Attaining Meaningful Outcomes from Conversations on Climate

The document outlines a communication strategy for discussing climate change with friends and family, emphasizing the importance of targeting moderate individuals, finding shared values, and focusing on scientific consensus and hope rather than alarmism to motivate action.

• A 'spiral of silence' exists among Americans where concerned individuals avoid discussing climate change because they rarely hear others do so, despite the fact that family and friends are viewed as the most influential figures for convincing people to take action.
• Effective communication should target individuals with moderate views rather than those who are actively hostile, as most Americans fall into middle-ground opinion categories and are more likely to engage in good-faith dialogue.
• Establishing common ground through near-universal environmental values—such as stewardship of Earth's resources and limiting corporate influence on policy—is more effective than relying solely on scientific facts, which can trigger a retreat from logical reasoning.
• Communicating the scientific consensus that climate change is man-made serves as a 'gateway belief' that can reduce politically motivated reasoning and lead to support for climate policies.
• Maintaining an optimistic tone is critical because hopeful individuals are more likely to support mitigation policies and discuss the issue with others, whereas excessive worry and 'doom and gloom' can hinder engagement.

APA

Fernandez, L. (2019). Attaining Meaningful Outcomes from Conversations on Climate. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/attaining-meaningful-outcomes-from-conversations-on-climate/

Chicago

Fernandez, Lisa. Attaining Meaningful Outcomes from Conversations on Climate. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 2019. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/attaining-meaningful-outcomes-from-conversations-on-climate/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fernandez |first1=Lisa |title=Attaining Meaningful Outcomes from Conversations on Climate |publisher=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |date=26 November 2019 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/attaining-meaningful-outcomes-from-conversations-on-climate/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fernandez2019attaining, author = {Fernandez, Lisa}, title = {{Attaining Meaningful Outcomes from Conversations on Climate}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/attaining-meaningful-outcomes-from-conversations-on-climate/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }