Information alone does not promote behavior change
"If we just tell them the facts, then maybe they'll change..."
Unfortunately, people don't respond to facts as readily as those offering them would like. Information is
important, but environmentalists rely on them too often. Providing information in a story format increases its
inherent interest to your audience and can help them retain and process your message more fully on their own.

Knowing your audience means ownership of the non-environmentalist mental model
Too often, agents of behavioral change give little consideration is given to the way their target audience thinks.
The layperson's conceptions of the environmental, scientific, and resource allocation issues, not to mention
environmentalists themselves, is not the same as those who advocate for changing behavior. Proper training
can ensure message accessibility to intended audiences and avoid simply "preaching to the green choir."

Behavioral change efforts must be audience- and identity-appropriate
Promoting conservation behavior can evoke negative imagery, advancing the notion that environmentalism is
necessarily effortful, costly and complicated. Well-meaning efforts can help avoid a lack of interest and
credibility problems when properly executed.

Make it personal and vivid through storytelling
The information you seek to relate to your audience should be associated with things that they care about or
people they respect. Topics such as home energy savings and the health and well-being of them and their
families can resonate more than the plight of species living thousands of miles away. An important caveat:
Avoid projecting gloom and doom, as it usually fosters a feeling of helplessness.

A Problem of Expertise
In the world of environmental advocacy, knowledge can hider success. How, exactly? It makes experts immune
to understanding how non-experts think. The greater the knowledge derived from expertise, the harder it is to
remember what it was like before the experts became experts. Consequently, messaging often misses the mark,
not resonating with the people who don't share the same background. A key component to communicating
an environmentally-conscious mission is meeting the target audience at their informational extent-starting with
what they know-and expanding their knowledge with vivid, story-like examples.