Transcript ChocolateFridayOctober2008

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…
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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…
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Is motivated by:
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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…
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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…
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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
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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…
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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
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Persuasion calls for an appeal to
emotion rather than to logic
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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
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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
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impact of Climate Change
Instead of scaring people into passivity, motivate for action
Write sappy Emails 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…
[email protected]