Narrative Strategy: Signal > Noise
There’s a lot out there. Yes, I’m gesturing to the general muck of content we call the internet, as well as the multitude of overwhelming sensations that make up our lived experience — AKA reality. All of it out there is noise. A lot of what’s in here (yes, your mind) is also noise.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the “signal to noise” ratio and it’s either registered as something totally legitimate or something that just sounded like more noise. I didn’t really buy into it at first. Signal to noise is generally a phrase from science and engineering, where we try to detect useful information among random fluctuations and variables that interfere with what we want to see. Now I think it’s a phrase that belongs in narrative strategy, too.
How can we determine what’s relevant to us? What resonates? Where do we find clarity and conviction when we’re suffocating in unending noise?
And most importantly, how can we, as a collective, find the signal amongst all the noise? What does that signal look like? Feel like? Sound like?
Where’s the signal that makes us want to harmonize with others?
My theory: signal is a compelling narrative. If noise is everywhere and we’re trying to move through it to find what we want, what signals do we seek and hold on to?
Signals can be sensations or symbols, those moments of clarity and “a-ha” — as simple as a message appearing at the right moment, a breath of fresh air that finally clears your head. Angel numbers and bird songs. The right song on the radio. The words that finally find your lips.
But a signal, as any semiotics nerd will tell you, is all about interpretation.
And interpretation — that’s the world of narrative.
So, as I’m indulging in this blog post about signal to noise, let me elaborate on how narrative strategy can help us find the signal amongst all the noise, and more importantly, interpret that signal to help us move toward what we desire. And, ideally, do it in a way that others join along.
Seeking Signal
I am easily overwhelmed by other people’s stories. I say this with all the love in the world. As soon as someone starts sharing something personal and meaningful to them, my mind is doused in imagery, and my body goes through a process of story osmosis. I start taking on the feelings of the storyteller in front of me.
I’ve gotten better about not losing myself in the stories of others, and have even learned to see it as a gift. But it does make me stop and wonder: is this story noise or signal? That might sound crude, because I firmly believe we all deserve to tell our stories. But if I’m getting lost in the noise of someone else’s story, how do I find the signal that brings me back to where I want to be?
This is where I start listening for themes and similarities.
Rather than joining the stream of noise, I listen for signals in what’s being shared. My story-listening practice is really a signal detection practice: I’m seeking the moments in each story that can be woven into something I can share with others. In that stream of noise, I’m looking for anchors — metaphors, patterns, motifs — the kind of materials that can build bridges with others and extend our individual experience into a shared narrative.
Narrative Strategy as Signal Choreography
Narrative strategy is a choreography of signals, a concert of meaning that creates clarity out of uncertainty. It’s listening to the signals that emerge in all the noise around us and plucking the ones that resonate.
It might look like:
A group of ambitious individuals determined to create a new solidarity economy.
A coalition of organizations fighting for universal healthcare.
A team of brilliant innovators creating easy-to-use, effective sources of energy.
On the surface, those can just be more “stories” in the feed — more noise.
Through narrative strategy, we listen for the deeper signal: a shared desire, a repeated metaphor, a problem that keeps showing up in different clothes. We name it, shape it, and turn it into a story that people can step into and act from.
How This Shows Up in My Work
Practically, this is what I do with teams and leaders.
We sit in the middle of all their noise: product features, pitch decks, internal politics, market pressures, old taglines, new big ideas. Then we start listening for signal:
What themes keep returning, no matter who’s talking?
What stories make people’s eyes light up?
Where does the language suddenly feel alive instead of obligatory?
From there, we compose: a narrative that feels true to the people inside the work and legible to the people they’re trying to reach. A narrative that can be repeated, adapted, and built on — a signal strong enough to cut through noise inside the organization and out in the world.
It’s easy to drown in the noise. It’s easy to lose ourselves in all the information that clouds our internal and external world.
But when we find the signals, and compose them into a narrative we can share with others, we can pull ourselves out of the riptides of meaningless noise and find safety on the land of intention and action.
Those signals become our path toward the future we want. And that, well, that sounds fantastic.
What signals are you paying attention to? I want to know what’s standing out amongst the noise.
Seeking signals and want to learn more about narrative strategy? Check out my Intro to Narrative Strategy Workshop - available on-demand.