ADVOCACY FUNDAMENTALS

Have an Effective
Climate Conversation

The Goal: Learn to talk about climate change in real conversations that lead to more productive outcomes.

“The most important thing you can do to fight climate change is to talk about it.”

– Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist and communicator

Let’s talk about climate change… Whether you’re wary or eager to level up your conversations, here’s the good news:

  1. You do not need to be an expert in climate science to have a highly productive climate conversation. Actually, new data says that fear versus hope is the wrong debate. The big motivator is protecting what we love.

  2. A lot of people do care about climate! Americans underestimate the percentage of fellow Americans who are also concerned about climate change, which has us believe climate action is less popular than it is (spoiler: it’s quite popular). Psychologists call this phenomenon “pluralistic ignorance”, but the important thing to know is that you might be pleasantly surprised.

This Advocacy 101 resource is all about equipping ourselves to talk about climate change —especially in challenging conversations with people with whom we may not see eye-to-eye, or where we find ourselves getting emotional. We’ll acquire three new tools for having real conversations about climate change and learn a few tactics that lead to more productive outcomes.

✍️ 1. Prepare your climate story

When talking to people who care about you, remember that they’re most likely to be moved by your passion and your story. Just focus on nailing that part, and then have some resources in your back pocket if you need them.

Open a blank document. Get in touch with your personal story by responding to each of the following prompts with a few sentences.

  • Prompt 1: Climate “Why”
    Why do you care about climate? Why do you take climate action? What has your climate journey looked like? What people or moments were particularly key? If you’re having trouble articulating this part, try using our Write Your Climate “Why” resource.

  • Prompt 2: Climate Action
    Make a three-column grid. What kind of climate action do you currently take? What climate action could you take? What action won’t you take? Being self-aware makes you a better conversation partner.

  • Prompt 3: Climate Resources
    Spend a few minutes listing out the climate resources that you think are particularly effective. This will be your “back pocket” list of resources to share and draw from, if relevant to the conversation. Think about podcasts, newsletters, articles, organizations, Climate Changemakers Issue Briefings…

Complete? This is your climate story! Get familiar with your answers and keep them close.

🛠️ 2. Learn effective climate conversation tactics

Effectively fighting climate change requires concerted, collective action from lots of people. Collective climate action is often driven by social norms and group identities. By stepping up and engaging in real, emotionally intelligent conversations with each other, we can chip away at pluralistic ignorance and build up social norms around climate action.

For more productive conversations about climate, consider these tactics, organized into the memorable acronym C L I M A T E:

C – Check your agenda at the door.

  • While your big-picture goal may be persuasion, you cannot expect to change anyone’s mind with a single conversation. Plus, it will close you off from the compassion, curiosity, and open-mindedness that makes for productive conversations. Your goal is to actually learn about the other person’s perspective. After all, what matters more to you—this conversation or the relationship?

L – Listen first.

  • Treat the conversation as an information-gathering mission. Asking questions is one of the simplest strategies for a low-conflict conversation. The key is to make people feel heard.

    • Ask open-ended questions with compassion. “Why do you think that’s the case? I’m really curious.”

    • Echo what you’ve heard. “I hear you saying that you…”

    • Confirm that you’ve understood. “Do I have that right?”

    • Try legitimation rhetoric. “That makes sense” and “I see where you’re coming from” go a long way.

    • Here’s a case study from How to Save a Planet on the importance of listening.

    I – Speak from the “I” perspective.

    • “I don’t see it that way” goes a lot further than “you’re wrong” or “that’s not true,” even when the other person has said something you know is factually inaccurate. Whether it feels like it or not, you’re a trusted messenger that can cut through a hyper-politicized cultural narrative.

    M – Find mutual goals and acknowledge your differences.

    • Find common ground and build connection. A shared desire to make the world a better place is a great place to start. 

      Identify productive differences. Sometimes naming where you disagree can help you move on by finding common ground and a path forward. 

    A – Explore ambivalence.

    • Remember that climate action is nuanced, and that people often feel a great deal of ambivalence. After all, various facets of social identity (like race, class, or gender) are connected with climate change in complicated ways. Many people do care about climate change…along with many other issues. Exploring how a person’s various value systems may conflict can generate a productive conversation.

    T – Keep in touch with yourself.

    • How are you feeling? How are you reacting? Are you starting to head toward the “danger zone”? You can always pause the conversation and come back to it later.

    E – End on a high note.

    • Thank the person for talking with you, and find one positive takeaway or element of commonality. The fact that you had the conversation is a win.

Note: Many of these tips and tactics were gathered from resources provided by the Climate Advocacy Lab.

💬 3. Reflect on past climate conversations.

Think about this step as a “Dear Abby” advice column to and from yourself. Check out this newsletter from Britt Wray at Gen Dread for inspiration. Then return to your working document.


Prompt 4: Reflection
Describe some climate conversations you’ve had. What feelings came up for you? Which parts were hard? Now, think about what you’ve just learned. What do you wish you’d been able to do differently? What specific tactics or tools will be most useful next time?

And just like that, this playbook is complete!

You’re making a world of difference in the climate fight. You’re stepping up, leaning in, and doing one of the most important things we can: talking about it. Sometimes it can feel like the most difficult thing, but you don’t have to be an expert to be an effective climate communicator—listen and share your story, and you’ll have done a great job.

Thanks for doing this.

🎉 CUE CONFETTI 🎉

© 2023 Climate Changemakers

This is just the beginning! Up next…

Get in on the action! Check out our current advocacy campaign.

Join an Hour of Action, where everyone cares about climate change!

Explore other Advocacy 101 resources.

Questions? Comments? Email hello@climatechangemakers.org