAND, this narrative guide offers some early thinking on a Wellbeing Narrative in the U.S. – a narrative shift from “economic growth at all costs” to “well-being for all people.” The report reviews and examines the implications for well-being approaches gaining traction globally, and offers initial insights and recommendations […]
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Washington state no longer has worst tax code in U.S.
This press release does it all: Promotes the win, uses the effective “upside down” metaphor to explain a complex topic, connects revenue to wellbeing and community prosperity, and leans into Washington’s image of itself to say – “we can do even better.” Check out the press release
ITEP: Who Pays?
Kudos to Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy for the 7th edition of their comprehensive analysis of tax systems in all 50 states. Connecting “upside down taxes” to wealth inequality is an excellent way to explain a complex topic like regressive taxation. Access the Report and State-by-State Data
We Make the Future Action: Amplifying Organizing
A messaging resource specifically designed for organizers, this new guide offers best practices together with a practical case study example (ISAIAH’s campaign to build power in St. Paul, Minnesota). View the Guide
Harmony Labs: How to Reach New Climate Audiences
This excellent interactive guide from Harmony Labs (in partnership with Earth Alliance) focuses on making climate culturally relevant. But the creative techniques they use to think about reaching audiences are useful to any issue area. Entering the next frontier of climate communications requires knowing which audiences haven’t been reached, where they gather, what drives them, […]
Think Big Report: Belonging In and To America
How do we get to a future America for all of us and for everyone, a nation in which belonging is co-created and power is authentically shared? Over the last year, Topos Partnership has worked in collaboration with the Bridge Project to conduct original research – including in-depth ethnographic interviews – building on the diagnosis of our fractured American […]
Reparations Narrative Lab: Research and Tools
The Reparations Narrative Lab – launched by Liberation Ventures – focuses on narrative and culture change to build public support for reparations. Take a look at the extensive research and tools created during the first iteration of the Narrative Lab — including narrative briefs, webinars, and framing worksheets. Access the research and tools
FrameWorks: The Terrain of Spatial Justice
Racism is built into places. It shapes who can live where, how resources are distributed, who gets a say over what happens in places, and more. Places in the United States reflect, perpetuate, and amplify the racism that structures US society. Creating a racially just society requires creating a spatially just society—a society that advances […]
Think Big Report: Abundance in Narrative
We often define abundance as a contrast. Abundance is NOT scarcity, NOT austerity, NOT competition for resources. So, then, what IS abundance? What are some of the core elements behind the term and the idea in narrative? What do these elements look like in practice? What are some of the inherent tensions? What do we […]
SAY IT SO THEY’LL HEAR IT: Updated Best Practices Guide
Topos Partnership has released its newly updated summary of communications principles and best practices! SAY IT SO THEY’LL HEAR IT illustrates narrative best practices with explanations and examples, all with the goal of helping progressive advocates make the most of their communications opportunities. Download the guide
If the federal government can’t pay its bills, then millions of Americans can’t pay theirs
The debt default stalemate is careening toward next week’s hard deadline. And while there has been solid coverage of the catastrophic consequences of the nation defaulting on its obligations, it’s worth highlighting the voices that are directly connecting the dots between communities’ wellbeing and the economy. For instance, Center for American Progress’ Jean Ross writes: […]
Housing Narrative Lab: Messaging Guide for Communicating About Homelessness
Check out Housing Narrative Lab’s updated Messaging Guide for Communicating about Homelessness. The guide highlights key findings from national narrative research identifying the current problematic narratives of “personal responsibility” and laying out promising messages that can shift perceptions.
Tax Justice Wins in Washington State: A Case Study
This is a story of advocates and organizers taking a step back and working in coalition with a commitment to work toward a lasting culture shift. It’s a story of a new strategy that required years of intense research, new organizing and education approaches, and commitments to approaching advocacy differently. And like all true and honest […]
Bridge Project: Reframing the Prevailing American Narrative for 2052
“Imagine a future in which American identity is untethered from white supremacy — neither white supremacist nor centered around resisting white supremacy.” The Bridge Project – a collaborative narrative research project – is working to craft a story that aligns with who want to be in three decades time and is strategizing by building backward […]