How to Use Storytelling to Influence System Change
Joi Danielson
System Change and Transformation Specialist
Sometimes it takes a bird’s stomach filled with plastic to realise how badly things have gone. Watch Joi Danielson as she explains the importance of powerful narratives in creating change.
Sometimes it takes a bird’s stomach filled with plastic to realise how badly things have gone. Watch Joi Danielson as she explains the importance of powerful narratives in creating change.
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How to Use Storytelling to Influence System Change
11 mins 38 secs
Key learning objectives:
Define a burning platform
Identify what makes a burning platform
Outline the difference between outside pressure and inside support
Overview:
A burning platform is a powerful narrative that creates both urgency and inevitability. It tells people that change isn’t optional but necessary and overdue. A strong burning platform is built on truth, emotion, and authenticity. It’s visual, specific, and personal, showing what’s at stake and offering hope that change is possible. There are two major roles in system change: the inside and outside game. The inside game is about working within systems to negotiate and build trust. The outside game is about creating public pressure through bold storytelling to motivate people and force institutions to confront uncomfortable truths.
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Summary
What is a burning platform and why does it matter in system change?
A burning platform is a powerful narrative that creates both urgency and inevitability. It tells people that change isn’t optional but necessary and overdue. Stories paired with compelling visuals are the fastest way to make that happen. A burning platform thrusts a problem into the public eye or touches a nerve so deeply that it can’t be ignored, turning what might have been a quiet issue into one that demands attention and action.
What makes a powerful burning platform?
A strong burning platform is built on truth, emotion, and authenticity. It’s visual, specific, and personal, showing what’s at stake and offering hope that change is possible. Four key ingredients make it effective:
- Visuals that shock: People are moved more by what they see than by what they hear. Images that are visceral and irrefutable speak volumes.
- A personal story: Viewers connect most with other people, not abstract systems. Show how someone’s life is affected, using language that appeals to shared human values - like dignity, protection, and justice.
- Emotional contrast: Build urgency by showing both what’s at risk if we do nothing and what’s possible if we act. People are more driven to avoid loss than pursue gain, so it’s crucial to make the cost of inaction clear.
- Authenticity: Avoid exaggeration or slick production. Real, grounded stories (featuring genuine voices or footage) build trust and credibility.
What is an example of a burning platform?
A diver in Bali filmed manta rays swimming through plastic pollution. The footage went viral, galvanising both public outrage and government action within days. The story’s power lay in its truth - it didn’t ask for sympathy, it simply showed reality in a way no one could ignore.
How do inside and outside forces work together to drive system change?
The outside game involves creating public pressure through bold storytelling, emotional narratives, and viral visuals that spotlight dysfunction and stir moral urgency. These campaigns can motivate people and force institutions to confront uncomfortable truths - but they can also provoke defensiveness if handled without care.
The inside game is about working within systems (e.g. governments, private sectors, and financial institutions) to negotiate, build trust, and unlock opportunities over time. Inside change leaders rely on diplomacy and persistence rather than public confrontation.
When the two align, real transformation happens. The outside game provides the spark that ignites urgency, while the inside game is the engine that sustains progress.
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Joi Danielson
Joi Danielson is a transformation leader with over 15 years of experience driving complex, high-stakes system change. She began her career as a consultant at McKinsey, later became a Partner at Systemiq, and now serves as Managing Partner of Vital Ocean. Joi specialises in turning ambitious ideas into practical, lasting outcomes that deliver real impact at scale, while developing the leaders and partnerships needed to sustain that change.
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