Management Strategies: Messaging Strategies

This category of strategies encompasses comments made during discussion relating to message content, what should be said, and how should natural resource professionals be saying it.

Highlight the Positives

It is often the case that messaging about environmental issues focuses on the negatives of environmental degradation. Ordinary people have been confronted repeatedly with dire communication about the consequences of ecological deterioration. These messages are based on valid science and are important to continue, but many peoples' response to such negative messaging is to willfully ignore it because it precipitates fear and worry (Chapin III, Pickett, Power, Jackson, Carter, & Duke, 2011). Many people simply do not want to think about environmental problems because the enormity of the challenges seems too great to overcome. The result of people feeling overwhelmed by environmental challenges is frequently that they do not change their behaviors in any way and consequently neither people nor the environment benefit.

An alternate strategy to encourage citizens to think about and support urban natural resource management is to highlight the positives associated with urban forests and other urban green spaces. Positive emotions seem to activate attention and creativity (Fredrickson & Branigan, 2005). Activating citizens' positive emotional states about the urban natural world may lead to more interest and long term engagement in urban natural resource conservation among citizens. Agencies might benefit by describing for citizens how urban trees and green space improve the quality of life in their community. Research has shown that natural spaces are positively associated with psychological well- being (Hartig, Evans, Jamner, Davis, & Garling, 2003; Kaplan, & Kaplan, 1989) as well as better physical health (Bedimo-Rung, Mowen, & Cohen, 2005; Cohen, McKenzie, Sehgal, Williamson, Golinelli, & Lurie, 2007). University research lends empirically tested support to what individuals experience personally. Many people experience feeling better and more relaxed after taking a walk in a quiet natural area, or on a tree lined street. An agency may gain support and increase public interest by reminding citizens how they feel after being in a quiet and shady park in their neighborhood, or after walking through a tree-lined greenway. By describing the positives of urban trees and green spaces in specific terms, you can reinforce and crystalize the benefits for citizens who may be only vaguely aware of them. Identifying the benefits in specific terms helps those who enjoy visiting green spaces and treed areas better understand how green areas improve their life, and may entice others who are not currently visiting urban green areas. For example, city residents interested in getting into better shape but who may feel uncomfortable or intimidated by using a fitness center, may be interested to learn that open spaces are associated with increased physical activity and better health (Kaczynski & Henderson, 2007).

Though positive messaging has powerful potential, addressing environmental negatives can still be a useful strategy. If there is reason to identify and disseminate communication about a problem or challenge, rather than put the issue in general terms, make it personally relevant to citizens. In the case of an environmental or ecological problem, people are likely to conceive of the issue relative to how it affects them personally. Therefore, instead of referring to, for example, watershed degradation in general terms, put the consequences of degradation into terms that an individual can identify with, that they can easily interpret in terms of their daily life and activities. How might a problem or challenge affect their costs, or their health, or their access to public sites, for example? Such communication can be better crafted by working with local community groups to help natural resource professionals understand what issues are of particular concern to members of the community. Of vital importance too, is that agencies provide information on solu- tions or ways that citizens can get involved in responses to problems. By providing achievable suggestions for participation, message recipients will feel less helpless and fearful and perhaps more empowered. By making the problem personally relevant, and then instructing people how they can take positive (and preferably simple) steps to help alleviate the problem, you provide people with knowledge and tools that help you with your problem while simultaneously empowering citizens.

Tell a Story

Formal education in the physical sciences (e.g., biology, horticulture, ecology, geology, mathematics) greatly facilitates the ability to understand and recognize the values of the natural world. A full understanding and appreciation of natural processes and functions often requires considerable formal learning. But learning also occurs through other means. Storytelling has been a means to impart knowledge and wisdom in human societies throughout our history. Stories and narratives, poetry and music, visual arts and dance are all ways that people can communicate with each other.

