Thank you for visiting the NNOCCI project video. We are interested in your reflections and ideas. What do you find exciting or surprising? What do you want to know more about? Given that our project is six years old and has strong evidence of impact, what would you hope or recommend comes next to build on what we’ve already accomplished?

Hi Billy and John,  Great video. Can you explain strategic framing? Is it a challenge speaking with families, in that you have to address both young children and adults in one conversation? Do you have different materials or tools for each group? What "tools" do you use to help them understand the issues involved? How do you turn the conversation productively when you have an adamant person in the family who thinks that climate change is not happening or is not influenced by human activity?

Hi Joni! Strategic framing is, at its essence, an evidence-based technique that we use (with climate change in our case but it has been applied by Frameworks Institute researchers to many social issues)to help people understand what is at stake (by connecting to widely held values), how it works (using empirically tested metaphors and causal chains that are accurate and easy to understand, remember and repeat), and how they can be part of the solution (focusing on civic/community rather than individual/consumer actions).

 

For example, we use "heat trapping blanket" to explain the impact of excess CO2 in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels rather than "greenhouse effect." Most people understand how blankets work, but not many really understand greenhouses.

 

In places like aquariums, zoos and science/nature centers educators tend to be pretty skilled at adapting to their audience, including working with kids and adults at the same time. Sometimes we use hands on activities that kids engage in while we are talking with parents.

 

We have found that it is in fact very rare to encounter someone who is adamant in not accepting the evidence for climate change or its human causes. By using a neutral tone, framing climate change in terms of values that tend to resonate across the political spectrum, and focusing more on solutions than the problem we tend to minimize this issue. Sometimes, we are able to pivot the conversation to be more productive by acknowledging someone's passion about the issue. But we do not advocate getting into an argument, it is not helpful for any one. And as I said, this is a really rare occurrence -- the vast majority of visitors want to know what they can do that will really make a difference (and they know it must be more than recycling or changing light bulbs). 

Adding to Billy's points. As external researchers, we found the biggest limit to engaging in these conversations was the perception that the audience wasn't interested. The simplifying metaphors developed by FrameWorks Institute really helped interpreters overcome their concerns because even young children understand the idea that a heat trapping blanket might make the planet too hot.  People who choose to visit aquariums, zoos and nature centers are inquisitive and actively interested in building a better understanding of the world around them. They are eager to learn and find problem solving enjoyable.

Thanks Billy and John. I love how your video captured my interest and how your posts very much aided my deeper understanding of how you are accomplishing your goals. Thanks! Using simplifying metaphors make a lot of intuitive sense to me in reaching a broad audience. How do you go about collecting data as to effectiveness of the intervention in an informal environment?

Hi. Thank you for sharing your project, I learned a lot! I really like your focus on hope and civic action. Giving us (educators) tools for having these conversations is so important. I wasn't aware of strategic framing and look forward to learning more. Do you have any resources you might recommend - other than your website - for educators like me to learn more about strategic framing and developing tools for other communities to improve their effectiveness in this way? Thanks for sharing your very important work!

Hi Patricia - Thanks for asking. There are a variety of resources that may be helpful. The ones that will be most useful may depend upon your learning preferences and context. Here are some possible starting points. 1) There are several great blog posts about components of strategic commmunication including this one: http://climateinterpreter.org/features/communic... I can add direct links to companion posts if you'd like. 2) There are some good background papers including an overall summary of recommendations: http://frameworksinstitute.org/assets/files/PDF.... 3) For those who are interested in learning by practicing, I encourage you to explore the four presentations (that you can present), with scripts, downloadable images and background information at www.vischange.org. And, 4) in a comment above I pointed to an online course. I hope that these various resources provide useful starting points for many colleagues. When you use them, please do share comments and offer feedback. It's important that we keep learning together. Offering and reflecting on Feedback is an important part of the learning process for the NNOCCI community. 

Hi, 

    Nice work!  I have encountered ripples from your project at various informal sites (nature centers, MassAudubon, etc. ), so I have a feeling of the ripple effects you're having with allies around the country.   

    Do you have data about impacts on visitors?  This was hinted at in the video, but of course you can't put everything into a video.. I am particularly interested in two kinds of impacts:  [1] some indication that conversations create surprise/change in attitude (tihinking about impact on the "persuadable" portion of the Six Americas), and [2] evidence of kinds of engagements that were triggered/nudged/influenced by encounters at NNOCCI sites?  

