Upload
allan-manning
View
216
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Communicating to Reach Public Audiences
in Turbulent TimesThrough frameworks, values and
providing positive solutions
Jane Elder, CGS
July 2012
Strategic communications approaches for social change
FRAMING VALUES-BASED Communications
Sets context, cognition, and discourse Widely held cultural
values provide personal meaning (saliency and urgency)
Some of the information on frames in this presentation is derived from the work of the Frameworks Institute www.frameworksinstitute.org
Many of the observations about American core values are drawn from the work of Belden Russonello Strategists www.brspoll.org
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Credit where credit is due
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
We live in a culture saturated with appeals that compete for our attention and concern
Our issues can get lost in the background noise or interpreted through opposing frameworks
Factual information alone doesn’t communicate
Concepts and values help assign meaning.
Understanding is frame-based, not fact-based
Our mind seeks cues to connect to established pictures and shortcuts
Reason--not rhetoric-- helps break down barriers
Solutions in messages help us see where we fit in
The right messengers help build trust
Messages need to be meaning-full to connect
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
What is a frame? Framing: the way information is conveyed– the
symbols, metaphors, and messengers, visuals, messages, stories, numbers, and context.*
These elements create the frame, and signal what is important and what can be ignored.*
Frames influence decisions, define the issue, determine who is responsible and offer potential solutions.
Source: Frameworks Institute
Burdensome regulation Nanny state 99 percent Environmental extremist Government overreach Bad parenting and/or lax morals cause:
crime, teenage pregnancy, the achievement gap, childhood obesity (pick your issue)
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Active Frames in American Culture
Values are the first level of a frame: the first cue for how we will think about an issue
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Values, language, metaphors, symbols, stereotypes and messengers shape the frame
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Frames are part of daily life
From Stone Soup, created by Jan Eliot
Gloom, doom and crisis are numbing and disempower—I’m outta here!
Crisis communications doesn’t sustain positive social change.
Focus on the positive solutions—give people a way through the crisis.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Avoid fear and catastrophe frames
You can get backed into defensive and reactive positions instead of affirming and expressing what you are FOR.
Defense creates the trap of adopting opposing language and reinforcing the opposing frame.
Offense is a stronger position because it means you are framing the debate.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Avoid defensive frames if possible
Biotechnical research is economic development and scientific progress that makes money and improves lives--Why shouldn’t innovators profit from this field?
Regulating biotech and genetic engineering will slow down advances that would deny someone treatment that could save lives
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Tricky biopolitical frames
While biotechnical research is providing many promising insightsthat can benefit people, we need tomake sure that this research is conducted safely and responsibly, and that the potential benefits don’t also result in inadvertent harm to our children, our environment. Long-term public health, safety and security should guide our decisions about safeguards in the field.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Instead, bridge and reframe
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Tone is critical: Are you providing solutions to grapple with challengingissues?
News thrives on controversy, celebrity, disasters, immediacy, novelty, human interest, humor: “If it bleeds, it leads.”
News likes “two sides” to an issue News rarely takes time for context Modern news cycles are increasingly
ephemeral News focus is often on individuals; rarely on
community or societal choices
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
News practices can fragment your story into isolated pieces
Connect the dots Use features, opinion pieces, lifestyle and
topical media Bridge from single events to trends and
wider implications Talk about societal solutions not individual
solutions
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Communicate your themes with context
What’s the news angle? What’s the connecting theme?
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
“DNA Blueprint for Fetus Built Using Tests of Parents”-June 7, 2012 page A1“Craig Venter’s
Bugs Might Save the World”-June 3, 2012Sunday Magazine
What’s the connecting theme?
“How Do You Live Knowing You Might Have the Alzheimer’s Gene?”
-June 10, 2012Sunday Magazine
“Payments for Victims of Eugenics Are Shelved”
-June 20, 2012page A14
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Values-based communication
Uses widely held cultural values to provide personal meaning and salience for issues
Defines the problem; who’s responsible and the need
Addresses concerns; provides solutions Suggests responsive actions Uses messengers, stories, images and
language that reinforce the message.
Values-based communication works… Because values shift the debate to things we
care about deeply, not isolated factsHOWEVER… Different values fit different issues for different
people – few “one size fits all”
Activate values – don’t try to change them Values-based doesn’t mean value-laden
The approach:Identify and speak to your audience’s values and concerns
Values: ideals and core beliefs, such as responsibility, freedom, respect for God’s creation, fairness, love of country, etc.
And also
Concerns: things that your audience is worried about: health, jobs, money, education, etc.
Fairness Truth Compassion Responsibility Respect
(From the research of the Institute for Global Ethics, www.globalethics.org)
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Global Human Values
American Cultural Values
PRIMARY SECONDARY
Responsibility to care for one’s family
Responsibility to care for ones’ self
Personal liberty Work Spirituality Honesty/integrity Fairness/Equality
Responsibility to care for others
Personal fulfillment Respect for authority Love of country or
culture Freedom of Choice*Intangibles
Quality of Life*Sense of Place*
Security/Safety*
Based on research conducted by Belden Russonello Strategies. * Denotes value-related key concepts/concerns from specific research projects
Social Justice
Democratic Governance
Common Good
Ecological Integrity/Precaution
Human Rights
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Biopolitical values?
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Values-based messages…state your core rationale – they aren’t slogans or sound bites
State why a particular audience should care about an issue–it speaks to their values and concerns.
Describe a threat or problem and who is responsible.
Provide a solution and describe an action that will address the need and the threat.
