The Power of Words

Getting the narrative right is key—especially when under attack.

Developing a compelling narrative arc is often overlooked in the rush to “get the message out.” But it’s the essential window that lets people actually see and connect with the message.

It opens people’s minds, creating a space so that they can absorb what follows. Without first opening this window for folks, your message is likely to go unseen—buried inside someone else’s narrative. If you don’t open the window, they don’t get the message.

Take Earth Day for example. April 22, 2025, marks 55 years since this global celebration of the planet was created by Senator Gaylord Nelson and environmental advocate Denis Hayes. It still serves as a landmark for tens of millions of people across the earth.

And the Trump gang seems likely to use it as the launching pad for a wholesale attack on nonprofit organizations and foundations working on climate, environmental protection, and other critical issues.

While we don’t know exactly what the forthcoming executive orders will entail, I’d put money on it being another effort to silence people and points of view with which Trump abhors.

Disparaging the patriotism of people and organizations working to keep America beautiful, can’t you hear it already? I can: “Look at all the money these people send overseas to stop this climate nonsense. We’re giving them a tax break in America, so they can do work somewhere else! This has to stop.”

We know his team’s basic narrative structure—insult, attack, lie, and destroy. But we can’t combat this with only facts, data, and robust science. We’ve tried that. Facts get trampled.

For people to truly understand and absorb our messages, we need to put facts into a new narrative arc.

Here are three examples of what we might do to open up new windows for folks.

Narrative 1: Democracy ensures our freedom…

Example: Democracy ensures our freedom, which means we need to embrace tough conversations, not silence one another.

Narrative 2: Protecting the environment keeps our kids healthy…

Example: Protecting the environment keeps our kids healthy, which is why we educate Americans about the need for stringent policy, to keep our air clean, our water free of pollution, and our soils healthy.

Narrative 3: Maintaining a stable climate is a promise to our grandchildren…

Example: Maintaining a stable climate is a promise to our grandchildren—and to keep that pledge, we have to face the reality around us and use renewable technology rather than ancient fossil fuels.

The narrative arc alone isn’t the entire answer. It needs the messaging underneath for sure. But messages without the cover and appeal of an overarching and compelling alternative narrative are likely to be rendered invisible by the smoke and mirrors of the Trump narrative.