We had a great and informative evening with Emma from Create the Future on how to talk about climate change.
The session was fast paced and involved lots of slots to engage with the material and chat with other participants – sharing ideas and suggestions – to make us all clearer and more confident in discussing climate change with family, friends and the public. This event was set up to kick start in advance of the South West Herts Great Big Green Week – and it certainly gave us lots to think and skills to test and use over the week of event.
Top learnings from the evening included:
- Sometimes using facts can have a negative effect, leaving audiences numb and distant from reality – people stop listening -so make it tangible and personal
- Peoples behaviours are not solely based on a lack of knowledge – need to understand and reflect on their physical ability, opportunity and motivation
- Emphasising common ground and shared values can help to reduce eco anxiety and increase climate action. As:
- more people than we might realise are interested and want to take climate action, but fear and mistrust lead people to not act on their interest.
- shaming people can therefore lead to a defensive denial response, which is unhelpful.
- The climate crisis is as much a cultural problem as it is a scientific one – and so we also need cultural solutions. Storytelling and creativity can help create visions to work towards and can empower people to take action rooted in hope rather than fear.
Overall the session looked at:
• Decoding societal values: Understanding how collective values shape behaviour and how values-based messaging can help shift social norms.
• Busting myths: Exploring why some popular climate communication strategies fall short and how we can do better.
• Bridging the perception gap: Understanding why trust is crucial to fostering collective action and alleviating eco-anxiety.
• Making language swaps: Learning to shift your language to craft messages that build trust, foster community, and create a connection with our beautiful Earth.
