This canvas was inspired by the Satir Change Model developed by Virginia Satir and the Story Canvas created by David Hutchens.

Experimenting with this canvas in different forms and with different communities we've seen how much clarity it can create.

By following a simple process to make sense of a past experience or journey of transformation it helps people tell a story that creates connection and inspires action.

At a basic human level stories are an engaging way to communicate ideas. They are also an effortless way to create connections for your business, your mission and your community.

It can also help you understand who you need to serve, collaborate with and get help from.

Our wish is that using this canvas becomes a practice that you always come back to whenever you’re starting a new venture or creating content.

We also hope that by understanding your own stories of change you’ll discover the change you can make for others.

Each of the following videos will step you through each “chapter” of the canvas with examples using my own story of change.

Elaborate about the circumstances you found yourself in.

If you can use emotive language all the better. If you’re short for words please refer to the Feelings List sheet.

Chapter two is about describing what drove your change.

In the Satir Change Model it is described as the inciting incident. But for you it may not be one single event and so share what called you to change.

These could be tangible or intangible obstacles.

Tangible obstacles are lack of resources, external forces (i.e. the economic climate, family circumstances) or even lack of knowledge.

Intangible obstacles are internal. This could be a lack of vision, limiting beliefs, a questioning of identity or pure emotional obstacles like fear and anxiety.

Try not to overthink this and just spend 12 minutes free-writing what comes up naturally. You can then go back and edit.

#perfectionistheenemyofdone

#writethenedit

This could be directly from people or from your own learning or research.

Focus on the specific experiences or epiphanies that got you moving forward by removing the obstacles in chapter 3.

It’s all well and good receiving support, advice, feedback or instruction but unless you actually DO something change doesn’t happen.

On your journey of change you found agency and courage to create and connect.

Use this chapter to describe the steps you took to get to where you needed to get to.

You may have completed a course or joined a community or received coaching.

Did you develop a practice or new habit like exercise, mediation or even regular content creation that got you into action mode?

Share what you did to make change happen.

But an alternative approach would be to complete chapter six straight after chapter one and start by defining the actual change; the contrast between where you started and where you ended.

You then may find it easier to describe how that change happened because you’ll be focused on the relevant details.

As we mentioned at the beginning of this mini-course storytelling is a practice. There’s no one way of doing it. This canvas is just a tool to get you started.

Chapter six is about painting a picture of the end of the story. Ideally it’s a happy ending. But it doesn’t have to be.

Ultimately it should illustrate a distinct difference between chapter one.

In a similar way to chapter one talk in the first person and describe the new situation you found yourself in and how it made you feel.