Narrative

In using narrative with my issue, capital punishment, I'd probably create a story and then ask my audience to pretend they were part of that story. What would they do in the situation? For example, a story you usually hear in the death penalty debate centers on what people would do if a loved one was murdered. You may oppose the death penalty in theory, but would your opinion change if someone close to you was killed? Of course, there's really no way of knowing how you would react unless you've been in this situation. You may say that you would stand true to your beliefs, but how do you know you wouldn't feel differently? Likewise, if your audience is people who already support the death penalty, you could create a story in which a loved one is sentenced to death for a crime they insist they didn't commit. Would you still support capital punishment, even if it means losing someone close to you unjustly? While these stories probably aren't going to convince people to change their positions immediately, I do think they would succeed in at least getting them to consider opposing views.