Resources

STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS

The OGP communications team and partners are excited to offer workshops to members of the open gov community looking to grow their storytelling skills.

“What Makes a Good Open Government Story”

What would you like to see next? Let us know at communications@opengovpartnership.org.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. I’m not sure if my story fits the criteria for the OpenStories site. What should I consider?

Ask yourself a few questions:

  • Is my work contributing to making changes in the way governments serve their citizens?
  • Has my work made some tangible progress? Is there enough to share yet?
  • Is my work scaleable or adaptable for other countries and localities?
  • Have I learned lessons that could help others as they implement similar reforms?
  • If you answered yes to most of those questions, OpenStories is the right place for you.

If you haven’t answered yes to most of those questions, you might want to wait until your work is further along to share your learning.

2. Why should I submit my story?

  • You can share how you’re improving the way governments serve their citizens with a global audience.
  • You can get inspired by other reformers’ stories.
  • It’s a powerful way to connect with the community and grow a global movement where government and civil society work together and citizens regain trust in the institutions.
  • OGP will feature select submission in our monthly newsletter and through our social media channels. Some stories may even make it into OGP publications and speeches.

3. I have an idea for a story, but I’m not sure how to write it. Can OGP help?

Before writing your story, define your goals. Is it relevant to a global audience? Will it resonate with those outside of your country or locality?

The open gov community brings together people from all over the world, so try to avoid using too many acronyms or jargon that only niche or local audiences will understand.

Keep your story concise and engaging. Some readers may want to dive deeper into the technical details of your story, so make sure to submit links to analyses, data sets, and publications for the additional resources section on the page.

Use anecdotes and quotes from people involved in the project to help bring your story to life.

Include photos of people on-the-ground and the citizens impacted by the reforms to bring visual context to your story.

Guide your reader through the story with snappy subheadings.

4. I think I have an idea for a video. What do I need to keep in mind when submitting one?

Your video should also tell a story about reforms or reformers working on open government. So you want to ask yourself the same questions as for submitting a story.

  • Is my work contributing to making changes in the way governments serve their citizens?
  • Has my work made some tangible progress? Is there enough to share yet?
  • Is my work scaleable or adaptable for other countries and localities?
  • Have I learned lessons that could help others as they implement similar reforms?

Remember the global audience of this platform. When submitting a video in a language other than English, please include English subtitles.

5. What happens when my story is submitted?

Once you submit your story, OGP will review it and contact you for any questions or feedback. If it fits our guidelines, we will publish your story and notify you.

Take your story further and optimize opportunities:

  • Share it with your network on social media with #OpenStories and tag OGP’s accounts.
  • Make it part of your bigger communications plan. Is there an event coming up in your country or locality where you could share the story? Can you include it in a donor report, annual report, or newsletter?
  • OGP will feature select submissions in our monthly newsletter and through our social media channels. Some stories may even make it into OGP publications and speeches.
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