Why Narrative Strategy Must Come Before Communications Strategy

Why is distinguishing between communication and narrative strategy essential to institutional credibility in this era?

Every organization tells stories. But few pause to ask whether the story they are telling still tells the truth.

In a world reshaped by demographic change, social upheaval, and information overload, the difference between communicating and understanding has never been greater. Most institutions invest in communication strategy—campaigns, channels, and talking points—without first verifying the story they are amplifying. The result is persuasive messaging that no longer fits or defines the moment.

Narrative strategy begins where communication strategy ends: at the question of meaning.

A communication strategy determines how to express an established story—what to say, where to say it, and when.

It focuses on visibility, clarity, and engagement:

• Which audiences should we reach?

• What tone and medium best deliver our message?

• How can we maintain consistency across channels?

This work is essential. But it assumes the underlying story is still accurate, relevant, and trusted. In periods of cultural stability, that assumption might hold. In transitional eras—like the one we are in now—it rarely does.

A narrative strategy examines the story itself before your organization shares it.

It investigates the institutional assumptions, inherited frameworks, and cultural signals that shape perception. It asks:

• Does our story still match the world we operate in?

• Whose experiences and contributions does it omit?

• What historical patterns does it unconsciously repeat or protect?

• Is the our organizational narrative shared with cultural competence?

Where communication strategy manages expression, narrative strategy manages alignment—between mission, identity, and environment. It functions as an organizational intelligence tool, revealing whether an institution’s self-understanding remains coherent in the context of social, economic, and cultural change.

1. Relevance Is a Moving Target

A message that resonated five years ago may now signal complacency or exclusion. Without revisiting the narrative itself, communication efforts risk amplifying a story that no longer fits stakeholder reality.

2. Trust Depends on Coherence

Audiences sense dissonance faster than institutions can publish corrections. Narrative misalignment shows up as declining engagement, skepticism, or public fatigue long before a communications team detects a problem.

3. Efficiency Requires Verification

Investing in campaigns before verifying the story wastes both money and social capital. A clear narrative foundation ensures every subsequent communication decision compounds trust rather than erodes it.

Narrative strategy, especially when it's adaptive, is not activism; it is strategic due diligence.

It treats story as infrastructure—something that must be inspected and updated like any other critical system.

When conducted well, it produces three measurable outcomes:

• Clarity of Purpose: Leadership alignment around a shared, current understanding of the organization’s role.

• Cultural Legitimacy: Stories that reflect all communities touched by the institution, not only those who founded it.

• Strategic Focus: Communications plans that rest on verified truths rather than legacy assumptions.

Only after these outcomes are achieved does communication strategy—messaging, media, campaigns—truly succeed in this era.

Depending on your organizational needs, a disciplined narrative process can include:

1. Narrative Audit: Analyzing organizational materials, data, and stakeholder feedback to locate misalignments between intent and perception.

2. Story Mapping: Identifying the dominant, emerging, and missing narratives shaping internal and external identity.

3. Alignment Workshops: Guiding leadership and staff through reframing exercises that update the institutional story without erasing its heritage.

4. Implementation Blueprint: Translating the refined narrative into communications, policy, and partnership language.

Each step is evidence-based and collaborative. The goal is not to impose a new ideology but to create an accurate mirror—a story adapted to reflect who the organization truly is in the present moment.

In fast-changing environments, skipping narrative verification is like building marketing campaigns on outdated financial data. You may look active, but you’re operating on yesterday’s numbers.

Organizations that rely solely on communication strategy often experience:

• Message fatigue: Audiences disengage because the story feels generic or self-congratulatory.

• Internal confusion: Employees interpret mission statements differently, diluting focus.

• Reputational drift: External stakeholders stop believing the institution understands their realities.

Narrative strategy can help prevent these losses by ensuring that communication investments rest on verified meaning.

Narrative strategy and communication strategy are not competing disciplines.

They are sequential stages of the same continuum.

Narrative strategy determines what deserves to be said while communication strategy ensures it is said well, no matter what it is.

When integrated, they create both credibility and clarity—two elements every institution needs to thrive in complexity.

If your organization is navigating transition—new leadership, shifting demographics, evolving missions, a dynamic policy environment—now is the time to pause before amplifying your current message.

Start by asking:

• Does our founding story still fit the world we serve?

• Are we telling a story of continuity or one of adaptation?

• What truths have we inherited that no longer serve our purpose?

These are not rhetorical questions. They are the starting points of strategic narrative work. They represent an opportunity to pause, listen for the quieter truths beneath the familiar language, and to rediscover a new story that has the power to move your stakeholders toward enhanced trust, alignment, and shared purpose.

Dahna Chandler is a doctoral researcher at the University of Southern California, where she examines how historical narratives shape access and legitimacy in U.S. finance. An award-winning business journalist with a master’s in corporate communications from Georgetown University, she brings over 25 years of expertise in long-form storytelling, institutional analysis, and narrative strategy. Through her work, she illustrates how stories construct systems, influence power, and shape public trust.

(c) 2025. The UpThink Narrative Initiative, a division of Thrive Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This blog post may not be reproduced or reposted in whole or in part without express written permission of the author.