Story, Language, and Power

Narrative Development and Strategic Messaging

Your work deserves to be heard, and understood. Not just by insiders, but by funders, policymakers, partners, and the communities you serve. We help organizations shape language that reflects who they are, what they stand for, and why it matters.

Whether preparing for a campaign launch, public testimony, or a values-forward communications strategy, we help you move from internal clarity to external resonance.

This is not branding. It is strategic messaging that carries both heart and credibility.

What We Offer

We support a wide range of narrative and communications needs, including:

• Message Strategy for Campaigns, Coalitions, and Initiatives

  Clarifying what you stand for and how to say it, across platforms, moments, and audiences.

• Narrative Framing that Connects Values to Action

  Grounding your message in purpose, history, and the emotional logic that moves people.

• Speech, Op-Ed, and Testimony Development

  Crafting high-stakes language that brings clarity, credibility, and conviction to the moment.

• Translating Research and Policy into Plain-Language Storytelling

  Making complex work understandable, resonant, and actionable for non-expert audiences.

• Aligning Internal Language with External Voice

  Ensuring your team and your public narrative speak from the same values and vision.

• Strategic Audience Feedback and Message Testing

  Gathering insight to refine what you say and how it lands, before it goes wide.

We help you develop language that connects, not just performs.

How We Work

In many cases, the right language is already there. It just needs to be surfaced, clarified, or freed from institutional jargon. We work alongside your team to sharpen the message and ensure it reaches the people who matter most.

Our process may include document review, interviews, collaborative writing, and sessions with leadership or frontline teams. We identify gaps, map values, and co-create language that speaks with clarity and integrity.

One recent engagement involved a statewide coalition with ten competing talking points. Through values-mapping and message testing, we helped the team converge on a shared voice that resonated from grassroots leaders to policymakers.

This is strategy in language form. It helps people feel what you mean, and remember why it matters.

“We came to Knuckles on Doors with scattered talking points and walked away with a message that moved funders, frontline leaders, and our coalition alike. It felt like we finally had a shared story.” — Comms Lead, Community Health Partnership