Communicating Science During Controversy Strategies
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This document outlines strategies for effectively communicating science during periods of controversy. It begins by discussing common communication pitfalls and the importance of establishing clear goals. It then describes seven strategies: 1) Understanding your audience by considering their perspectives; 2) Getting their attention through framing, storytelling and relevance; 3) Translating science into concrete examples using vivid imagery and examples of rewards; 4) Communicating uncertainty by discussing scientific consensus and the range of possibilities; 5) Tapping into social identities and affiliations by creating social connections; 6) Encouraging group participation through social support; and 7) Minimizing bias by ensuring transparency, acknowledging limitations, and providing balanced viewpoints. The document emphasizes open and honest communication.
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Communicating Science During Controversy Strategies
- 1. Communicating Science During Controversy Strategies for Success
- 2. Outline ⢠Communication pitfalls ⢠Establish our goal ⢠Strategy 1: Understanding your audience ⢠Strategy 2: Get their attention ⢠Strategy 3: Translate science into concrete experience ⢠Strategy 4: Effectively communicate uncertainty ⢠Strategy 5: Tap Into Social Identities and Affiliations ⢠Strategy 6: Encourage Group Participation ⢠Strategy 7: Minimize bias
- 3. If they only understood the facts, they would agree with us!
- 5. What is your Communication Goal? Environment of open-minded, unbiased consideration There are things science can answer and things that ethics can answer...Temple Grandin
- 6. Strategy #1: Understand your audience
- 8. Strategy #1: Understand your audience Understand where they are
- 9. Strategy #2 Get the their attention
- 10. Use frames ⢠Organize central ideas ⢠Communicate why an issue might be a problem, who or what might be responsible, and, in some cases, what options exist ⢠Condense a message
- 13. They Don't Care How Much You Know Until They Know How Much You Care Connect to your audienceâs values
- 14. Tell stories
- 15. Strategy #3: Translate science into concrete experience
- 16. Somerville & Hassol 2011
- 17. Vivid imagery
- 18. Sommerville & Hassol 2011
- 19. Rewards
- 20. Strategy #4 Effectively communicate uncertainty
- 21. Human beings donât like uncertainty. But science doesnât deal in certainties. Scientists: âhow well something is knownâ Public: ânot knowingâ
- 22. Communicate Risk
- 23. Communicating Uncertainty - Strategies ⢠Scientific consensus ⢠Term: range of possibilities ⢠Open communication style
- 24. Strategy #5 Tap Into Social Identities and Affiliations
- 25. Social Create connections & provide roles
- 28. Strategy #6 Encourage Group Participation
- 29. Social support
- 32. Recognize our own bias and acknowledge the imperfection of scientific research (Massey 1994)
- 33. Strategies to Reduce bias ⢠Provide transparency ⢠Checks and balances on team ⢠Think through the underlying problems, potential solutions, and consequences ⢠Provide equal weight for differing viewpoints ⢠Avoid emotional overtones ⢠Pilot-test & allow public input ⢠Continued learning
- 34. For a full list of references cited in this presentation, please visit: www.animalagclimatechange.org This project was supported by Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant No. 2011-67003-30206 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Editor's Notes
- Traditionally we use a âscience deficitâ model Science deficit: Only works with 10-15% of population Ignores the complexity of opinion formation (Nisbet & Scheufele 2009) knowledge also emotion, values, groups, trust Certain highly science-literate people are more skeptical, not less, of climate change risks (Kahan et al 2012) Culture & political values trump facts Beliefs affect the information remembered (Hamilton 2012) (Irwin & Wynne 1996) Photo: Microsoft
- Overuse of emotional appeals Fear-based communication Can provide an impetus or spark, but must be coupled with constructive information and support (Moser & Dilling 2007) Triggers coping strategies (Stoll-Kleemann et al. 2001; Lorenzoni et al. 2007) Disempowering â producing feelings of helplessness, remoteness and lack of control (OâNeill & Nicholson-Cole 2009; Wolf & Moser, 2011) leaving our audience feeling like there are more reasons not to take action. Photos: Creative Commons
- What is our goal? We want an environment for the public's open-minded, unbiased consideration of the best available scientific information. We need to be clear what the science can tell us: that the climate is changing, and the causes for that change. The part that science does not tell us is how do we respond. How to respond is the realm of individual decision and politics. separate the science from the politics (Hulme 2009) Extension can help provide a forum and provide options for adaptation and mitigation.
