Kia ora from Hannah and Julie,
Here at The Workshop, we have been reflecting on Jess’s latest blog post and thinking about the big changes that are needed to address climate change.
Last month the government released the first Emissions Reduction Plan. It was awesome to see a commitment and resources dedicated to ensuring our children inherit a survivable planet. It is a good step towards a thriving and healthy environment, but there is still much more work to be done. Crucially, this work requires public support and understanding. How do we build this support and understanding? One way is by shifting the unhelpful mindsets that get in the way of effective action. This involves using narratives to build better public understanding of the problems and solutions.
Currently, there are outdated but habitual ways of thinking that hold us back from the changes that will make the biggest difference. These unhelpful climate change mindsets and the narratives that reflect them are the ones that leave us feeling hopeless. For example, a focus on individual behaviour change can crowd out people’s thinking, making it harder to think about the collaborative action that focuses on their role as citizens. We need to put forward new narratives that deepen people’s understanding of climate change and inspire people to act together to make changes that make the biggest difference.
This is where mindset and narrative work comes in. As Jess writes in her blog post, “Effective policies are nothing without the public's ongoing belief in them as important, effective and helpful to the problem, as they have been led to understand it.” People will be drawn to solutions that match the description of the problem. If we want big changes, we need to work on building public support and understanding for them.
Climate Change Q + A with Jess
We've been watching and listening to the public response to the launch of the Emissions Reduction Plan, which sparked more questions and conversations about how narratives can contribute to the changes we need in the climate space. We asked Jess to share her responses to these common questions.
What is your vision for climate change communication?
Oh, that is interesting! For me it is communication that is a plethora of hope filled stories from across many of our different communities. And, in those stories, in which people talk about what matters to them and why from their own unique experiences, there are golden threads (narratives) that people can find that say similar things about how climate change happened and what we can do about it. These golden threads help people grasp the deeper and more complex understanding we have about climate change, the environment and our interconnected systems that all of us are embedded within and reliant upon.
You’ve said we need to talk about people as citizens rather than consumers. What are other shifts we should make when talking about climate change?
People have to be able to feel like we can solve this problem, not perfectly - perfect solutions are not what people do - but in a collaborative, creative and iterative way that puts the things most of us deeply care about at the centre.
It is also vital that we find ways to communicate about the solidarity we need to solve these problems. That it is working together, and recognising all our unique strengths to their utmost. I think that is why in Aotearoa there's so much power in Te Tiriti led solutions, because at the heart of Te Tiriti is a story of solidarity - it’s about collaboration between different people to value and recognise the different strengths of each other’s ways and take best care of each other. If we can find ways to talk about and help people understand the potential for all people to thrive through Te Tiriti led solutions to climate change, and notably to properly recognise the leadership of mana whenua in this space (because we have no problem talking about the leadership of Tangata Tiriti), that would be very powerful too.
What’s the one thing you recommend people who are communicating about climate change start doing now?
Start with hope and our ability to collaborate across communities at scale, it will automatically redirect your own narratives and people's thinking from individualism.
The Workshop in the Media
5 Resources for Talking about Systems Change
In this blog post, Sam Rye recommends five of the best resources, reports and articles on communicating about systems change. The list provides a great starting point for those who are working on the changes that will make the biggest difference and want to deepen people’s understanding on these issues.
We feel delighted to see our guide - Mapping the Landscape, How to Talk About Systems Change in Aotearoa - included in this list, alongside great work from our friends across the globe: Narrative Initiative, ORS Impact, Ella Saltmarshe, the Centre for Public Impact, Dusseldorp Forum and Hands Up Mallee.
Read the full blogpost here: https://www.samrye.xyz/communicating-systems-change-5-best-resources-reports-articles/
How to Talk about Systems Change - an Interview with Jordan and Jess
“[Systems thinking] is not new to our people. Whakapapa is one of the most complex systems. It is the very fabric of our universe. There are heaps of systems change and systems thinking capabilities in our communities and it’s about listening and learning from our leaders.” - Jordan Green
For a deeper dive on our guide, Mapping the Landscape, check out this interview with our Kairangahau Jordan Green and Co-Director Jess Berentson-Shaw by Paul McGregor from Business Lab. Drawing on their work, Jordan and Jess talked about systems change in Aotearoa and the importance of listening and learning from Māori leaders and te ao Māori.
Check out the interview: https://www.businesslab.co.nz/beyond-consultation-podcast/45
Examples from the Narrative Movement
Unlocking People from Poverty - Dr Innes Asher
“Most parents have a vision that their children can thrive and have opportunities. Most parents want that. Unfortunately, the system has locked a lot of families in so their children cannot thrive and have opportunities - that is, really, called being in poverty.”
- Dr Innes Asher
In this interview on poverty in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Dr Innes Asher does several great things. She:
Leads with a vision
Explains the barriers to that vision, and names the government as an agent - someone who can make change
Points upstream, towards the systems that have locked families into poverty
Uses the ‘locked in poverty metaphor’
Outlines clear solutions.
For more in-depth recommendations on this topic, check out our guide: Talking about Poverty and Welfare Reform in Aotearoa.
Haere rā Sharon!
It was with equal parts sadness and excitement that we farewelled Sharon Bell from The Workshop this month. Sadness because Sharon has been with us from near the start of our growth into the organisation we are now. She has helped build a solid foundation for this organisation to grow further from, especially in our insights and research work.
Her work on our mode shift project in the early days is especially worth mentioning as part of our "just get stuck in" approach. She managed our projects with aplomb - Sharon has always had a steady hand on the tiller in rough weather. We are excited for Sharon because she heads off to MFAT to reacquaint herself with her real passion - aid and development work. As Sharon says, it's back to her knitting and we know she will knit something fabulous while there. Thank you, Sharon, from all of us at the Workshop. It is never goodbye, only a divergence of the path.
You can get more guidance on narratives on topics from transport, climate change and justice reform in our freely available message guides on our website.
Get in touch with operations@theworkshop.org.nz if you would like to talk to us about how we can help you with specific advice or do training for your team.
Marianne, Jess, Carolyn, Jordan, Gidion, Ellen, Nicky, Jayne, Tom, Julie, Hannah, Minette, and Nick at The Workshop
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