Government Engagement Blog: Importance of lived experience – how to translate stories into policy action

Lived experience has become one of the most powerful currencies in government engagement. Ministers reference it in speeches. Departments seek it out in consultations. Parliamentary inquiries increasingly ask for it by name.

However, lived experience on its own does not change policy. Stories move hearts, not systems. To create real impact, lived experience must be translated into evidence the government can act upon.

Why lived experience matters more than ever

Governments are under intense pressure to deliver policy that works in the real world, not just on paper. Lived experience offers what data alone can not: insight into how policy decisions land on the ground, where systems break down, and which unintended consequences quietly undermine good intentions.

Used effectively, lived experience can:

• Expose gaps between policy design and service delivery
• Humanise abstract issues and budget lines
• Build political permission for reform
• Strengthen the legitimacy of proposed solutions

Used poorly, it risks being dismissed as anecdotal, emotional, or unrepresentative.

The common mistake: storytelling without strategy

Many organisations collect powerful stories believing their impact is self-evident, but without strategic framing, even the most compelling narratives can fail to influence policy decisions.

Government decision-makers work within constraints: legislation, budgets, interdepartmental processes, and electoral risk. If lived experience isn’t clearly connected to these realities, it often lands as “compelling but not actionable”.

The goal isn’t to tell more stories. It’s to tell the right stories, in the right way, at the right moment in the policy cycle.

How to translate stories into policy action

• Anchor stories to a policy problem

Lived experience is most effective when it is clearly tied to a failure or weakness in the current system. Each story should illuminate what is not working in practice, rather than existing as an open-ended personal narrative. When stories surface points of friction such as delays, exclusions, hidden costs or service gaps, they help government see where policy intent breaks down in delivery. This framing signals that the issue is not individual circumstance, but a structural problem that requires a policy response.

• Pair experience with pattern

While a single story can be powerful, policy change is driven by patterns rather than exceptions. Lived experience carries greater weight when it demonstrates consistency across multiple individuals or communities, showing that an issue is recurring rather than incidental. Framing stories as part of a broader trend enables decision-makers to justify action internally and publicly, moving lived experience from anecdote to evidence.

• Connect lived experience to a clear solution

Stories should never leave policymakers asking what action is being sought. The role of lived experience is to clarify why change is needed, not to substitute for policy design. Effective translation links personal experience directly to practical, achievable solutions, whether that involves funding adjustments, legislative refinement, pilot programs or changes to implementation. This connection is what allows the government to move from empathy to action.

• Match the story to the policy moment

The impact of lived experience depends heavily on when and how it is presented. A detailed personal account may be appropriate in an inquiry context, where the adequacy of legislation is under scrutiny, but less effective in a budget submission that requires scale, cost and outcome clarity. Tailoring lived experience to the audience and stage of the policy cycle ensures it strengthens, rather than distracts from decision-making. Emotional resonance may open the conversation, but policy clarity sustains it.

• Protect and empower those who share their stories

Ethical engagement is fundamental to credibility. People who share lived experience are not communications tools; they are experts in the systems they have navigated. Respectful practice requires informed consent, care to avoid re-traumatisation, and genuine involvement in decisions about how stories are framed and used. When people with lived experience are treated as partners, their insights carry greater authority and impact.

The real opportunity

When lived experience is combined with data, policy literacy and strategic timing, it becomes more than a narrative. It becomes proof that a problem exists, evidence that current approaches are falling short, and justification for change that is both necessary and achievable. In an increasingly crowded advocacy environment, organisations that can translate lived experience into credible, policy-ready insight will not only be heard by government; they will help shape what comes next.