Why Facts Matter And Why Stories Seal the Deal
Advocacy is a strange, beautiful, exhausting dance — part strategy, part persistence, part controlled chaos. And at the center of that dance are two tools that every advocate eventually learns to rely on:
facts
and
stories
Facts build credibility.
Stories build connection.
Together, they build momentum.
If you want real impact with lawmakers, agencies, organizations, or the general public, you need both. One is the engine. The other is the fuel. And neither works the way it should without the other.
Let’s break it down.
Facts: The Backbone of Every Argument
Facts ground your advocacy in truth. They make it harder for anyone to wave off your concerns as emotional, exaggerated, or anecdotal.
Facts do the heavy lifting when you need to demonstrate:
the scope of a problem
its cost
its impact on communities
systemic failures
long-term consequences
Numbers catch attention. They cut through bias. They establish the seriousness of an issue.
If you walk into a lawmaker’s office and say,
“Toxic exposure is harming veterans,”
you’ll get a sympathetic nod.
If you walk in and say,
“More than 3.5 million service members were exposed, and thousands have already died,”
you get a meeting.
If you add,
“and here’s how the system still fails surviving families like mine,”
you get action.
Facts make your case undeniable.
But Here’s the Truth Lawmakers Won’t Tell You: Facts Alone Don’t Move People
If facts alone changed the world, we wouldn’t have to fight the same battles year after year. We wouldn’t need to remind anyone that survivors exist, that veterans are dying from toxic exposure, that DIC is still unequal, that the widows left behind are still navigating chaotic, outdated systems.
Facts inform the mind.
But stories move the heart.
And the heart is what pushes someone from “I understand” to “I need to do something.”
Stories Are What Make People Care
Stories create emotional gravity. They take an issue from abstract to personal.
A policymaker might remember your statistics for a week.
But they’ll remember your story for years.
When you tell someone what happened to your family, your spouse, your community, or your fellow survivors, you’re not just sharing information — you’re inviting them into a human truth they can’t ignore.
Stories do what numbers can’t:
They create empathy.
They create urgency.
They create accountability.
They make the issue impossible to compartmentalize.
It’s the difference between reading a report and meeting the person the report is about.
How Facts and Stories Work Together
Facts open the door.
Stories keep them in the room.
Facts make them listen.
Stories make them act.
The best advocacy — the kind that actually moves legislation — doesn’t rely on just one or the other. It weaves them together tightly, so the audience can’t pull them apart.
Here’s the formula that works:
Lead with a fact. “X number of veterans are affected.”
Show the human impact. “One of them was my husband.”
Explain the systemic failure. “This is what the system got wrong.”
Return to the data. “Here’s how many families face this.”
End with the story. “Here’s why fixing it matters.”
This is how you leave a mark.
Your Story Is Your Legacy Weapon — Use It
Advocates often underestimate their own experiences. They think their story is “too emotional” or “not relevant enough” or “too personal.”
But here’s what I tell every surviving spouse, every veteran, every family member:
Your story is someone else’s permission to speak.
Your voice might be the push that turns hesitation into action.
Your honesty can make policy more humane.
You aren’t burdening people by telling the truth.
You’re educating them.
You’re preparing them.
You’re challenging them to do better.
Stories don’t just change legislation.
They change people.
And people write legislation.
Facts Build the Case — Stories Build the Change
The most effective advocates aren’t the loudest or the most experienced.
They’re the ones who can do both:
present data with clarity
and deliver truth with heart
That combination is unstoppable.
If you bring facts without a story, people will understand the issue — but not feel it.
If you bring a story without facts, people will feel the issue — but not be able to defend it.
Bring both, and you become unforgettable.
Conclusion
Advocacy is not just about what happened.
It’s about what needs to happen next.
Facts explain the problem.
Stories reveal the human cost.
Together, they create the pressure needed to force movement where there is stagnation.
This is why your voice matters.
This is why your experience matters.
This is why telling your story — supported by truth and grounded in data — is one of the most powerful things you can do for the people who can no longer speak for themselves.
Because at the end of the day, facts may shape policy…
But stories shape policymakers.
