Read on Twitter
New Zealand beat Covid-19 by trusting leaders & following advice. Comm. scientist @JTThaker said: “Simple, clear health messages, communicated with kindness and empathy, resonate with people, even when they are demanding tough changes.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/24/new-zealand-beat-covid-19-by-trusting-leaders-and-following-advice-study?CMP=share_btn_tw @Mason4C
For the past 20 years, my mantra for effective public communication has been “simple clear messages, repeated often, by a variety of trusted voices.” I call them the 11 most “evidence-based” words ever written about communication. They’ve stood the test of time well.
Yesterday, I read what my friend @JTThaker said to explain why New Zealand has fared so well in response to the COVID pandemic: “Simple, clear health messages, communicated with kindness and empathy, resonate with people, even when they are demanding tough changes.”
It took a few hours for me to fully appreciate the importance of his friendly amendment to my mantra, but now that he’s revealed it to me, I realize that my mantra was not complete...the importance of human connection was missing.
Showing compassion and kindness is how we connect with other people. It’s how we earn their trust, and why we’re worthy of their trust. There is lots of evidence to prove that.
The best climate communicators I know all show kindness and compassion when they speak, including @JTThaker. My personal heroes include @KHayhoe @DrShepherd2013 @bobinglis @DrBobBullard @ayanaeliza & @ecotone2.
They share what they know using “simple clear messages” and they repeat themselves often (in good ways, which helps other trusted people remember and repeat what they said, thereby helping to spread the message), AND they also do so with enormous humanity—kindness and compassion.
We may be able to speak to members of our own tribe effectively without demonstrating kindness & compassion, because they already trust us. But if we want to connect with people in other tribes, & work toward breaking down tribal boundaries, we should be compassionate & kind.
Therefore, my new and improved mantra for effective public communication is: Simple clear messages, offered with compassion and kindness, and repeated often by a variety of trusted voices. Thank you @JTThaker for teaching this old dog a new trick. @Mason4C
P.s. This was my first-ever attempt at a Twitter thread. I now see that I have a thing or two to learn about composing Twitter threads. Live and learn!
