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Water Words That Work Make a Splash With Your Communications Eric Eckl 6/17/2008

12,000 Participants!

What’s the X Factor? “ Recently bought environmentally friendly products.”

What’s the X Factor? “ Reminded others to be environmentally conscious”

What’s the X Factor? “ Voted for the candidate with the best environmental record”

What’s the X Factor? “ Recently donated to organizations that support environmental causes”

Confidence in themselves

What’s the X Factor? Group A: “ High Danger, High Efficacy” Group B: “ High Danger, Low Efficacy”

Today’s Presentation Today: Presentation Introductions Communications Misfires Americans care a lot about clean water Challenge #1: Confusion Challenge #2: Diffusion The Water Words That Work Method Q&A

Today: Presentation

Introductions

Communications Misfires

Americans care a lot about clean water

Challenge #1: Confusion

Challenge #2: Diffusion

The Water Words That Work Method

Q&A

Tomorrow’s Presentation Exercises Q&A

Exercises

Q&A

It is hard for experts to successfully communicate to non-experts

Water is a high priority for Americans Gallup Poll, 2008

Water is a high priority for Virginians

Water is a high priority for Kentuckians

Water Still Tops Global Warming!

Challenge #1: Confusion

“ Biodiversity”

TMDL Impervious surface Hydrograph Nonpoint source pollution And so forth… And so on…

“ Watershed” Photo: Flickr, Fernando Dall D’aqua

“ Watershed” by Education 3 out of 4 U.S. adults do not have college educations

“ Watershed” by Race Minorities will be 50% of the population by 2050

“ Watershed” by Gender

Who They Trust

Where they get their information

Challenge #1: Confusion

Challenge #2: Diffusion

Goodbye: Mass Media Hello:“Nonpoint Source Information”

Media Choices are Exploding

Source: Advertising Age, February, 2008

Two Trendwatchers

Recent Trends in News Consumption Pew Research Center: Trends 2005

“ Watched TV news yesterday”

“ Read newspaper yesterday”

“ Listened to radio news yesterday”

“ Read a news magazine yesterday”

At the same news consumption falls… Roper Starch: Americans' Low "Energy IQ:" A Risk to Our Energy Future, 2002

“ Water pollution laws do not go far enough”

“ Environmental laws do not go far enough”

“ Endangered species laws do not go far enough”

“ Wetlands laws do not go far enough”

Still Loyal to Traditional News College educated Professional Over 40 Caucasian Small town and rural Homeowners Have children Voters Active in community Leaders like you still trust and follow traditional news

College educated

Professional

Over 40

Caucasian

Small town and rural

Homeowners

Have children

Voters

Active in community

Abandoning Traditional News Under 40 Minorities Not college educated Urban and suburban Renters No children Not yet active in community Not yet regular voters But regular people – and tomorrow’s leaders – do not trust or follow traditional news.

Under 40

Minorities

Not college educated

Urban and suburban

Renters

No children

Not yet active in community

Not yet regular voters

Challenge #2: Diffusion

The Old Paradigm Problem Solution

If you YouTube script says: “ If VDOT doesn’t stop sprawl, all that new impervious surface will cause so much non-point source pollution that it will jeopardize our biodiversity.”

“ If VDOT doesn’t stop sprawl, all that new impervious surface will cause so much non-point source pollution that it will jeopardize our biodiversity.”

They’ll hear: “ If VDOT doesn’t stop sprawl , all that new impervious surface will cause so much non-point source pollution that it will jeopardize our biodiversity .”

“ If VDOT doesn’t stop sprawl , all that new impervious surface will cause so much non-point source pollution that it will jeopardize our biodiversity .”

The New Paradigm Problem Solution

Discussion

The Water Words That Work Method

The Water Words “Method” Identify your shop talk Answer five questions before they ask them Insert the words that work Avoid the five pitfalls

Identify your shop talk

Answer five questions before they ask them

Insert the words that work

Avoid the five pitfalls

Step One: Identify Your Shop Talk

A: Polluted Runoff B: Stormwater

A: Open Space B: Natural Area

A: Recreation B: Family activities

A: Watershed management B: Land and water conservation

A: Family vacations B: Tourism

A: Runaway Development B: Sprawl

A: Riparian B: Riverbank

A: Clean water B: Water Quality

A: Endangered species B: Wildlife

? A: Environmentalist B: Conservationist

Step Two: Answer Six Questions (Before they ask them)

The Six Questions How does this affect me? Who can do something about this? What can they do about it? When will it be too late? Where is everybody else? Why should I try to solve this problem instead of something else?

How does this affect me?

Who can do something about this?

What can they do about it?

When will it be too late?

Where is everybody else?

Why should I try to solve this problem instead of something else?

Primatologists’ Wisdom “ Monkey See, Monkey Do”

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See, Monkey Do “ Together, we can save a life”

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See?

Monkey See?

Monkey See?

Step Three: Insert the Water Words that Work

Give People Confidence Give them confidence that they understand you! Give them confidence that their actions matter!

Give them confidence that they understand you!

Give them confidence that their actions matter!

When describing issues Nature protection Pollution control Enough clean water Wildlife conservation

Nature protection

Pollution control

Enough clean water

Wildlife conservation

Benefits and Consequences Future Generations Healthy Family & Children Safe Trends

Future Generations

Healthy

Family & Children

Safe

Trends

Don’t Just Agree With Me, Do Something! You Can Make a Difference It affects you What you can do Working together Save Money

You Can Make a Difference

It affects you

What you can do

Working together

Save Money

Take My Side, Not Theirs

Step Four: Avoid the Five Pitfalls

The Five Pitfalls Baffling them with shop talk Rebutting opponents’ claims Letting the facts speak for themselves Trying to scare people into action Using others’ arguments against them

Baffling them with shop talk

Rebutting opponents’ claims

Letting the facts speak for themselves

Trying to scare people into action

Using others’ arguments against them

Takeaways Public attitudes are supportive and changing very slowly But how we learn about the world around us is changing very quickly Broad social trends are putting enormous pressure on us to communicate in a clear and compelling manner.

Public attitudes are supportive and changing very slowly

But how we learn about the world around us is changing very quickly

Broad social trends are putting enormous pressure on us to communicate in a clear and compelling manner.

Takeaways The Water Words That Work method is a four step process for translating scientific and legal documentation into action language for everyday citizens.

The Water Words That Work method is a four step process for translating scientific and legal documentation into action language for everyday citizens.

http://waterwordsthatwork.com