   And what does your future look like (for the project, I mean!!)

 

Hi Brian!

 

I'm happy to hear that you have experienced the "ripple effect" as this is something that we have both heard about anecdotally and tracked via evaluation.

 

We do have a substantial amount of visitor and public survey data, which demonstrates that strategically framed interpretation leads to increased understanding, hope, sense of self-efficacy, and propensity to engage in civic behaviors. One of our major goals is to increase productive discourse about climate change, so "talk" is actually an important behavior, and we do an impact on this.

 

A number of research studies including ours indicate that the vast majority visitors to aquariums/zoos/museums are already concerned about climate change and are looking for ways in which they be meaningfully engaged. Our research and evaluation work is starting to make its way into peer reviewed publications, and you can find some of what is available now on our website www.nnocci.org 

 

In terms of the future, we must had a strategy session yesterday with some of our leadership team and key thought leaders. We have been piloting a modified regional training model, which looks like it will enable us to provide the key elements of our training model more efficiently and with less cost and travel. We also have some ongoing R&D questions about deepening community engagement and developing youth leadership. In addition, we are thinking about additional partnerships with allied sectors within the informal learning domain (e.g., we have already engaged science centers, nature centers parks, etc. at some level but this is something we could do more systematically).

Many of my thoughts and questions have already been asked and answered. My first reaction was the excellent video.  It was easy to understand.  Then I began to think about the visitors that attend informal science institutions.  They are, for the most part, as you said, already concerned about climate change and are interested in learning more meaningfully engaged. Your approach of engaging social scientists to help in developing metaphors that are easier for the lay person to understand and then communicate makes a lot of sense.  Blankets rather than greenhouses.

I am really inspired by this project! I hear a LOT of conversation from the media community about how to create content that breaks through climate change resistance. It is incredibly useful to have evidence-based discussion about how other ISE sectors are addressing and empowering their unique communities, and this research is quite transferrable.

I'm also impressed at the growth in your network of partners, and wonder if you have plans to expand that web or deepen the engagement amongst current partners. Have you considered targeting state/national parks or relevant NGO partners (wildlife refuges, nature centers, etc.)? 

Pivoting the narrative away from politics and toward evidence-based dialogue changes the interchange substantially. It is essential to give informal science communicators the tools to effectively re-frame this conversation--anchoring it all on both shared/core values and solid science.

Wonderful to see so much interest in the project! As a member of NNOCCI since the very first Study Circle, I have personally grown in comfort in communicating about climate and ocean chemistry change. Additionally, I have seen a marked change in the staff and volunteers I have gone on to train at my home institution. When equipped with values to establish common ground, explanatory metaphors to simplify the science, and community-level solutions to inspire collective action, our staff and volunteers feel confident and empowered to start climate change conversations with guests of any age and background. Best of all, evaluation shows we are making a real difference in the public discourse.

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for the positive feedback. Although our current network is mostly aquariums and zoos, about 30% are other kinds of informal education venues such as parks, national marine sanctuaries, wildlife reserves, nature centers, etc. We are in fact thinking about ways that we might expand to include other networks more systematically, as well as ways to deepen the impact within our current network. We are really excited about the momentum we've built, the impact we have been able to demonstrate, and the potential to have even greater impact in the future!

This training was the best I have ever been to. We have developed and modified our programs to reflect the techniques learned during NNOCCI, and it has increased improved them so much. NNOCCI has improved our confidence in discussing climate change to all types of audiences, even friends and family! The messages are positive and hopeful in this negative and argumentative world. 

What a great way for national outreach on a crucial issue. Talk about a multiplier effect. Thank you.

Thanks Sharon!  And thanks to Julie and Sarah Mae for your comments from personal experience. One thing that I hope will come from this showcase and the NNOCCI video is increased interest and appetite for learning more about practical ways to use social science to guide education and communication. The informal education sector can continue to innovate and to evolve. 

Please do encourage colleagues - particularly those from museums, nature centers, aquariums, zoos, botanic gardens and other informal science learning centers - to check out the resources available from our project, starting with the video because it's brief and accessible.

That's one way to support the multiplier effect.