How do We Train to Match our Actions to Our Narrative?

[marct]

Hi Sledge,

1. we can control a narrative...
2. that it is received in the manner we intend it (even if our actions match)
3. that the narrative is somehow important to achieving success
4. some of the same principles used when selling soap apply here

I wouldn't say that they are held by everyone in the discussion . Also, and as a note, our list of assumptions contains assumptions - e.g. what do you mean by "control"? From the examples you list later on, I suspect hat we have very different understandings of what it means in this context.

I hear military officers say quite often that "..if we could only get the press to stop writing about the bad things..." My response to that is - if they stop, will that change what is happening?

Agreed, I've heard that as well, and it is a very naive assumption that just doesn't hold up - mainly for the reason you list as assumption #2.

The root of the problem is that a narrative is developed over time by actions, and the form it takes may not be the form we intend (sometimes it may even be better)...in our culture of instant gratification (or "I only have 15 months to make myself look like an innovative, adaptable, and successful commander"), we are not giving it time to develop... matching actions to a narrative will most likely accelerate acceptance (perhaps), but (and it is a big BUT)...we have no control (no matter how much we perceive we do) over how an individual will interpret our narrative...

I would agree with that somewhat, but only "somewhat".

What we need to do is rethink information...its uses...its interpretation...etc...this thread has sparked my interest enough to start to conduct some research on the narrative theme...I wonder what hard research exists on the topic?

A fair bit, although the terminology is somewhat different (I listed some of the sources in my last post).