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Have you ever asked for advice from someone who wasn’t necessarily an ‘expert’ on the situation or topic? What made you do that? Was it that they cared about you and understood you? Was it their profession, a common background, or shared beliefs that led you to trust their judgement?  Perhaps you judged their trustworthiness based on how you’d seen them act in other situations? 

What does that mean for climate communication? Inspired by a recent pilot training, our Sustainability Strategist Dr Karolina Rucinska considers the role of trust in climate communications. 

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When I was in secondary school, staring at a whiteboard with mathematical equations would fill me with dread. I could not make sense of these abstract concepts at all. But when my friend sat down with me and used plenty of real examples, it would all suddenly click in my mind. In other words, by showing me how the equations mattered in my own life, I was able to truly understand them. Was that school friend more educated or credible than the maths teacher who had been teaching for decades?  Certainly not, but he found a way to relay the information in the right way for me . It took me years to realise that I just needed the right messenger for the information to sink in. A recent training by Climate Outreach cemented this idea for me.  

Trust is a big deal 

Trust is a combination of three factors: the person who seeks it, the person who gives it, and the context. Thus, trust can be interpersonal and institutional, and it is fundamental to all aspects of our lives.  According to the 2023 edition of the Ipsos Veracity Index, the top five trusted professions are nurses,  pilots, librarians, doctors and engineers, but the least trusted are politicians, government ministers, advertising executives, journalists, and estate agents. This suggests that we can trust unbiased and highly trained people with strong codes of ethics and who can help in life-threatening situations.  

But we are all guilty of asking for a second opinion. Even after a long call with an expert, like a doctor, we call our nearest and dearest before making big decisions. Don’t we?  

In times when information is distorted, opinions divided, and situations are developing too fast to grasp, we reach out to people who mirror our beliefs. And given that trust in politicians  is at an all-time low,, how can citizens trust what is being told to us?  

Trust at scale  

The good news, according to the 2023 Climate Barometer Tracker survey,is that the UK public do trusts naturalists, conservationists, charities, and NGOs. The bad news, and because climate change impacts all aspects of our lives, is that we listen to other voices too.  So, if you are an expert on climate change, pandemics, flooding, vaccinations, and people prefer to call their mums rather than trust you, don’t take it personally. Instead, find voices that resonate with the audiences you want to reach. 

The Climate Outreach research report on the issue of climate communication  found that trusted people are seen as some combination of: 

• human 

• sincere 

• down to earth 

• kind 

• reliable  

• honest 

Who do you think of when you imagine these qualities? Likely those people closest to you, rather than experts putting out reports on climate change.  

Earning trust in climate messages, at scale, is desperately needed. With so many conflicting messages and a deep skepticism about the media from many of the general public, there is a lot at stake. 

Take low-carbon heating, for example. You can have all the facts and figures, but at the end of the day you’ll likely make the decision because a neighbour or friend made the switch and convinces you to do the same. 

Earning trust at scale, therefore, goes beyond finding the right “already trusted” messenger or influencer such as scientists.  Earning trust at scale needs everyday messengers who can relate, convey real passion, have a deep, lived experience and are credible.  For example, a chef who runs a small restaurant with seasonal foods speaking to other chefs who are looking to diversify their menus and cut food waste. A parent who walks their kids to school speaking to parents who want to stay active and reduce petrol costs but feel alone with the challenge. But earning that long-term trust requires a few more ingredients, plus an unbroken chain of promises, and results. 

The triangle of trust 

The Trust Triangle, first coined by Frances Fei and Anne Morriss in 2020, was adopted by leadership trainers and coaches because it elegantly displays the key elements that leaders and teams need to perform. 

Now, it has been applied by Climate Outreach in their quest to communicate effectively. They advocate three qualities that communicators need to demonstrate for their audiences to trust them and be open to influence: 

• Passion: This person really cares about this issue. 

• Credibility: The person knows what they’re talking about. They’re not just making it up on the spot. 

• Empathy: The person understands that people have different perspectives. They’re not lecturing or talking down to others. 

Crafting a trusted message therefore is about being authentic and knowing yourself as well as the audience. Yes, it is also about showing hard facts, but always within the context and tone of your audience. 

Trust starts with your first audience: yourself 

’One thing I have learnt from the past few years working in the field of sustainability is that to connect with others, we better know ourselves first. In climate change, where food preferences and chosen mode of transport can lead to arguments, we better know why we do what we do.   

To start you crafting a message, begin by asking yourself a few questions: 

• How reliable am I? 

• Do I trust myself? 

• Am I someone that others can trust? 

• What’s motivating me to communicate? 

• Do I have a genuine interest in understanding where my audience is coming from? 

• What non-climate interest makes me feel passionate? 

To find out how to use these questions, and to fully appreciate the ideas shared in this piece, and to put them all together, I recommend reading the report Beyond Trusted Messenger and to follow Tara Bryer for further updates about the training. 

If you or your organisation would like to take deeper action against climate change – including communicating with staff, customers or wider stakeholders – please get in touch!