Sure, we can tell stories on film to festival audiences, or amongst ourselves in a small grassroots organizing group. But tell stories to policymakers? The idea sounds so corny as to be embarrassing, as if you’d be reading “Goodnight, Moon” to a U.S. senator. But policymakers are people, too, and can be swayed not just by the emotional content of a good story, but by how it can contextualize an issue and help them rally support among their own constituents. In the video above, the Council on Foundations presents a condensed, 8-minute version of its webinar on how to tell effective stories to policymakers. (The full, 52-minute webinar is here; it was geared towards people taking part in educating federal lawmakers about the philanthropic sector; the condensed version is applicable to people working with policymakers on any issue.)