Bringing everyone along on the journey
Whether you’re making strides with your sustainability journey or you’re just trying to figure out how to better engage your target audience, you should always be thinking about what kind of journey you can take your stakeholders on and how you can bring everyone along on that journey.
I love the term ‘bringing everyone along on the journey’ and developed it from the 2030 Agenda that no-one should be left behind. But in order to bring people along with us, we need to know where we are going, right?!
So, we need that all important sustainability strategy which is developed to 'support global efforts to end poverty, foster peace, safeguard the rights and dignity of all people, and protect the planet’.
Once we have the sustainability strategy (perhaps we’ve worked in collaboration with the chief sustainability officer or the head of environment), we can then start to think about how each element will apply to our stakeholders and then how we can make it all relevant.
Things to consider when communicating and trying to bring everyone along on the journey
Use facts and ensure the source is correct
Use the right influencers to deliver the message - this will come from the stakeholder mapping and channel matrix
To tell a story and engage an audience, it needs to be real
Let people know they have the power to affect change. Small steps by a large number of people can help persuade leaders to make the big changes we need
Link the story to justice. I talk often about climate justice, which looks to help those most affected by climate change. Solving the climate crisis also means addressing injustice and inequity, which can create opportunities for all
Highlight the voices, expertise, innovations, positive action, and solutions by people from all walks of life and communities
Talk about the requirement for urgent action and talk about the positive outcomes of a sustainable world, getting people excited. Look at issues and try and reframe them as opportunities
Meet people on their terms, in their spaces. Talk their language. Live your values.
Don’t forget all age groups, including youth.
Original content from the UN on Communicating on Climate Change here.