Give people something to do.Lead with values, follow with facts
A sample messageWisconsin’s beautiful lakes, rivers and natural areas are the places where our families go to swim, fish, boat, hike and just plain enjoy. Our wetlands help maintain the balance of nature by filtering and cleaning our air and water.
These precious resources belong to all of us, but they are threatened by too much careless development, pollution, and the abuse and destruction of shoreline and wetland habitat.
We all share the responsibility to defend Wisconsin’s valuable
water resources so we can continue to enjoy them and depend on them for generations to come.
We can have development and still protect our irreplaceable resources, but we must enforce our pollution laws and plan development wisely. And each of us can take action in our own lives and communities to conserve and defend Wisconsin’s waters every day.
Anatomy of a Values-based message A. Start with VALUES
The Great Lakes are one of the natural wonders of the world and it is our responsibility to protect them. They are a place we call home and a resource for us to use and protect –– they are the heart of the ecosystems that we rely on for life. They are a gift of nature, whose beauty and bounty enrich our lives and identify our region….
Anatomy of a Message B. Identify and illustrate the THREAT
“Yet there are those who would sell Great Lakes water for private profit, like oil or lumber. And the region is using Great Lakes groundwater faster than nature can replenish it. There is currently no regional policy that will prevent exports or overuse within the ecosystem.”
Anatomy of a Message C. What can be done; why should we
act?We all have a responsibility to protect and conserve the lakes, not for a single interest, but for our families, for wildlife, and for the future. We cannot wait for a disaster to happen. We can all take steps now to help keep the lakes healthy forever.
A national commitment to invest in newer, cleaner sources of energy—and make more efficient use of what we have—would create new jobs and competitive industries, help clean up our environment and improve our security.*
Values: security, future generations, efficiency Concerns: cleaner energy, healthy environment,
jobs Tone: Pragmatism, solution oriented Action: invest in clean energy and efficiency
Source: U.S. In the World
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
A sample “solution” statement
The unbridled biotechnology rush can create more harm than good. While biotechnology offers many profound potential solutions to address human needs, it also brings risks to human research subjects, to the environment, and to future generations. It can also draw resources away from broader health and social needs. The pace of biotechnology development needs to balanced with scientific integrity, human safeguards, and careful assessment of the potential risks and benefits, including who gains and who profits from advances in the field and who is harmed or placed at risk.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Building a Message: The threat or problem statement
Responsible and precautionary approaches to biotechnology development are necessary to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of people living today, and future generations. These approaches must also consider the fair and equitable use of social resources to solve social challenges. Government agencies, research institutions, and private corporations must agree to ethical and equitable principles and practices that will safeguard humans and society, and environmental integrity, while providing humane and compassionate solutions to challenging health and social issues.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Building a Message: The solution statement
Values Concerns Solutions Action
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Anatomy of a message simplified in an ad
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
8 Reasons GMOs are Bad for You
Looking at some messages
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are created when a gene from one species is transferred to another, creating something that would not be found in nature.
A large percentage of domestic crops (up to 85% of soybean yields) have DNAthat was tweaked in a lab, yet it is nearly impossible to know which food items contain these genetically engineered ingredients. Thankfully new mobile phone apps are making it a bit easier for the consumer to know what she is eating, but this is not enough.
GMOs are bad for your body, bad for the community, bad for farmers and bad for the environment. This is why…
Food items that contain GMOs are unlabeled in America. Once the mutant genes are out of the bag, there is no going
back. GMOs are not the answer for global food security. Genetically engineered foods have not been proven to be
safe. Big biotech firms have very sketchy track records. GMOs require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides and
fungicides.
The bottom line is that genetically modified organisms have not been proven in any way to be safe, and most of the studies are actually leaning the other direction, which is why many of the world’s countries have banned these items whose DNA has been genetically engineered. In America, they aren’t even labeled, much less banned, so the majority of the populace has no idea that they are eating lab-created DNA on a daily basis.
Now you do; your best defense is to purchase certified organic food, which cannot contain any GMOs, and to tell your friends and loved ones to do the same.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
And the fact-based arguments
Question: Are Genetically Engineered Foods Bad For Your Health?
Answer: As far as we know, genetically engineered foods (or genetically modified organisms known as GMO) appear to be healthy and safe, and they are supposed to be closely regulated. As of 2003, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 81 percent of soybeans and 40 percent of corn produced in the United States are genetically modified -- so you have probably been consuming genetically modified foods for quite some time.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Are Genetically Engineered Foods Bad For Your Health?By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com GuideUpdated May 05, 2012About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
Steve Cole/Getty Images
Humans have been doing this to their foods naturally for many years. The old-fashioned way to genetically modify food crops is to cross-breed plants that show the characteristics the farmer wants to improve. Over several seasons, the preferred traits will become more evident. Unfortunately, this type of modification is a slow and somewhat limited process….
Genetically engineered plants are researched for safety before the seeds are made available to farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are all involved in the regulation of genetically engineered plants, including its impacts on plant health, the environment, and food safety.
The words "genetically modified" or "genetically engineered" may sound scary, but there really is a great potential for saving lives and improving health by making these changes to the plants that provide foods we eat every day.
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
…answer continued
Strategic communications approaches for social change
Framing (sets context, cognition and discourse)
Values-based communications (uses widely held cultural values to provide personal meaning)
Pay attention to how these approaches shape your communications and how your audiences see your issues
RESOURCES
www.janeelderstrategies.com http://www.geneticsandsociety.org www.frameworksinstitute.org
Jane Elder, CGS July 2012
Thank you!