Communication tools for planning

Joint planning in a project team is easier with the use of simple visuals. Here the tools to kick of a discussion on how to plan the work for a Natura 2000 Prioritized Action Framework. Similar visuals have been developed to define milestones and the main phases of the project.

Strategic communication

Strategic planning of communication on Prezi

Make it Possible

Climate change awareness

This report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey – Climate Change in the American Mind – conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. Some findings:
Nearly all Americans (92%) say the president and the Congress should make developing sources of clean energy a “very high” (31%), “high” (38%), or “medium” priority (23%). Very few say it should be a low priority (8%).
A large majority (77%) say global warming should be a “very high” (18%), “high” (25%), or “medium” priority (34%) for the president and Congress. One in four (23%) say it should be a low priority.
Six in ten Americans (61%) say the U.S. should reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do.

Consumer change

The Regeneration Consumer Study is an initiative of the Regeneration Roadmap. The online survey looks at consumer attitudes, motivations and behaviors around sustainable consumption among 6,224 respondents in six major international markets (Brazil, China, Germany, India, United Kingdom and United States). Fielded in September and October 2012, the study represents a holistic exploration of sustainability market trends, priorities and engagement pathways, including information on sustainable consumption, trust, transparency, social issues, behavior change, consumer collaboration, participation and advocacy actions.

One of the conclusions of the study is that the consumer segment 'Aspirationals' offer the key to sustainable consumption. They seek both sustainability and consumption. They are looking for brands to provide solutions that both improve their lives and serve the larger society. And, because they are trendsetters in emerging markets like China and India, we believe business has the opportunity to shape a new consumerism by meeting their aspirations and desires with more sustainable products and lifestyle choices.

Nature priority areas

Words matter, not only because of their dictionary meaning, but also because of their association. The word 'protected' is a major communication issue because of its negative associations: restriction, limits on my personal freedom, prohibition of activities that we always traditionally undertook here etc. A global campaign to raise support for parks and protected areas may therefore not be taken serious by the intended audiences. The word conservation areas is already better, although associated maybe too much with 'conservative' and 'exclusiveness' and not vey useful in many developing countries. 

I would go for positioning protected areas and parks as “nature priority areas” or something like that. Or look for other ways to convey the message that commercial use, industrial zoning and urbanization needs to take place in  some places, but nature must have some degree of priority in other places. The extent of that priority can vary e.g. as described in the WCPA categories. 

Communication stories

Communication is a powerful agent of behavior change. Successful local initiatives use networking, knowledge exchange, technology and media to change attitudes, communicate incentives, catalyze collective action, and replicate best practices. This is lesson 7 of twelve lessons learned in The Power of Local Action, Lessons of Ten Years of the Equator Prize. 

Communication planning templates

There are different communication planning templates. What counts is not the plan but the planning. The templates are only a means to discipline our strategic thinking and avoid assumptions. We have to understand that planning is a circular process. After some stepts we may come to the conclusion that we are stuck and have to go back and redefine previous steps. Just filling in the boxes as we were made to do in an academic workshop may help our analytical thinking, but it does not result in a strategic plan. This became clear when we reached messages. We were instructed to think of making a power point presentation for a lecture. This had nothing to do anymore with the earlier formulated objectives (knowledge attitudes, behaviour) or issue e.g. change behaviour of fishermen. Too easily formulating the issue (like not defining the behaviour of fishermen and its context) is often the reason why one gets stuck in the planning cycle: make the problem small and concrete is the solution.

Audience First

In communication always look first at the audience. When judging a communication intervention look first at the target group for which it is meant. I realized this again when attending a workshop ´How to make a communication plan?´ After a short introduction we looked at the video ´Love not Loss´ and were asked to discuss what was good about the video and what could be improved. What the audience was?  Youtube the best medium? Message? Right images? Tone of voice and music? Language? Technical terms? Was it evidence-based and is it important? A lively discussion followed. All assumed the video was made for the general public and policymakers. Nobody including the workshop organizers had checked this assumption.  

When the general conclusion was drawn that the video was too fuzzy and negative to have any impact, I could not keep silent. I explained that the video was made for the CBD COP  in Nagoya to stress to the conservation community the importance of communicating biodiversity to a wider public not in a negative but in a positive way, appealing to the emotion of love for nature that is inherent in all human beings. Every one agreed that for that audience the video was perfect. And I realized that putting it on the web without any explanation about the context, for whom it was meant etc. may easily lead to such misunderstanding. Again: "Audience First"!

Body language as message

This picture from the Guardian says it all: commun ication is not only about what you say, but formost how you say it. Tone of voice and body language send their own message. Hand gestures are either supporting your message or can be counterproductive. The New York Times analysed Romney's and Obama's hand gestures during their debate a few days ago. You can click on one of the three hand gestures and see the effect.



Analyzing the debate results in 10 hints for effective communication:

• Be prepared
• Show confidence
• Watch your facial expression
• Control your body language
• Use effective hand gestures
• Be assertive where needed
• Be concrete, not abstract
• Use simple language
• Frappez toujours
• Be positive.