How to Communicate With Community Members Skeptical About Climate Change

Each one of these groups will have remarkably different needs, hopes, and challenges. So you will need to recognize and incorporate them in the development of your message to create a good working relationship. You must also bear in mind that there may be cultural and language differences, literacy differences, and different learning styles—and these need to be incorporated too.

For example, members of a remote, rural agricultural community might have their own conflicting concerns. If they are a conservative community, they might be skeptical of aspects of a changing climate, but at the same time, they may be getting increasingly concerned about the growing problem of insufficient water for their crops.

Another, but quite different community example could be young adults who understand the challenges of climate change, but might be angry that they are inheriting a problem that older generations created. Consequently, they might be quite demotivated and immobilized.

So engaging with each of these different groups will require an understanding of the root of their skepticism or frustration, so that you can have meaningful, two-way communication.

Step Two.

Do your background climate research. Before you meet with the group, research the basics of what climate change means for the community now, and what the projections are for the future. Heat waves, wildfires, drought, flooding, hurricanes? There are several prediction tools available. One of the best is The Climate Explorer,⁴ developed in partnership with NOAA.

Step Three.

Know what your goals are and the message that you hope to deliver. You may need to modify these substantially depending upon the audience. But you don’t need to deliver your entire message in the first meeting. The first meeting should be simply a conversation, getting to know people, understanding what their perception of their challenges are, and beginning to gain a little information about their values and prejudices.

The information that you gain in the first meeting will guide you in modifying your message to best fit community perception, needs, and values. The first meeting is a conversation, not a lecture. Two ears, one mouth!

Over several meetings, you can allow your message to further evolve and develop to be appropriate for the community. As you learn more about them you may realize that you may only be able to get a portion of your goals accomplished in the first climate action plan. As trust develops with the community, then you may be able to suggest a phase two climate action plan in the future.

A successful message “means remaining true to the underlying science of the issue, while tailoring messages for the existing attitudes, values, and perceptions of different audiences, making the complex information understandable, relative, and personally important.” ⁵

“To break through the communication barriers of human nature and partisan identity, messages need to be tailored to a specific audience, using carefully researched metaphors and examples that trigger a new way of thinking about the personal relevance of climate change.” ⁵

THE CLIMATE CONVERSATION

Step Four.

Work with an intermediary. Find a trusted member of the community or a trusted organization who will 1) help you put together a group for an initial climate conversation, and 2) can be an interpreter between your message and their needs and values.

“Many studies have shown that people more easily trust those who share similar political views, backgrounds, or life circumstances. For communications strategy, this means it is important to identify potential change agents and opinion leaders who are known and trusted by the target audience. They can serve as the primary messengers, or as secondary interpreters of knowledge and “champions” of change. They may also act as first adopters of a technology or behaviour, and serve as models for others. Often existing groups – neighbourhood associations, churches, youth groups – can be engaged by a compelling opportunity to make a difference.” ²

“One way to reach audiences is to recruit their influential peers to pass on selectively framed information about climate change that resonates with the background of the targeted audience and that addresses their personal information needs.” ⁵

 Step Five.

Mind Your Manners.

In your climate conversations, it is important to respect the beliefs of the members of your audience and simply find a way to work together. By listening to members of your audience you can learn about their skepticism and their position on issues, but you can also find out about what beliefs you have in common with each other. Building on those beliefs could be your entrée into forming a bridge.

You will also find that by focusing on their values and their needs—rather than just the facts—that they will become more comfortable with your message.

“Do not expect to sway people with facts alone; explain how your message fits with their values and priorities. Be open to different perspectives as well: people may share your concerns about the climate but disagree with your preferred solutions. Social norms and personal values, emotions and experiences play a much greater role in shaping perceptions of climate change than knowledge about climate science and potential responses to climate change. if a message is to change minds and behaviours, it needs to fit the needs and priorities of the target audience.” ²

“Start with what people value most. People are most likely to engage in a conversation about climate change when there is a clear link with things that they value, are interested in and care about.

“At a practical level, this means that your climate change conversation should not begin with a presentation about climate change, or any other information that you think might grow awareness or change attitudes.

“Instead, ask people to talk about what is most important to them in their life and community. It could be as individual as caring about family, job security or recreation.” ⁷

In their excellent paper Let’s Talk Communities & Climate, ⁶ ecoAmerica recommends staying above the fray:

“Focus on the big picture, on what is important. Do not get caught in a trap of arguing or preaching about details or be sidetracked by an individual in the audience who tries to poke holes in your thesis. Avoid arguing, which distracts from your message and causes you to lose your audience. Be prepared to pivot back to your positive message.

“The values-based messages tap into people’s personal interests and affiliations—communities, health, faith, business, and young adults.” ⁶

As a climate communicator, you should focus on engaging with your audience rather than persuading them to do anything. You should be working to understand them rather than judging them. ⁷

Getting to know people in the first meeting will help you reevaluate how to best present your message to them. If there are skeptics in the group, Emma Francis Bloomfield ⁷ suggests using three strategies for engaging skeptics in a conversation:

“1) ask questions and seek to learn more about the root of your dialogue partners’ skepticism; 2) accept premises and do not alter but instead embrace your dialogue partners’ driving values; and 3) make it personal and redirect existing values to align with pro-environmental policies.”

Do not use scare tactics or fear. Focus on the perceptions of the members of your audience. Find out what they feel the challenges are that they’re experiencing in a changing climate, and what their needs are in this light.

“Messages that present catastrophic climate change as a foregone conclusion leave most people feeling helpless, vulnerable or guilty.” ²

Rather than using negative messages, you can re-frame them. For example: “though many conservatives have used the economic consequences frame to oppose action on climate change, many environmental advocates now seek to turn this interpretation in their favor by emphasizing an opportunity to revitalize the economy through investment in clean energy technology.” Creating green jobs immediately translates the negative economic message to a positive message relative to climate change.” ⁵