through frameworks, values and providing positive solutions jane elder, cgs july 2012

Communicating to Reach Public Audiences

in Turbulent TimesThrough frameworks, values and

providing positive solutions

Jane Elder, CGS

July 2012

Strategic communications approaches for social change

FRAMING VALUES-BASED Communications

Sets context, cognition, and discourse Widely held cultural

values provide personal meaning (saliency and urgency)

Some of the information on frames in this presentation is derived from the work of the Frameworks Institute www.frameworksinstitute.org

Many of the observations about American core values are drawn from the work of Belden Russonello Strategists www.brspoll.org

Jane Elder, CGS July 2012

Credit where credit is due

http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/

http://www.brspoll.org/


We live in a culture saturated with appeals that compete for our attention and concern

Our issues can get lost in the background noise or interpreted through opposing frameworks

Factual information alone doesn’t communicate

Concepts and values help assign meaning.

Understanding is frame-based, not fact-based

Our mind seeks cues to connect to established pictures and shortcuts

Reason--not rhetoric-- helps break down barriers

Solutions in messages help us see where we fit in

The right messengers help build trust

Messages need to be meaning-full to connect



What is a frame? Framing: the way information is conveyed– the

symbols, metaphors, and messengers, visuals, messages, stories, numbers, and context.*

These elements create the frame, and signal what is important and what can be ignored.*

Frames influence decisions, define the issue, determine who is responsible and offer potential solutions.

Source: Frameworks Institute

Burdensome regulation Nanny state 99 percent Environmental extremist Government overreach Bad parenting and/or lax morals cause:

crime, teenage pregnancy, the achievement gap, childhood obesity (pick your issue)


Active Frames in American Culture

Values are the first level of a frame: the first cue for how we will think about an issue


Values, language, metaphors, symbols, stereotypes and messengers shape the frame


Frames are part of daily life

From Stone Soup, created by Jan Eliot

Gloom, doom and crisis are numbing and disempower—I’m outta here!

Crisis communications doesn’t sustain positive social change.

Focus on the positive solutions—give people a way through the crisis.


Avoid fear and catastrophe frames

You can get backed into defensive and reactive positions instead of affirming and expressing what you are FOR.

Defense creates the trap of adopting opposing language and reinforcing the opposing frame.

Offense is a stronger position because it means you are framing the debate.


Avoid defensive frames if possible

Biotechnical research is economic development and scientific progress that makes money and improves lives--Why shouldn’t innovators profit from this field?

Regulating biotech and genetic engineering will slow down advances that would deny someone treatment that could save lives


Tricky biopolitical frames

While biotechnical research is providing many promising insightsthat can benefit people, we need tomake sure that this research is conducted safely and responsibly, and that the potential benefits don’t also result in inadvertent harm to our children, our environment. Long-term public health, safety and security should guide our decisions about safeguards in the field.


Instead, bridge and reframe


Tone is critical: Are you providing solutions to grapple with challengingissues?

News thrives on controversy, celebrity, disasters, immediacy, novelty, human interest, humor: “If it bleeds, it leads.”

News likes “two sides” to an issue News rarely takes time for context Modern news cycles are increasingly

ephemeral News focus is often on individuals; rarely on

community or societal choices


News practices can fragment your story into isolated pieces

Connect the dots Use features, opinion pieces, lifestyle and

topical media Bridge from single events to trends and

wider implications Talk about societal solutions not individual

solutions


Communicate your themes with context

What’s the news angle? What’s the connecting theme?


“DNA Blueprint for Fetus Built Using Tests of Parents”-June 7, 2012 page A1“Craig Venter’s

Bugs Might Save the World”-June 3, 2012Sunday Magazine

What’s the connecting theme?

“How Do You Live Knowing You Might Have the Alzheimer’s Gene?”

