Water Words That Work WREN2008 Conference

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Water Words That Work

Make a Splash With Your Communications

Eric Eckl6/17/2008

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

Tomorrow’s Presentation

• 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”

TMDLImpervious surface

HydrographNonpoint 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

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.

Challenge #2:Diffusion

Pro

ble

m

So

luti

on

The Old Paradigm

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.”

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.”

Pro

ble

m

So

luti

on

The New Paradigm

Discussion

The Water Words

That Work

Method

The Water Words “Method”

1. Identify your shop talk2. Answer five questions before they

ask them3. Insert the words that work4. 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?

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!

When describing issues

• Nature protection• Pollution control• Enough clean water• Wildlife conservation

Benefits and Consequences• 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

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

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.

Takeaways

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