Humbled by Volcanic Ash and Great Brilliance

The prospect of volcanic ash from Iceland raining down on Skoll World Forum delegates, grounding them in the City of Dreaming Spires, as they share with one another their lessons learned from years of trying to change the world is beyond poetic.  It serves as an awesome reminder of the power that Earth wields on the movements of people.  And it casts each great mind participating in the Forum this year as an animated statuette, rendered gray with ash, in the museum of social entrepreneurship.

Here is Federico Bellone of Fundacion AVINO, unable to return to Brazil, reminding us that collective impact is best captured by narrative, not matrix. Narratives are perhaps less rigorous than standard evaluation procedures, and subject to bias. But they are low cost and simple to comprehend.  They allow for continuous reporting and are great at illustrating scale in a way that anyone can relate to.

Here is Jim Berk of Participant Media, unable to return to Los Angeles, open sourcing the recipe for creating compelling films that move people towards action. “Start by finding your story.” he says. “Then find your tone. Then find your audience. But above all, recognize the limitations of the form you’re working with.”  The recipe works for film but can be heeded by anyone blessed with the raw materials for communication.

Here is Rafael Ramirez, already at home in Oxford but cast as a living statuette nevertheless. His words are prophetic. “The future is not something we enter.  It comes at you.”  His advice: use advanced scenario planning to build multiple narratives of what the future may hold for the context in which you work.  The art of scenario planning can help you make decisions in the present that account for accelerated change and guaranteed uncertainty.

As delegates adjust their travel plans in the face of Earth’s rumblings, some leave with a new appreciation for how effective story-telling fuels brilliant impact measurement, brilliant communication, and brilliant strategic planning.