-June 10, 2012Sunday Magazine

“Payments for Victims of Eugenics Are Shelved”

-June 20, 2012page A14


Values-based communication

Uses widely held cultural values to provide personal meaning and salience for issues

Defines the problem; who’s responsible and the need

Addresses concerns; provides solutions Suggests responsive actions Uses messengers, stories, images and

language that reinforce the message.

Values-based communication works… Because values shift the debate to things we

care about deeply, not isolated factsHOWEVER… Different values fit different issues for different

people – few “one size fits all”

Activate values – don’t try to change them Values-based doesn’t mean value-laden

The approach:Identify and speak to your audience’s values and concerns

Values: ideals and core beliefs, such as responsibility, freedom, respect for God’s creation, fairness, love of country, etc.

And also

Concerns: things that your audience is worried about: health, jobs, money, education, etc.

Fairness Truth Compassion Responsibility Respect

(From the research of the Institute for Global Ethics, www.globalethics.org)


Global Human Values

American Cultural Values

PRIMARY SECONDARY

Responsibility to care for one’s family

Responsibility to care for ones’ self

Personal liberty Work Spirituality Honesty/integrity Fairness/Equality

Responsibility to care for others

Personal fulfillment Respect for authority Love of country or

culture Freedom of Choice*Intangibles

Quality of Life*Sense of Place*

Security/Safety*

Based on research conducted by Belden Russonello Strategies. * Denotes value-related key concepts/concerns from specific research projects

Social Justice

Democratic Governance

Common Good

Ecological Integrity/Precaution

Human Rights


Biopolitical values?


Values-based messages…state your core rationale – they aren’t slogans or sound bites

State why a particular audience should care about an issue–it speaks to their values and concerns.

Describe a threat or problem and who is responsible.

Provide a solution and describe an action that will address the need and the threat.

Give people something to do.Lead with values, follow with facts

A sample messageWisconsin’s beautiful lakes, rivers and natural areas are the places where our families go to swim, fish, boat, hike and just plain enjoy. Our wetlands help maintain the balance of nature by filtering and cleaning our air and water.

These precious resources belong to all of us, but they are threatened by too much careless development, pollution, and the abuse and destruction of shoreline and wetland habitat.

We all share the responsibility to defend Wisconsin’s valuable

water resources so we can continue to enjoy them and depend on them for generations to come.

We can have development and still protect our irreplaceable resources, but we must enforce our pollution laws and plan development wisely. And each of us can take action in our own lives and communities to conserve and defend Wisconsin’s waters every day.

Anatomy of a Values-based message A. Start with VALUES

The Great Lakes are one of the natural wonders of the world and it is our responsibility to protect them. They are a place we call home and a resource for us to use and protect –– they are the heart of the ecosystems that we rely on for life. They are a gift of nature, whose beauty and bounty enrich our lives and identify our region….

Anatomy of a Message B. Identify and illustrate the THREAT

“Yet there are those who would sell Great Lakes water for private profit, like oil or lumber. And the region is using Great Lakes groundwater faster than nature can replenish it. There is currently no regional policy that will prevent exports or overuse within the ecosystem.”

Anatomy of a Message C. What can be done; why should we

act?We all have a responsibility to protect and conserve the lakes, not for a single interest, but for our families, for wildlife, and for the future. We cannot wait for a disaster to happen. We can all take steps now to help keep the lakes healthy forever.

A national commitment to invest in newer, cleaner sources of energy—and make more efficient use of what we have—would create new jobs and competitive industries, help clean up our environment and improve our security.*

Values: security, future generations, efficiency Concerns: cleaner energy, healthy environment,

jobs Tone: Pragmatism, solution oriented Action: invest in clean energy and efficiency

Source: U.S. In the World


A sample “solution” statement

The unbridled biotechnology rush can create more harm than good. While biotechnology offers many profound potential solutions to address human needs, it also brings risks to human research subjects, to the environment, and to future generations. It can also draw resources away from broader health and social needs. The pace of biotechnology development needs to balanced with scientific integrity, human safeguards, and careful assessment of the potential risks and benefits, including who gains and who profits from advances in the field and who is harmed or placed at risk.