- The first step of an effective communication strategy is understanding your audience. Extension is well equipped, having frequent interactions with our stakeholders. Know where are they from, what do they do, (Rogers, 1995) people look for information that is consistent with what they already think, want, or feel, leading them to avoid, dismiss, or forget information that will require them to change their minds or behavior examples used are similar to your audience. Are they working in the livestock industry, connected to livestock by feed, or are they families trying to make meal decisions? Examples of impacts of climate change should be from similar geographic areas, affecting people who are âlike them,â in values, looks, and social standing. To be most effective, the person delivering the message also needs to convey their shared values and experiences. (Spence et al. 2011) Photos: USDA ARS
- Discover misconceptions and replace them with new facts (CRED) Identify potential barriers to change Understand the context within which they make decisions (Corner & Randall 2011) Facilitate identifying values which can allow them to recognize shared values recognizing behaviors that are in opposition to those values (Burford et al. 2012)
- Facts without framing are more likely to be processed with motivated reasoning (Druckman & Bolson 2011)
- Use the appropriate words - Conceptual framing Individual words and phrases that are used Shown that with Republicans climate change is better than global warming (Schuldt et al. 2011) Skeptics not deniers
- Now vs future People typically perceive immediate threats as more relevant and of greater urgency than future problem. Slovic, P. (2000) many people count environmental and financial consequences as less important with every year they are delayed. Hardisty, D. J., Weber, E. U. (2009) Smaller cost now to prevent larger losses in future
- Framing Identity affirmation: conclusions that threaten their cultural values are often dismissed without consideration âglobal temperatures are increasing so commerce must be constrainedâ When shown information affirming their values, they considered more openly âsociety should rely more on nuclear powerâ (Kahan 2010; Cohen et al. 2007; Cohen et al. 2000) Emphasize altruistic values (Howell 2012) Social progress: quality of life, harmony with nature, sustainability (Groffman et al. 2010) Preserve âthe American way of lifeâ and âthe countryâs natural resourcesâ reduces the negative effect of system-justifying tendencies. (Feygina et al. 2010) Examples: US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu referred in November 2010 to advances in renewable energy technology in China as the United Statesâ âSputnik moment,â he was framing climate change as a common threat to US scientific and economic competitiveness. Pope Benedict XVI linked the threat of climate change with threats to life and dignity on New Yearâs Day 2010, he was painting it as an issue of religious morality. CNAâs Military Advisory Board, a group of elite retired US military officers, called climate change a âthreat multiplierâ in its 2006 report, it was using a national security frame. Lancet Commission pronounced climate change to be the biggest global health threat of the 21st century in a 2009 article, the organization was using a quality of life frame. Center for American Progress, a progressive Washington, D.C., think tank, connected climate change to the conservation ideals of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, they were framing the issue as consistent with Republican values. Livestock examples:
- Tell stories: (Earle & Cvetckovich 1995; Jones & McBeth 2010) Use pre-existing story templates that provide meaning, specific to culture identity of the stock heroes and villains nature of their dramatic struggles moral stakes of their engagem The independent, pioneering farmer who struggles against the weather to feed the world Leverage local extreme weather events, using them as âteachable momentsâ during which to relate climate change to the experience of your audience. (However, keep in mind that although climate change may increase the chance that a particular event will occur, it does not cause an event to take place.) Tap into peopleâs desire to avoid future losses rather than realize future gains. Audiences may be more likely to make changes to their behavior if framed as âlosing a little bit now instead of losing much more in the future.â (CRED) Photo: New York Times
- Offer potential solutions upfront
- Balance analytical data with vivid imagery hopeful campaigns rooted in the audienceâs everyday lives short messages that promoted responsible behavior (Mathieu et al. 2012) Need a compelling vision of what can be done i.e. Asking people to change a light bulb may not seem like a significant response to a monumental problem Do not want people to feel that it is preordained or impossible to overcome. Cities that are beautiful, thriving. Show planting trees and public transportation. Highlight other benefits: air quality, aesthetics, reduces heat & wind, home values, cost of utilities. Agriculture: cover crops have multiple other benefits too: erosion control, nutrient cycling, water retention Photos: USDA-ARS
- Avoid jargon Also there are many words that have different meanings between scientists and the general public. Examples: Uncertainty. Science = variability around a value Public = ignorance Better choice = range Theory. Science = our best knowledge Public = hunch, speculation Better = scientific understanding Sommerville & Hassol 2011
- Show the rewards: Verdugo et al. 2012 extrinsic Enjoying conserved resources Material gains from saving resources Reputation intrinsic satisfaction happiness psychological wellbeing psychological restoration Learned more deeply More likely to follow up (Vansteenkiste et al. 2004) Photos: Nathan Gibbs, Creative Commons
- Because the climate system is highly complex and variable, there is uncertainty in the scientific findings, particularly when it comes to projecting what the future climate will be like. This is one of the hardest topics to communicate about.
