Framing current and desired attitudes

When framing the attitudes we want to change we should put ourselves in the shoes of our audience. So we should go beyond defining the current attitude as a certain bird species is not important and the desired attitude as that bird species is a unique heritage and has a potential for tourism. We should really look into the psyche of the decision maker. This will help to better prepare our communication interventions to support change.

Framing Protected Areas: supply or demand?

Communication planning template

How to discuss and create a basic communication strategy at the flip side of a coaster or beer mat? For a 90-minute breakout session of a group of 30 civil servants during a NBSAP mainstreaming workshop, I advised a colleague to use this template. Have people working in groups of 4-5 (make sure each group speaks the same language). Assign in advance audiences for each group to do the planning for: communicating the NBSAP to key actors in their own ministry, in other ministries, in non-governmental sectors of society, and among the general public. Work for 50 minutes on the 8 steps of the template. Metrics refers to how to measures success; timeline refers to when the desired behaviour should be realized. Budget refers to what financial means you have now or you can definitely mobilize within the short term. Only then it is useful to plan communication interventions, tools and messages. Realistically you come in that stage to the conclusion you may need some help of creative thinking of communication experts. The first steps are strategic planning in the day to day domain of civil servants. For the last step - especially when reaching out to groups outside the government - they may need special communication expertise. After the group work, groups can exchange their results and work for 15 minutes to provide feedback on the results of another group. The last 15 minutes can be used to ask participants what the main lessons were they learned from this communication planning exercise. Collect and type up their learning, type up the results of the work on templates (maybe give some extra advice) and disseminate that after the workshop by email to all participants.

Chrysler Commercial - It's Halftime in America

What about developing a similar message for biodiversity? In one day this avertizement - broadcasted by Chrysler during the Superbowl on Sunday - already was downloaded 1.5 million times. Time for us to rethink how we raise awareness on how to sustain biodiversity! A message that will resonate with 7 billion people...!

Awareness raising

Through a facebook posting I came across this example of a picture saying more than 1000 words. There was a question about who initiated the campaign, so I googled a bit and came across three sites that are interesting for environmental communication. Wildaid aims to end the illegal wildlife trade by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and providing comprehensive marine protection. Poor Planet raises eco-awareness by bringing news, articles and opinions on famous and not-so-famous environmental issues. Categories are nature, energy, climate change, pollution, destruction, making a difference. Awareness seems high on the agenda - assuming information will lead to behaviour change. Advertizers without borders is an international network of advertising professionals. Their profession leaves little extra time but as their site shows it is enough to donate public service campaigns that impact local, regional or global. Campaigns are about health, human rights, environment and have a clear action component.

Awareness indicators

A recent poll for the Natural History Museum (late 2010) comes to very different conclusions than one by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (early 2011). The latter is very optimistic, the first one much less so. At a closer look the confusion comes from the different things they measure. To develop indicators for biodiversity awareness (target 1 on the CBD Strategic Plan) we need more clarity and consensus about who to survey, what to survey and how to do it in a way that is relevant nationally and globally.
Who are we surveying: most of the biodiversity targets of the strategic plan are less relevant to the general public and more relevant to specific stakeholder groups. For public awareness we may have to limit ourselves in what we measure.
What are we measuring: cognitive knowledge seems less relevant as the word biodiversity often seems too scientific and explanations and narratives are often too abstract to appeal to the general public. It might be better to measure consciousness about the importance of the nature and consciousness about appropriate behavior choices.
How we measure: public opinion polls are one thing, hard facts (membership of conservation organizations, visits to national parks, market share certified products, commitments on social media etc.) are another thing. It seems easy to measure but who decides which organizations, which areas etc.? How also has to do with language and cultural context. In the Netherlands the concept of nature is seen by experts as a better word to use in a survey than biodiversity. In Brazil at the other hand some colleagues argue the opposite.
The matrix above offers a conceptual framework for indicators. It is taken from a recent study by Wageningen University. Although focusing on the Dutch and European situation this study together with the recent DEFRA study might be a good starting point for further discussion.

capturing learning about change

During the workshop slowly understanding emerged on how marketing communication can contibute to behaviour change of wildlife consumers. To provide participants with some conceptual frameworks that could help clarify this learning, I prepared a presentation with these three visuals as key elements. Around them I organized the content of the work we achieved. I offered the PP-report is as aftercare to the organizers.

Demand reduction wildlife products

To get participating experts already focused on the issue in advance of our workshop we did a survey monkey. We asked them about their ideas what motivates consumers in China and Vietnam to use wildlife products, what are knowledge gaps we have to overcome and what are constraints we would have to deal with to be able to communicate effectively.

Best practices in communicating forests

Know your audience – Is your message packaged appropriately? This was one of the lessons learned by foresters. The theme of one of the plenary sessions of the Asia Pacific Forestry Week was communicating forests. The organizers had agreed to let me do an interactive session instead of yet another presentation. The two hundred people in the room turned their chairs around and started animated conversations around: What are good examples of communications that support positive change? What are do’s and don’ts? This is what they came up with.

Lessons learned
*Networking
*Targeting people who will respond to your message
*Simple message
*Don’t let foresters communicate – well, not all the time
*Forest media specialists are in short supply
*Media is a participatory process

Do’s
*Start young
*Have a clear goal and get stakeholders onboard
*Know your audience – Is your message packaged appropriately?
*Tailor your message for your audience and keep it simple
*Be creative
*Be positive where possible
*Offer solutions where possible
*Make technical information practical
*Get your hands dirty - make sure we capture what is happening on the ground and at the community level
*Choose your spokesperson carefully
*Get to know the media (personal contact)

Don’ts
*Don’t push
*Try not to be exclusive
*Keep your enemies list as small as possible
*Don’t just summarize – Focus
*Don’t tamper with the drivers of change?
*Don't threaten

'Stories, Sizzle, Salience & Social Proof'

Futerra Co-Founder Ed Gillespie delivers a speech for the 3 Pillars Network Sustainable Behaviour Change conference in Sydney, Australia. November 2011