In the contemporary era marked by informational competition, one of the most important activities of a strategic or operational command is the development, presentation, and support of the command's narratives. Drawing on the scientific literature and lessons learned from the joint force, the authors of this report describe best practices for the effective use of command narrative.

Developing, Disseminating, and Assessing Command Narrative

Anchoring Command Efforts on a Coherent Story

William Marcellino, Christopher Paul, Elizabeth L. Petrun Sayers, Michael Schwille, Ryan Bauer, Jason R. Vick, Walter F. Landgraf III

ResearchPublished Nov 15, 2021

In the contemporary era marked by informational competition, one of the most important activities of a strategic or operational command is the development, presentation, and support of the command's narratives. Drawing on the scientific literature and lessons learned from the joint force, the authors of this report describe best practices for the effective use of command narrative.

While this research is primarily aimed at the geographic combatant commands, it should be of interest to any military command that needs to ensure that words and actions from the command are in harmony and support operational goals. To make the recommendations of the study as accessible as possible to practitioners, the project produced not only this report but also a four-page quick reference Smart Guide that provides definitions, summary guidance for developing a narrative, and a checklist for assessing the quality of the output of the narrative development process.

Key Takeaways

  • Narrative matters because it is the primary cognitive framework human beings use to make sense of the world.
  • Effective narrative development must account for complexity — multiple concepts, moderators, and emotional strategies that make narrative more or less effective.
  • Audience is central to effective narrative.
  • Effective communication practices, including command narrative, require assessment.
  • There is wide variability in how combatant commands organize for and understand the broader issue of coherency in communications.
  • Communication efforts involve risk, and thus risk-aversion may hinder communication.

Recommendations

  • Systematically implement an evidence-based command narrative that supports the command's campaign objectives.
  • Generate and maintain trust with audiences.
  • Put the audience — not the command — at the center of narrative crafting.
  • Implement best practices in crafting narratives.
  • Implement best communication practices in military processes and structures.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Marcellino, William, Christopher Paul, Elizabeth L. Petrun Sayers, Michael Schwille, Ryan Bauer, Jason R. Vick, and Walter F. Landgraf III, Developing, Disseminating, and Assessing Command Narrative: Anchoring Command Efforts on a Coherent Story. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2021. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA353-1.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This research was sponsored by U.S. European Command and conducted within the International Security and Defense Policy Center of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD).

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.