Water Words Cb Leaders

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Water Words That Work Make a Splash With Your Communications

Eric Eckl 7/23/2008

Water is a high priority for Americans

Gallup Poll, 2008

Water is a high priority for Virginians

Water is a high priority for Kentuckians

Water Still Tops Global Warming!

Before Lunch

•  Good News: Americans care a lot about clean water

•  The Action X Factor •  Communications Examples: Theirs and Ours •  Changing With the Times •  The Water Words That Work Method •  Q&A

After Lunch

• Exercises • Q&A

12,000 Participants!

What’s the X Factor?

“Recently bought environmentally friendly products.”

What’s the X Factor?

“Reminded others to be environmentally conscious”

What’s the X Factor?

“Voted for the candidate with the best environmental record”

What’s the X Factor?

“Recently donated to organizations that support environmental causes”

Confidence that the action matters!

Communications Examples:

Theirs and Ours

WE make mistakes like this ALL THE TIME!

“Biodiversity”

TMDL Impervious surface

Hydrograph Nonpoint source pollution

And so forth… And so on…

“Watershed”

Photo: Flickr, Fernando Dall D’aqua

“Watershed” by Education

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

G.E.D High School Some College B.A, B.S. MBA, Ph.D.

41% 47%

58%

69% 77%

3 out of 4 U.S. adults do not have college educations

“Watershed” by Race

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Black Asian Hispanic White

36%

53% 58%

65%

Minorities will be 50% of the population by 2050

“Watershed” by Gender

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Women Men

36%

64%

Who They Trust

Where they get their information

Changing With The Times

Goodbye: Mass Media

Hello:“Nonpoint Source Information”

More And More Choices

Reaching Smaller and Smaller Audiences

Source: Advertising Age, February, 2008

Recent Trends in News Consumption

Pew Research Center: Trends 2005

“Watched TV news yesterday”

“Read newspaper yesterday”

“Listened to radio news yesterday”

“Read a news magazine yesterday”

At the same news consumption falls…

Roper Starch: Americans' Low "Energy IQ:" A Risk to Our Energy Future, 2002

“Water pollution laws do not go far enough”

“Environmental laws do not go far enough”

“Endangered species laws do not go far enough”

“Wetlands laws do not go far enough”

Science News Buzz Politicians

Act

Prob

lem

Solu

tion

The Old Paradigm

Science Translation Campaign Target

Audience Acts

Prob

lem

Solu

tion

The New Paradigm

The Water Words

That Work

Method

The Water Words Method

1.  Remove your shop talk 2.  Build confidence with show and tell 3.  Insert the words that work

Step One: Identify Your Shop Talk

A: Polluted Runoff

B: Stormwater

A: Open Space

B: Natural Area

A: Recreation

B: Family activities

A: Watershed management

B: Land and water conservation

A: Family vacations

B: Tourism

A: Runaway Development

B: Sprawl

A: Riparian

B: Riverbank

A: Clean water

B: Water Quality

A: Endangered species

B: Wildlife

A: Environmentalist

B: Conservationist ?

Step Two: Build Their Confidence with

Show and Tell

Primatologists’ Wisdom

“Monkey See, Monkey Do”

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See, Monkey Do

“Together, we can save a life”

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See?

Monkey See?

Monkey See?

Step Three: Insert the

Water Words that Work

Give People Confidence

• Give them confidence that they understand you!

• Give them confidence that their actions matter!

When describing issues

• Nature protection • Pollution control • Enough clean water • Wildlife conservation

Benefits and Consequences • Future Generations • Healthy • Family & Children • Safe • Trends

Don’t Just Agree With Me, Do Something!

•  You Can Make a Difference

•  It affects you

•  What you can do

•  Working together

•  Save Money

Take My Side, Not Theirs

•  Accountability •  Corporations (are

bad)/Businesses (are good)

•  Choice •  Fair •  Balance •  Planning Ahead

•  Responsible •  Freedom •  Investment •  Law

Takeaways

•  Public attitudes are supportive and changing very slowly

•  But how everyday citizens learn about the world around them is changing very quickly

•  Broad social trends are putting enormous pressure on us to communicate in a clear and compelling manner.

Takeaways

The Water Words That Work method is a three step process for translating scientific

and legal documentation into action language for everyday citizens.

http://waterwordsthatwork.com