Other ToolsTips for Effective Climate CommunicationGeneral Articles on Effective CommunicationHere are some useful articles and handbooks on how to become a more effective communicator. They are for all communicators; not specific to climate. All are short and skimmable, with suggestions you can put to immediate use.
This is storytelling-for-organizations guru Andy Goodman's indispensible handbook for breathing life into your speeches and powerpoint presentations.
You can download it free from The Goodman Center
If you just put to use any three of his immediately-applicable suggestions, you would notice a dramatic change in audience response.
Though not specifically devoted to climate communication, this ingenious little guide to "sticky messaging" is so central to our "Bites" -- and to effective communication in general -- that it deserves a place in every speaker/writer's library.
"We wrote this book to help you make your ideas stick. By "stick," we mean that your ideas are understood and remembered, and have a lasting impact — they change your audience's opinions or behavior."
They and their students spent "hundreds of hours collecting, coding, and analyzing naturally sticky ideas: urban legends, wartime rumors, proverbs, conspiracy theories, and jokes," which they analyzed to discern what made some so lasting, while others quickly faded. They capuslize their findings with the acronym SUCCESs:
- Simple
- Unexpected
- Concrete
- Credible
- Emotional
- Stories
They then go on, with many examples, of how to incorporate these elements into your messaging.
A fun, fast and and eminently practical guide.
This short follow-on to their now-classic guide to sticky messaging, Made to Stick, suggests five great ways to focus audience's attention and help them remember your main points.
Unlike many tipsters, the Heath brothers practice what they preach -- you can skim this short pdf in 10 minutes or less.