Systemic Storytelling
A WORKSHOP for tranformative Impact
How did "The Rise of Zohran Mamdani" happen? He's about to become NYC's mayor at a remarkably young age, after a record-short campaign that mobilized previously disengaged communities. While preparing a recent workshop, I deep-dived into what made this campaign work: the clear communication, the canvassing strategy, the activation of non-voting groups through genuine dialogue and contact.
A city for
everyone
What stands out is the systemic perspective. NYC itself is the main character, and that includes everyone who lives there. The campaign stayed laser-focused on three core topics (the smallest common denominators) while navigating the complex, diverse, inner-city landscape with high-level personal presence, whoever Mamdani met.
But it was not just about Zohran, it was the collaboration, the team-effort and the listening skills. And crucially, the commitment to this job, Zohran Mamdani 's not angling for Washington, he can't even legally become president, having been born in Uganda.
His purpose is embedded in the place, a place he believes can become better - for more people, with more people involved.
Graphic design Braulio Amado, David Lane, Photo by Meinke Klein
To my delight I recognized many parallels to our approach when we rolled out Robyn's Honey album and created the world tour, among other things a co-created experience with fans across 52 countries, immersive, trust-based, including a Pokemon Go-inspired AR game, leading up to a premiere live concert with partners.
This here is based in the music & performance sector and the other in politics - but both campaigns created transformative trust based experiences that turned audiences into active participants.
Systemic health
Thirdly adding my recent experience (at an prize awarded regenerative sanitation design startup) from the innovative sustainability sector confirms this - there’s processes and patterns of systemic health that can be reproduced, no matter the context.
This is fundamentally different from traditional PR and linear campaigning; The so called “godfather of PR” (and nephew of Freud) Edward Bernays wrote in "Propaganda": "If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it?"….
Systemic storytelling is something else. Instead of manipulation, it designs space for connection, complexity, agency, collaboration and authentic transformation. It strengthens the social fabric, deepens participation, and builds trust. This is essential qualities for organizations navigating today's challenges.
Workshop in Systemic Storytelling
- for transformative Impact
An experience-based learning workshop combines theory, hands-on tools and practices, and case studies to equip your team with:
- Systemic storytelling tools
- Limits of traditional marketing
- Purpose as strategic compass
- Frameworks for co-creative engagement
- Generative Dialogue protocols
- Balancing structure with space (for emergence, flow & freestyle)
- Meta Design Prep for Humane Technology, AI etc
Format:: 1/2 or 1 day
Ideal for: Impact marketing teams, creative directors, architectural firms, impact startups, music, culture & events industry, NGO’s and anyone working at the intersection of communication, community, and transformation, academic contexts ( transdisciplinary experienced based learning)
“Scores of people left a Robyn concert at Madison Square Garden; I’ve yet to die, so I’ve yet to go to heaven. But surely a overcrowded train platform full of strangers all belting “Dancing on My Own” must be a nightly recurrence inside at least one of its gates”
About Maria: 20+ years navigating complexity at the intersection of culture, music and business, for example she´s been working with Robyn for 10 years, and was co-directing the above mentioned “the Honey World Tour”. She´s a Co-creative Director and strategic advisor, recent years in regenerative sanitation design start up (deep ecology) and facilitating experienced based learning in different contexts. The academic background in sociology and economics is paired with transformation and complexity literacy. Dance-trained foundation informing embodied learning. Expertise: facilitating cross-sector partnerships, cultural zeitgeist analysis, storytelling, communication and systemic transformation, and experience-based learning for collective intelligence.
“ It was such an amazing experience. We both love games and we spent hours discussing how the game was designed and what rewards that really mattered and how many points they would give. The most amazing part of the game was to first-hand experience how people help each other. Everything from sharing codes to people who won tickets decides to share with the ones that did not get a ticket.
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