The Climate Crisis: Turning Information into Action Mary Lynn Manns UNC Asheville Department of Management & Accountancy Chocolate Friday: October 2008

Change! Leading change is hard; just ask anyone who has tried. Manns & Rising, Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas, 2005

This presentation… …is the outcome of a Social Science & Climate Studies Fellowship (NCDC & NEMAC) …provides insight into persuading people to take actions that will have a positive effect on climate General public Policy makers Other decision makers

This is not a simple issue… A collective action problem Social Interdependence vs. Social Independence Large opposing goals A system issue Treat underlying causes rather than symptoms Understand the beliefs, challenges, assumptions, values that created the problem

Mistakes climate change leaders may make… Just the facts, ma’am I know a lot so I’m going to tell you everything I know The decision-makers will come to us for information and inspiration Let’s stick with slides and reports– that is what we do best We can persuade them with a one-time really cool event Technologies and policies are the complete answer

Change… Is motivated by: a tension between current state and desired state a belief in the ability to change Is a process, not an event knowledge – persuasion – decision – implementation – confirmation (Rogers) So how do you move the target audience through this process?...

Force them… But this is not sustainable… People need reasons not directives Laws & rewards treat symptoms, not the underlying causes What is needed?... a fundamental change in thinking and behaving How do we get people to think and behave differently?...

Provide lots of facts… It’s a start, but… The “facts” are not conclusive and come from competing sources An overload of information can bury the key message Facts are easily dismissed or challenged The facts provide only knowledge knowledge – persuasion – decision – implementation – confirmation So how do I persuade?...

Get a well dressed talking head to deliver the facts… Ask yourself if this person can… relate to the concerns of the audience use language the audience can understand be credible in the eyes of the audience create a relationship with the audience be memorable tap into the emotions of the audience Tap into emotions… How do I do that?...

Create fear Fear captures attention, but… It can be too frightening to contemplate, so… People will use coping mechanisms – deny or rationalize It can create a sense of “learned helplessness” “Preventive innovations” have a low rate of adoption Facts, Force, Fear don’t work…. Is there another ‘F’ word that does?...

Feelings… People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but not forget how you made them feel. (Maya Angelou) We make emotional decisions and then justify with logic and reason. Behavior change happens mostly by speaking to a people’s feelings. (John Kotter)

Climate change leaders agree… “Above all, the history of climate change shows that perceptions of the issues are by no means driven only – or even primarily – by facts, evidence and rational argument. Images, narratives, relationships and values matter at least as much.” Climate Change: The State of the Debate, Center on International Cooperation, 2007

Some Lessons… Facts, Fear, Force do not sustain action: Facts are the first step – provide awareness Fear can be rationalized & dismissed Force treats symptoms but does not fundamentally change behavior Persuasion calls for an appeal to emotion rather than to logic Cause your audience to feel something

Turning Information into Action Providing information… Credible presenter Self-knowledge Relevant benefit – compatible with concerns Unexpected “Anchor and Twist” Simple, concrete – key message Vision and potential strategies (not just problems) Scenario planning Memorable Meaningful stories (micro to macro) A sense of urgency

Turning Information into Action continued… Transforming information into action… Tension between current and desired states Consequences of current actions Relative advantage What does this mean for me? Ownership of the problem Confidence and hope Start small; attainable goals Success stories that inspire Relationships mutual trust understanding the value drivers ongoing support to handle the setbacks

Turning Information into Action - Ideas from people attending this presentation…. Presenter show s/he is emotionally attached to topic Vote for change for an inspirational leader that believes in the impact of Climate Change Instead of scaring people into passivity, motivate for action Write sappy s to the editor (with stories and images that impact feelings) Investigate web sites that show the ability to save money while feeling good about doing the right thing Create attachments and support (to get through challenging times), e.g. Green roots movements Tackle preconceived notions of your target audience Find ways to start conversations on equal ground Appeal to peoples’ spirituality or deeper value systems

I’ve given you information, but have I persuaded you to take action? Mary Lynn Manns UNC Asheville Department of Management & Accountancy For more information and comments…