Important Notice about MCT’s Climate Comm Workshops
We are in the process of updating and revising the curriculum of Maine Climate Table’s Climate Communications 101 Workshops. More than 600 people have participated in these workshops over the past 5 years. A lot of new information and science has become available in the social psychology literature in the last few years, and we are integrating it into a revised workshop. We also plan to focus more on the different climate communication situations you might be in, from the Thanksgiving Table, to someone you need to work with, to giving a talk to an audience that may be unfriendly to the climate issue. Different tools work in different situations, but some tools work in ALL situations.
We look forward to seeing you soon, even if you’ve participated in the workshop before.
We plan to relaunch the workshop in April, 2022. Please check back here for a specific date.
Climate Communications Training
Climate change is one of the most difficult subjects to talk about in our society today. Why climate change has become so politicized is a complex question. Because people are generally moved by emotions more than facts, citing climate facts, or science, can actually make your listener more entrenched against climate change. This is true about any subject that has an emotional component, such as abortion or same-sex marriage.
Therefore, we need to understand how to have conversations about climate change. The Maine Climate Table offers 2-hour climate communications workshops for groups that are interested in becoming better communicators about climate change. You will likely approach climate communication differently after the workshop, and have more productive conversations with people who might think differently from you about climate change.
Description of Training
This training will help you communicate more effectively with Mainers on the topic of climate change. Based on extensive Maine social research conducted by a team of strategic communication professionals, the training workshop includes information on modern brain science as well as findings on how to change opinion and move audiences to action. The trainer leads attendees through a multimedia presentation with plenty of time for discussion and practice. No matter your audience, you will gain helpful insights on how to better reach and connect with them. All are welcome, no prior experience with communications necessary. All trainees who complete the training workshop receive the print edition of Communication with Mainers of Climate Change Toolkit.
Follow up support and opportunities for ongoing evaluation of implementation efforts will be available for six months after the workshop through a series of interactive webinars, office hours and online evaluations hosted by the Climate Table and Tyler Kidder. Webinars will offer an opportunity to workshop progress to date and share ideas and examples of climate communications. Office hours will allow for one-on-one support from the workshop facilitator.
Because of coronavirus, we’re offering three virtual 90-minute on-line workshops this summer. If you click on the link below to sign up. We need at least 10 registrants to go forward with each workshop.
Two helpful documents from the Maine Climate Table
Download Maine Climate Table’s ‘Communications 101’ Workbook
(click on the image to download)
Download Maine Climate Table’s Communications Toolkit
(click on the image to download)
Some other good climate communications resources…
Resource links from the Workshop Agenda:
- Heartwired Toolkit & More Info: heartwiredforchange.com
- Climate Central: climatecentral.org
- NYT Opinion Article about effective Climate Communications https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/opinion/climate-change-deniers.html
- Yale’s 2019 Climate Opinion Maps by state, CD and county: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/ & in factsheet form: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/factsheets/
- Yale’s ‘Climate Change in the American Mind’, 2019 Report: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-april-2019/
- Book about the elephant & rider phenomenon and how people make decisions: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt.
Additional resources about how to communicate on climate change:
- For land conservation – Land Trust Alliance’s Climate Communications best practices: http://climatechange.lta.org/recommendations-for-communicating/
- For coastal risk & resilience: climate risk communication resources from NOAA: https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/topics/risk-communication.html
- How to change someone’s mind – 6 Secrets from Research: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/this-is-how-to-change-someones-mind-6-secrets-from-research
- Really compelling graphic comic by the Oatmeal called ‘You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.’ Warning: Profanity! There is a clean classroom version available as well, linked at the top of the Oatmeal page. Be sure to check out the list of primary sources and inspirations at the end of the comic: https://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe
If there are additional resources you think would be helpful, please send them to [email protected] so we can keep track of good ideas and/or send existing resources to you.
Tyler Kidder
Tyler is the Program Officer at the Onion Foundation, and Trainer for Maine Climate Table’s “Communications 101” workshop.
Buck Lab Climate Messaging Videos
Check out these short climate communications videos from The Buck Lab for Climate and the Environment at Colby College, in collaboration with Maine filmmaker Charles Stuart. Click on the images to launch video.
Insource Renewables
Bumbleroot Farm
Windowdressers
Camden Hills Regional HS