Frequently Asked Questions

One Small Step (OSS) brings strangers with different political beliefs together to record a 50-minute audio-only conversation — not to debate politics — simply to get to know each other as people. Rooted in contact theory, the goal of OSS is to reduce political polarization by making these kinds of conversations across the divide normal again. We are currently focused in three Model Communities and we partner with a handful of public radio stations each year that implement their own OSS initiatives. In 2024, we are scaling OSS nationwide with the launch of a public service campaign and the public roll-out of our new digital platform, OSS Connect, which allows anyone, anywhere to participate in a conversation. To date, thousands of people in over 40 U.S. states have taken part.

StoryCorps piloted the OSS initiative in 2017 and launched it in 2021. For 20 years StoryCorps’ tested and trusted methods have encouraged meaningful conversations and sharing individual stories that empower everyday people to bridge divides. OSS is one of StoryCorps’ most important initiatives. It builds on StoryCorps’ legacy and is integral to our mission: StoryCorps helps us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time.

Enter your zip code and click the “Sign up for a conversation” button which will take you to our matching questionnaire — it only takes 10 minutes to complete the form and then we’ll begin the process of finding a conversation partner for you. You’ll have differences for sure, but also some things in common.

Matching takes time! If you’re in one of our Model Communities or a Radio Station Hub community, we will reach out to you by phone and/or email to schedule a conversation once we have a match for you. If you live elsewhere and choose to participate through OSS Connect, we will email you several potential matches to review. You can choose to accept and schedule as many conversations as you like.

If you live in or near one of our Model Communities or Radio Station Hubs, your conversation will take place either in person or virtually on our proprietary recording platform, StoryCorps Virtual. A StoryCorps trained facilitator will be on hand to help guide the experience. If you live elsewhere in the country, you can access our digital platform OSS Connect and participate in a virtual self-directed conversation — with support from StoryCorps along the way.

The OSS team provides robust programming in three Model Communities across the country — Columbus, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; and Wichita, Kansas. Through our work in these communities, we are learning more about how to make One Small Step a success and how to scale the effort nationwide. If you live in or near these communities, you are likely to be matched for a facilitated conversation with someone from your community.

Each year, we partner with a handful of public radio stations that implement OSS in their communities and help expand access to the program nationwide. The stations recruit participants, facilitate conversations, and air stories locally. Our 2024 radio station partners are WGVU (Grand Rapids, Michigan), WJFF (Catskills and Northeast Pennsylvania), CFPM (Central Florida), KUNR (Northern Nevada), VPR (Vermont Statewide), WTIP (Grand Marais, Minnesota), and WERU (Blue Hill, Maine).

OSS Connect is our new digital platform that allows anyone, anywhere to participate in an OSS conversation. OSS Connect matches you with someone who has different political beliefs for a self-directed video call conversation (audio-only recording). We provide you with matches, then you choose your partner(s) and schedule a conversation — with recommendations and tips along the way from us. If you are not located in an OSS Model Community or Radio Station Hub region, you will be routed to the sign-up process for OSS Connect.

A “facilitated” conversation means a StoryCorps trained facilitator is on hand to guide you through the conversation process.

A “self-directed” conversation means you and your partner are directing your own experience through our OSS Connect platform. This virtual experience is supported by a robust set of resources to help you have a rewarding and meaningful conversation experience.

You can be a part of OSS from anywhere in the U.S. Those who live near Model Communities and Radio Station Hubs have the opportunity to be paired with a local conversation partner. Those who live elsewhere, or have already had a facilitated conversation, can access OSS Connect to be matched with conversation partners from all over the U.S.

For those who are participating in the OSS Connect experience and have misplaced information on partner matches, you can check the status of your matches. Simply submit your email here, and you will receive a link to view all of your matches.

An audio recording of your conversation will be uploaded to the Library of Congress and to the StoryCorps Archive if you choose to sign a release. You and your conversation partner can decide together if you want to make your conversation public or private. If you choose to make your conversation public, we may decide to use snippets from your conversation in short animations that we share broadly through social media, on our website, and on our partners’ digital outlets. Showcasing participants having these kinds of conversations across the divide helps others feel more hopeful and more willing to engage people with different beliefs. Learn more about privacy/visibility settings on the Archive.

Your privacy matters. Your data helps us to match you with the right partner so you have a meaningful conversation, but we are careful to limit the amount of information we share on your behalf. What we share will vary according to which experience you sign up for. Read the information on your matching questionnaire carefully and verify that you are comfortable with what information is shared with potential conversation partners (this includes a short biography you provide about yourself). We encourage you to be thoughtful about sharing any personally identifiable information publicly. Read more in our privacy policy.

If you represent a group or organization in one of our Model Communities or Radio Station Hubs communities, and you’d like to support our efforts, please email us at [email protected]. If you live outside our Model Communities or Radio Station Hubs communities, you can bring OSS to your community by using our DIY tools to create your own OSS-inspired program.

OSS doesn’t offer volunteer roles, however, we welcome you to create your own StoryCorps-inspired project using our DIY tools.