How do you deal with conflicting or competing narratives in strategic communication?

1 Identify the sources and motives of the narratives

The first step to deal with conflicting or competing narratives is to identify where they come from and what they aim to achieve. Are they based on facts, opinions, emotions, or biases? Are they driven by personal, professional, political, or ideological motives? Are they intended to inform, persuade, manipulate, or deceive? By analyzing the sources and motives of the narratives, you can assess their credibility, relevance, and impact on your communication goal and audience.

2 Understand your audience and their needs

The second step to deal with conflicting or competing narratives is to understand your audience and their needs. Who are they, what do they know, what do they care about, what do they expect, and what do they want? By researching and listening to your audience, you can tailor your messages to their values, interests, concerns, and preferences. You can also anticipate their questions, objections, or doubts and address them proactively and respectfully.

3 Define your goal and your narrative

The third step to deal with conflicting or competing narratives is to define your goal and your narrative. What are you trying to achieve, why, and how? What is the main message or story that you want to convey to your audience? How does it align with your mission, vision, and values? How does it differ from or challenge the other narratives? By clarifying your goal and your narrative, you can focus your communication strategy and tactics on delivering a clear, consistent, and compelling message.

4 Use evidence and emotion to support your narrative

The fourth step to deal with conflicting or competing narratives is to use evidence and emotion to support your narrative. Evidence refers to the facts, data, statistics, examples, testimonials, or other sources that back up your claims and arguments. Emotion refers to the feelings, attitudes, beliefs, or emotions that you want to evoke or appeal to in your audience. By using evidence and emotion, you can enhance your credibility, authority, and persuasiveness, as well as connect with your audience on a rational and emotional level.

5 Acknowledge and address the other narratives

The fifth step to deal with conflicting or competing narratives is to acknowledge and address the other narratives. Ignoring or dismissing the other narratives may not be enough to convince or influence your audience, especially if they are exposed to or influenced by them. Instead, you should acknowledge and address the other narratives in a respectful and constructive way. You can do this by comparing and contrasting, finding common ground, refuting or rebutting, or offering alternative solutions or perspectives.

6 Monitor and adapt to the feedback and changes

The sixth step to deal with conflicting or competing narratives is to monitor and adapt to the feedback and changes. Strategic communication is not a one-way or static process, but a dynamic and interactive one. You should constantly monitor and evaluate the feedback and changes that occur in your audience, your environment, your goal, or your narrative. You should also be ready to adapt your communication strategy and tactics accordingly, by updating, revising, or modifying your messages, channels, or actions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?