Building a Message: The threat or problem statement

Responsible and precautionary approaches to biotechnology development are necessary to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of people living today, and future generations. These approaches must also consider the fair and equitable use of social resources to solve social challenges. Government agencies, research institutions, and private corporations must agree to ethical and equitable principles and practices that will safeguard humans and society, and environmental integrity, while providing humane and compassionate solutions to challenging health and social issues.


Building a Message: The solution statement

Values Concerns Solutions Action


Anatomy of a message simplified in an ad


8 Reasons GMOs are Bad for You

Looking at some messages

Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are created when a gene from one species is transferred to another, creating something that would not be found in nature.

A large percentage of domestic crops (up to 85% of soybean yields) have DNAthat was tweaked in a lab, yet it is nearly impossible to know which food items contain these genetically engineered ingredients. Thankfully new mobile phone apps are making it a bit easier for the consumer to know what she is eating, but this is not enough.

GMOs are bad for your body, bad for the community, bad for farmers and bad for the environment. This is why…

http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/eight-reasons-gmos-are-bad-for-you.html

http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/true-food-shoppers-guide-mobile-application.html

Food items that contain GMOs are unlabeled in America. Once the mutant genes are out of the bag, there is no going

back. GMOs are not the answer for global food security. Genetically engineered foods have not been proven to be

safe. Big biotech firms have very sketchy track records. GMOs require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides and

fungicides.

The bottom line is that genetically modified organisms have not been proven in any way to be safe, and most of the studies are actually leaning the other direction, which is why many of the world’s countries have banned these items whose DNA has been genetically engineered. In America, they aren’t even labeled, much less banned, so the majority of the populace has no idea that they are eating lab-created DNA on a daily basis.

Now you do; your best defense is to purchase certified organic food, which cannot contain any GMOs, and to tell your friends and loved ones to do the same.


And the fact-based arguments

Question: Are Genetically Engineered Foods Bad For Your Health?

Answer: As far as we know, genetically engineered foods (or genetically modified organisms known as GMO) appear to be healthy and safe, and they are supposed to be closely regulated. As of 2003, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 81 percent of soybeans and 40 percent of corn produced in the United States are genetically modified -- so you have probably been consuming genetically modified foods for quite some time.


Are Genetically Engineered Foods Bad For Your Health?By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com GuideUpdated May 05, 2012About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Steve Cole/Getty Images

http://biotech.about.com/od/faq/f/GMOs.htm

http://nutrition.about.com/bio/Shereen-Jegtvig-13251.htm

http://www.about.com/health/review.htm

Humans have been doing this to their foods naturally for many years. The old-fashioned way to genetically modify food crops is to cross-breed plants that show the characteristics the farmer wants to improve. Over several seasons, the preferred traits will become more evident. Unfortunately, this type of modification is a slow and somewhat limited process….

Genetically engineered plants are researched for safety before the seeds are made available to farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are all involved in the regulation of genetically engineered plants, including its impacts on plant health, the environment, and food safety.

The words "genetically modified" or "genetically engineered" may sound scary, but there really is a great potential for saving lives and improving health by making these changes to the plants that provide foods we eat every day.


…answer continued

http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/g/Hybrids.htm

http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/green_diet_tips.htm

Strategic communications approaches for social change

Framing (sets context, cognition and discourse)

Values-based communications (uses widely held cultural values to provide personal meaning)

Pay attention to how these approaches shape your communications and how your audiences see your issues

RESOURCES

www.janeelderstrategies.com http://www.geneticsandsociety.org www.frameworksinstitute.org


Thank you!

http://www.janeelderstrategies.com/

http://www.janeelderstrategies.com/

http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/

http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/

http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/

through frameworks, values and providing positive solutions jane elder, cgs july 2012

Documents

urgency slide

eliot slide

issue jane elder

lives jane elder

frameworks institute

trust jane elder

opposing frameworks

positive solutions jane