No Lip Service Glossary
Terms and definitions as used on this website.
Others use some terms differently. No Lip Service definitions do not fall outside all use by others in the narrative ecosystem, however they will fall outside the use of some. Definitions are purposefully non-technical and simplified.
Communication
Embodied simulation
Ethical storytelling
Narrative affect
Narrative effect
Narrative text
Performance
Organizational communications
Simulation learning
Narrative
Story
Strategic storytelling
Text
Impact storytelling
Mental simulation
Narration
The process of organizing related events into the form of a story. The product of narration is a story.
The cognitive activity of organizing information — such as ignoring some stimulus, focusing on other stimulus, determining cause + effect between experiences — to create an understanding of the world that is useful for choosing actions. The product of narrative is a story, which can exist solely in the mind or can be represented through storytelling. The representation is often called a “narrative text” or “narrative” for short.
A story is the product of narrative: after you have organized information so as to be more useful, the end product is a story. It is the same thing as a “narrative text”.
Storytelling as part of a strategy — to achieve an objective. Storytelling is a natural cognitive process to organize the information we receive about the world; strategic storytelling is a tactic in a larger strategy to influence the opinions and actions of others (the audience).
Something that holds information. A text can be a book, a podcast episode, a poem.
Telling stories about real people — narrated by an organization — that describe the human impact of that organization’s work. Impact stories are typically told by nonprofit, NGO or social change organizations as part of their fundraising and publicity efforts.
The action of simulating events in your mind. Essentially, it’s imagining — and it’s a natural ability all people have.
Transmitting information, in any form. Writing is communication, as is a facial expression.
You know that feeling when you’re completely “in” a book and you feel what’s happening as though it’s happening to you? That’s “embodied simulation”: you are simulating the events of the story in your own mind.
“Ethical storytelling” refers to storytelling practice — specifically impact storytelling — with policies and practices in place to prevent harm. Learn more at Tell Ethical Stories.
Organizational communications that includes storytelling.
The emotional experience, experienced by the audience during storytelling.
The change observed in the reader as a result of a story, such as changing a personal opinion or choosing a different action.
A text that is the product of narration. (A text that contains information, that has been organized to be more useful.) Also commonly referred to as a “story”.
The work of shifting public opinion on a social issue.
An area of organizational communications that produces stories about people, narrated and published by the organization, in service to the organization. All organizational storytelling is strategic storytelling.
An action before an audience, intended to meet the audience’s expectation.
Communications produced and distributed on behalf of an organization and its spokespeople. Also “corporate communications” or simply “comms”.
“Simulation learning” is one natural form of human learning where someone imagines (or simulates) possible outcomes of different actions they might choose, and “learns” which action they should take by choosing the action with the best (imagined) outcome. You do this every day — probably without being aware of it because it’s completely natural to you.