The Climate Change Collective is an initiative where the blogging community unites behind a common goal. This month, it’s my turn to write the lead post. With all the political turmoil at the moment, it’s a good time to share some tips for productive climate conversations. Beyond climate change, these tips apply equally to difficult conversations about any divisive or contentious issue.

We live in interesting times

It feels like an understatement to say the current political environment is challenging. This is true not just in the United States. We’re seeing a shift to extreme thinking in other countries as well.

In recent years, we have seen progress in the fight against climate change. We still have a long way to go, but green energy has gained momentum and carbon emissions have slowed in many parts of the world. That’s why Trump’s calls to “Drill Baby Drill” and his command to remove all reference to climate change from U.S. government sites are so alarming.

But removing the words from websites doesn’t erase the problem. It just means those of us who care about sustainability and the state of the planet need to find other, reliable sources of information. Above all, we cannot abandon our efforts. We must continue to talk and share information about climate change. And, while it might be difficult, we need to find ways to keep our cool and make our conversations about environmental issues productive.

Encouraging people to “Think Again”

Late last year, I read Think Again, an excellent book by organizational psychologist and Wharton professor Adam Grant. Grant challenges readers to seek growth and success by mastering the art of rethinking. He suggests we need to constantly question our beliefs and opinions and be open to new and different information.

The first part of the book shares wisdom and strategies on updating our own views, or “Individual Rethinking”. The sections on “Interpersonal Rethinking” and “Collective Rethinking” presented many ideas that can help us have productive climate conversations.

Climate conversations – What doesn’t work

We spend a lot of time and energy trying to persuade others to see our side of things. Something that struck me was what Grant calls “bad motivation bingo”. It’s a list of what doesn’t work in conversations on contentious issues.

I won’t list all 16 behaviours on Grant’s list, but I’ll provide a few samples. Have you ever used any of these in your attempts to persuade people to adopt your point of view?

• Scare tactics
• Yelling
• Withholding love or respect
• Not listening or dismissing their ideas or feelings
• Telling someone it’s for their own good
• Lecturing
• Shaming

If you have, don’t feel bad. I think we’ve all been guilty of some of these.

So, if negative tactics aren’t the answer, what should we do?

Don’t argue with deniers

With everything in life, you need to choose where to put your energy. Climate conversations are no different.

First consider who you’re dealing with. Is the individual a skeptic or a denier? Grant maintains skeptics are open to new ideas and will update their thinking as they gain new information. Deniers, on the other hand, don’t believe anything from the other side. Although they represent only about 10% of the population, deniers get a lot of press. This leads people to think denial is more common than it really is.

If you find yourself in an argument, stop to ask, “What evidence would change your mind?” If the answer is “nothing”, you’re dealing with a denier. There’s no point continuing the debate. You’ll just end up frustrated.

Skeptics, on the other hand, are open to new information so productive climate conversations are possible. Let’s look at some of Grant’s strategies and how they can apply to discussions about climate change.

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Tips for productive climate conversations

Practise persuasive listening

Our goal in any conversation should be to help people uncover their own reasons for change. We can do this by listening more than we talk and increasing our question-to-statement ratio. 

Open-ended questions encourage self-reflection. An interesting technique from Grant is to ask how they would make their views a reality, rather than asking why they feel a certain way.

Ask how they formed their opinion

Grant suggests that many of our beliefs and opinions are arbitrary—developed with little or no data or reflection. Opinions and beliefs are often shared readily, but rarely questioned.

Asking people how they formed their opinion can open the door to rethinking. When they stop to think, they may realize the beliefs they’re holding on to so tightly rest on a shaky foundation.

Acknowledge common ground

Look for common ground as a stepping stone to building agreement. Perhaps you’re both concerned about securing a better future for your children. Or you could have common concerns about your future health or economic wellbeing.

Finding something—no matter how small—you agree on can motivate the other side to consider your point of view.

Lead with your strongest points

Knowledge is power but peppering someone with a barrage of data and arguments can just put them on the defensive. Yet, too often we throw out argument after argument in the hope that something will stick.

To avoid diluting your message, pick your strongest points and make them confidently. And then listen to the response.

Complexify contentious topics

Binary bias refers to our tendency to simplify a complex continuum into two categories. This leads to black and white thinking. It’s us versus them, or “I’m right so you must be wrong.”

But few issues are ever black or white. Using climate change as an example, there are six camps of thought, yet we tend to peg people as environmentalists or deniers.

Grant suggests embracing and recognizing complexity as a sign of credibility. We should fight the tendency to accept binaries and favour content that presents many sides of an issue.

Lead by example

Although not one of Grant’s techniques, I’m a big believer that actions speak louder than words. We need to lead by example. One of the best ways to influence behaviour is focus on your own efforts. You’ll be surprised how many conversations start from someone noticing something you are doing.

When asked, take the opportunity to explain your motivations and how green living has helped you save money, be healthier, or realize other benefits.

Turning arguments into productive conversations

With politicians and media outlets promoting binary and extreme thinking, it’s safe to say that difficult conversations are here to stay. Applying these tips and techniques can lead to more harmonious and productive discussions.  

It’s worth a shot!

About the Climate Change Collective

The Climate Change Collective started after I left a comment on a blog post by Jamie Ad Stories. Jamie and I wanted to find a way to keep the climate change message top of mind for everyone, so I put out a tweet to see what kind of interest there would be in a climate-change-related blogging collaboration. The Climate Change Collective was born!

The members of the collective take turns writing a monthly blog post sharing their unique perspective about climate change. After the post is published, the rest of the group keeps the conversation going by sharing a link to the post on their blogs along with their thoughts and ideas.

If you’re a like-minded blogger and would like to join our collective, please get in touch. More voices joining the conversation means more attention to the problems plaguing our planet!

More Climate Change Collective posts

The Climate Change Collective series has been going strong for over two years. See Two years of the Climate Change Collective series for a recap of the posts we published in the first two years.

Recent posts in the series

• Is Climate Change Overlooked in Schools? – Jamie Ad Stories
• Highlighting Useful Ways to be Sustainable This Winter – Transatlantic Notes
• Carrot or stick? Which works better to reduce our environmental footprint? – Boomer Eco Crusader
• Why Food Waste is a Big Deal and How to Prevent It – A Sustainably Simple Life
• Global Warming: What Surpassing 1.5°C Means for the Planet – Transatlantic Notes

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To learn more about how rethinking can help you succeed in life and at work, I highly recommend you read Think Again by Adam Grant. It’s full of wisdom, ideas, and strategies that I can’t do justice to here.

Have you used any of these strategies? How did they work for you? Tell me your thoughts below.