- People donât like uncertainty. We actively avoid messages with uncertainty and it makes people averse to acting (Haddad et al. 2012) Science doesnât deal in certainties â weighs evidence and tells you which of several possible answers has the most support Where uncertainties remain, scientists know where to investigate next So we need to explain the difference between scientific uncertainty: the extent to which scientists agree about the answer to a particular question Over 95% of climate scientists agree uncertainty on how to respond to what the climate science tells us
- Talk about climate change as a risk (Pidgeon & Fischhoff) rather than uncertainty The insurance example â home owners annually buy catastrophe insurance not because we think our home will be destroyed, but rather because we donât know that it wonât Precautionary principle
- Repeatedly stating that the vast majority of scientists agree that humans are causing climate change is one way of overcoming perceptions of uncertainty (Ding et al. 2011) Term: ârange of possibilitiesâ rather than âuncertaintyâ (Sommerville & Hassel 2011) open communication style (Haddad et al. 2012) signals communicator trustworthiness and honesty facilitates audience engagement with messages Increased confidence with the information use a warm, more friendly, informal style âWe are âŚâ and âWe believeâŚâ
- Build your audienceâs connection with each other, the environment, and the society that enjoys the benefits of its natural resources. (CRED) Group affiliation can activate social goals (i.e., concern for others, maximizing the good of the group) Participating in a group allows group norms to exert a stronger influence on individuals Participating in a group also leads to greater intrinsic reward for individuals when group goals are achieve Fill peopleâs need for social connectedness and a sense of purpose in life Overcomes social isolation and other fatalistic values by looking for ways to build community Addressing issues such as poverty and job creation at the same time Give people a large role in creating change Provide public feedback Use of social media Grassroots opportunities (The Ecological Roadmap 2008) Photo: Microsoft
- Use advocates: If you are an âoutsider,â have someone local introduce you. (CRED) When a knowledgeable member of a cultural community accepts information, people feel that it is safe to consider When people hear about climate change from: church, synagogue, mosque, or temple, for example, they will connect the issue to their moral values business leaders and investment managers, they will connect it to their economic interests military leaders, they will connect it to their interest in a safe and secure nation Experts of diverse values on both sides of the debate Causes people to be more open-minded and are much more likely to accept information (Earle & Cvetkovich 1995, Kahan et al. 2011) Examples: Chevron Energy sees importance of climate change, renewable energy, and energy efficiency Photo: Chevron
- Examples: From agriculture suppliers: John Deere has been focusing on fuel efficiency From defense: DoD has multiple studies on how climate change will impact our security interests From agricultures buyers: WalMart has driven the early efforts to establish carbon footprints for milk in an effort to make their supply chain more efficient From religion: the Vatican has said that the human consequences give a moral obligation to mitigate the impact Photos: John Deere, U.S. DOD, Walmart, Vatican
- Social Norms - The standards that we use to judge the appropriateness of our own behavior Combine social norms with âintrinsicâ motivations (CCCAG, 2010) social connectedness and a sense of purpose in life Conformity, avoiding feeling guilty, and fears of not âfitting inâ Highlight and influence the behavior of others around them (CCCAG 2010) Pictures and videos of ordinary people (âlike meâ) engaging in solutions (Schultz et al. 2007) Example: Use of a smiley face or frown on energy bills encouraged smaller energy footprints (Schultz et al. 2007) Photos: Microsoft, Creative Commons
- Leave ample time for Q&A Break large groups into small groups for discussion (CRED) Engage people in support groups Share common values and discuss behaviors that follow suit (Andrews 1998) mutual learning and support (Nye & Burgess 2008) Examples: Carbon Farming Club & Carbon Farmers of America Photo: Microsoft
- The goals of Extension and generally education are to: reflect sound theories and well-documented facts a range of perspectives should be presented in a balanced way encourage learners to explore different perspectives and form their own opinions (NAAEE 2004)
- However âUnbiased" or "value-free" education is impossible (Blaine and Patton 2000) When educators report a particular study, they implicitly show their own bias about what is important or credible Therefore it is critical to recognize our own ideological and value bias and acknowledge the imperfection of scientific research (Massey 1994) With controversial topics it is even more critical to be intentional Photo: Microsoft
- Strategies: Provide transparency about the agendas by providing the information source and any associated parties (e.g. funding agencies) Acknowledge not all questions are covered and provide several methods for continued learning Think through the underlying problems, potential solutions, and consequences Provide equal weight for differing viewpoints and positive and negative examples Avoid using emotional overtones Pilot-test with your target audience (Oxarart & Monroe 2012) Checks and balances within a team to ensure multiple perspectives are heard Provide opportunity for public input Have a plan for public release of materials and results Take time to manage relations with stakeholders particularly on controversial topics (Welch & Braunworth, 2010)