Formal talks and educational sessions presented by agencies and allied organizations will remain a vital contributor to helping members of the public learn about the natural world which surrounds us. Learning about the biology of trees and other physical science based learning is indeed engaging for many people. Some people are simply more interested and energized by learning about the biophysical science aspect of nature. But agencies can expand their abilities to impart information through other forms of communication. Teaching people about their connection to and dependence on the natural world will be aided through use of alternate forms of education that include storytelling, other art forms, and various types of experiences (Tooth & Renshaw, 2009). Many people will respond more strongly to personal stories about how street trees and nature affect us. Poetry and music can have a profound effect on people, including those more inclined towards objective science. Often stories and other art forms convey important messages about the importance of the human connection to the natural world. Tell a story, use pictures, engage the senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing, feel), engage the affective responses people have towards nature - all of these strategies can produce a more lasting impact and deeper incorporation of knowledge by activity participants. Not every activity will work equally well for all people. Some people are more likely to respond to more traditional types of learning, and people will respond differently to varying forms of narrative or use of art to communicate and interact. Therefore, employing a mixture of approaches will likely produce better results than following a single strategy.

It may be the case that people would prefer to learn in a more active and interactive environment, rather than a lecture-style talk. Learning experiences that activate multiple senses and behaviors, that engage learners in fun and creative ways, particularly outdoor activities, can be more effective than the more traditional type of presentation with slides and Q&A. Learning experiences that require creative interaction can impart knowledge through activity and experience that are perceived as more fun than traditional learning techniques, and such "creative methods in adult environmental education are most often equated to arts-related activities" (Guevara, 2002). By creating a mixture of approaches, you not only improve your chances of meaningful communication and interaction with citizens, you also demonstrate sensitivity and willingness to make the effort to reach out to people. Agency efforts that the public recognizes as genuine attempts at meaningful engagement can generate good will and appreciation among citizen stakeholders. Further, if people truly enjoyed or were moved by something your agency produced or an event you organized, they are more likely to seek out future opportunities for interaction thereby promoting easier outreach in the future. These kinds of teaching experiences and outreach require effort and resources, of course. Agencies need to gather information from their constituents and pay attention to the ideas expressed by their citizens. Partnerships with community organizations can be an effective way to obtain information and get help with resource needs. With a little careful planning, attention to detail, and actively listening to community members, an agency can generate positive outreach in innovative ways that will be memorable for their constituents.

Consistency and Accuracy

Finally, regardless of how you decide to conduct outreach and interaction with members of the public, it is important to provide accurate information that maintains and supports agency credibility (Appendix 3 - Figures 40-43, and 44-47). Misleading or erroneous information, no matter how unintentionally provided, plays a role in eroding trust and perceived credibility for agencies and their personnel (Frewer, 2000). By providing factually accurate information, an agency helps maintain its credibility in the eyes of the public. Of course, trust in agencies and their staff is affected by more than just the information an agency supplies. But it is important for agency staff to make every effort to generate and disseminate accurate information about natural resources, and address information inconsistencies as soon as possible.

Furthermore, a vital contributor to agency and message legitimacy is coordination among agencies concerning information diffusion. If citizens are receiving conflicting information from different agencies or departments within an agency, this has the potential to produce challenges to the public's sense of trust (Smithson, 1999). Level of trust in an agency or organization plays a role in influencing how information is interpreted by citizens (Lang, 2013). For those who are inclined to trust the agency, for instance, inaccurate or misleading information may be less troubling. Others who are skeptical about agency credibility may be more negatively impacted by the presence of misinformation. In general, when conflicting information is provided by different government agencies or organizations, it creates challenges for many citizens because they must decide who or what to believe. Such a conflict can be detrimental to all involved. Agencies will benefit greatly by expending additional efforts to ensure they are presenting a unified and consistent message about the topic area in their communications (Viscusi, 1997), and that the information being provided has been evaluated thoroughly as valid and reliable.