communicating the importance clean water
TRANSCRIPT
Communicating the importance of clean water
Create a vision
Tell people about your vision: safe drinking water, water safe for fishing, children wading in their local stream without fear of disease, streams free of trash, etc.
Be brief
Make everything as
simple as possible,
but not simpler."
- Albert Einstein
• VIDEO: TEDEd – The Power of Simple Words
A picture tells a 1,000 words
Images are easier to understand and more memorable, so focus
on impacts that are easy to visualize.
Be specific, concrete and local
Make it local
Use numbers
• The cost to build traditional infrastructure in Lancaster: $300 million
• The cost to build green infrastructure in Lancaster: $140 million
Use visual words
Words that may have issues Try these words instead
BMP’s Conservation practices
Regulations Protections or safeguards
Stormwater Polluted runoff
Low impact development (LID) Modern and efficient infrastructure
Water quality Clean water/polluted water
Watershed Land around rivers and streams
Agricultural land Farms
Impaired Polluted
Urban sprawl Wasteful and inefficient development
Environment Land, air, water and animals
Nutrients Over fertilization
Trusted messengers are key
Key message elements
• Values: Incorporating values into your communications
• Pride: Local rivers and streams, local pride, national pride
• Cooperation: We’ll make progress when government, business and individuals work together.
• Legacy: Clean water for our children and animals
• Fair share: Everyone is asked to do their fair share.
• Health: Polluted water is a health hazard.
• Economics: Reducing pollution creates good jobs.
The power of the story
• Studies prove that emotional stories are far more likely to inspire action.
• An engaging story builds a bridge.
• The main “story” in your work should give your audience a way in, a REASON to connect to you and your message
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU
The question of story
• What is the story in what you have to say or tell about your work?
• What do you want your
audience to do or believe?
• How are you going to express it in a way that engages them?
• What do you want to convey?
