To Control Floods, The Dutch Turn to Nature for Inspiration by Cheryl Katz: Yale Environment 360

A picture says more than 1000 words. 
To Control Floods, The Dutch Turn to Nature for Inspiration by Cheryl Katz: Yale Environment 360
For the slide show click here
For the article click here

I'm in love with the forest. I want to protect it.

In inviting others to change behavior, it is useful to share the stories of others who changed: what it took them, how it reinforces their deeper beliefs and what makes them feel good about the change. This is a 4 years old video, in which Muktar tells about his change from being an illegal logger to becoming a ranger.  

Cultural values shape public risk perceptions and related policy beliefs.

Cultural cognition refers to the tendency of individuals to conform their beliefs about disputed matters of fact  to values that define their cultural identities. E.g., whether global warming is a serious threat; whether the death penalty deters murder; whether gun control makes society more safe or less. The Cultural Cognition Project - a group of scholars at Yale Law School - uses methods of various disciplines -- including social psychology, anthropology, communications, and political science -- to chart the impact of this phenomenon and to identify the mechanisms through which it operates. The Project also has an explicit normative objective: to identify processes of democratic decisionmaking by which society can resolve culturally grounded differences in belief in a manner that is both congenial to persons of diverse cultural outlooks and consistent with sound public policymaking.

Story template

How to tell a love story about nature is the basic message of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication for those who have to reach out to the non-converted. Somehow not many communicators read and internalize the materials on the CEC website. During recent communcation training workshops I noticed that it is important for people to internalize the love story concept by first practicing what is a story. Then analyzing what the story elements are of the cases in the CEC video are. And then drawing how they would frame their own success stories. Recently representatives from a African coastal community came up with a strong story based on the template which they were asked to fill in only with drawings (no text). In the first part they visualized the issue and main characters, in the middle they framed the emotional trigger that motivated for action, the climax showed credible and realistic activities that widely resonate and deal with the iussue; the end visualized the positive change for community and natture and contained a call for a wider audience to join them in their efforts.

Communication to generate and support change

These ten steps belong to the story of change in Boc. Also look at the ten steps to plan communication strategically. Note that the steps in the process were not immediately all exactly clear, but became much clearer as the process progressed. It were the focus groups that brought to light how redefine the issue. Once that was done the circular process of steps for planning communication was revisited a few more times.

Chasing Ice OFFICIAL TRAILER

Read Ed Gillespie's blog post on this film and campaign, Can't wait to see the movie!

Story of Positive change

Short story to illustrtate change and the role of communication.

Universal principles

Listening on New Years Eve to the Bach’s Suites forvioloncello solo, it occurred to me that all music is based on a hiearchy of a few universal principles: sound – beat – emotion – rythm – melody – scales – harmony – contra-point.

As music is a communication vehicle, the hiearchy of universal communication princlipes might be:

Audience - Issue - Relevance (emotions, benefits, attention, interest, desires) - Objectives (knowledge, attitudes, action) - Message - Channels (media - e.g. music) - Timing - Feedback.

Rebranding a conservation initiative

A good example of the power of branding. Left the old  look , right the new one. The changes in the name, the tagline (changing the game for nature), the wording of mission and activities, the visual language - all point at a new action and people oriented approach. The new positioning points out core beliefs: nature is worth throwing a party for; people are the solution, they know the real deal; we are not afraid of change, we will do what it takes to change the game for nature. The site visitor, who sympathizes with this work can immediately contribute by making a (in the UK tax deductable) donation. Check out both sites and the power of communication. Good work of Futerra.

  

How to introduce adaptation?

A nice video by Arturo Curiel and Guadalupe Garibay Chavez to introduce the issue of climate change adaptation in capacity development workshops for municipal policymakers in the state of Jalisco.