What I’ve Learned About Communicating About Big, Scary Threats to Humanity

As a member of the Sierra Club’s communications team, I spend most of my days trying to communicate persuasively about environmental issues, especially climate change. I work to convince people to face a big, scary threat and take action to prevent it from getting worse.

Does that remind you of any conversations you’ve been having with friends and family lately?

We all have an important role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19. People are being asked, rightly so, to take difficult, isolating measures to stop the virus from proliferating. Lots of people are reluctant to impose those measures on themselves -- even though they know doing so might save their life or the lives of others. I know I have friends and family members who fit into that category.

In the spirit of mutual aid, here are some tips I’ve picked up from my work that might be useful in getting people to understand that this is a crisis -- so they’ll act like it.

• Don’t overwhelm them with scary statistics and pictures. They’ll likely shut down. You don’t want to make them feel like the problem is so awful and overwhelming that there’s no way their actions can make an impact. Because the opposite is true. We need everyone to join the fight against this pandemic and against climate change.
  
  
• But do remind them of what’s at stake: life and death for perhaps millions of people.
  
  
• Bring your message close to home. When we talk about climate change, it’s usually good to talk about how the crisis affects people’s homes and families -- not just penguins and polar bears. Similarly, talking about what happened in China may not persuade your aunt in Cleveland. Try explaining how taking her book club meeting virtual will protect the people she loves.
  
  
• Respond to the concerns behind their concerns. When you ask people why they aren’t taking action to combat a global crisis, they may give justifications that don’t seem rational. Ask yourself what they’re really saying when they say things like, “I can’t stop living my life.” Are they afraid to stop working and lose wages? Are they older folks who already struggle with restrictions from age and infirmity, and resent losing even more of their freedom? Respond to that.
  
  
• Be mindful of generational differences. If you’re talking with a parent or grandparent, they may bristle at being lectured by someone they potty-trained. Avoid making them feel as if they’re old or out of touch. Instead, try affirming the values that they passed on to you -- and talk about how responding appropriately to these threats is an embodiment of those values.
  
  
• You don’t need to get to 100 percent agreement in one conversation. In fact, that might never happen, but keep coming back to the subject. You might be surprised at how your words have taken root.
  
  
• Even though it can be difficult, protecting our communities is also a joyful, loving act. That’s why at the Sierra Club, we bring colorful signs and creative chants to climate marches, and we make sure we take time to enjoy the natural world we’re working to preserve. 
  
  Notice and point out the ways that you and others are finding joy in this stressful, turbulent time. Share pictures from your long walks around the neighborhood and lists of free concerts streaming online. Chances are, the person you’re talking to will be more open to sheltering in place once they realize it doesn’t have to be as awful as they feared.