How to have the Climate Talk

What’s the Best Tactic to Take On Climate Change?

Great question… We all have our own unique strengths and skill sets to contribute to the climate movement. But if you’re current job or hobbies don’t gravitate around climate and sustainability, there is one super powerful and super important thing you can do: talk about climate change. 

Whether you have climate change deniers on your hands or just want to go into the conversation with a bit more confidence, check out these tips on how to talk about climate change.

5 Steps to an Effective Climate Conversation

Listen:

The first rule for any good conversationalist, listen louder than you speak. Be sure to genuinely listen and confirm that you have correctly understood their statements. No need to plot your conversation in advance. Go in with an open mind.

Ask Questions:

Whether you’re kicking off the conversation or deep into it, keep asking questions. Try not to lecture. Instead, ask questions that help build a picture of where they stand on the issue. An easy quick question prompt: What does climate change mean to you? 

Reach Understanding:

Give yourself space for reflection and processing. Build an understanding of the experiences and information that led your conversational partner to their beliefs. Try not to quickly react or become defensive. Whether or not you agree, this understanding of where they are coming from will be the differentiator that moves the conversation along instead of shutting it down.

Find Common Ground:

Shared experiences and emotions are one of the top ways to bond and build trust. Respect their point of view and try to find common ground and shared values. Climate change is such a wide and encompassing topic, that it is often truncated for digestibility. At a minimum, we all need clean air and drinking water. Finding a baseline of commonality is possible with anyone.  

Inspire and Share:

When the conversation has made its way to a place of mutual respect, understanding, and safety, take the opportunity to share your story and inspire others to take action. 

How did you become engaged with the climate movement? