The Unsuspecting Direction of Our Stories

Every story we tell moves in a certain direction. Some are polished and outward-facing. Some are raw and reflective. Some sit right at the intersection of what we believe and what we are expected to say.

The Impact Arrows tool is a quiet checkpoint. It’s not about judging your story, it’s about tracing where it’s going, and asking whether that’s where you want it to go.

Each arrow marks a storytelling tension: audience, tone, voice, focus, risk. By plotting where you sit on each, you begin to see your narrative shape, and more importantly, what might need to shift.

It’s a tool for anyone who holds stories: programme leads, researchers, MEL folks, facilitators. And it works best when used with care, curiosity, and no need for perfection.

This tool is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

It’s part of our commitment to open, accessible knowledge for practitioners. You’re welcome to use and adapt it with attribution, especially in learning, research, and community practice contexts.

Download the toolkit below.

Mudito - Impact Vectors.

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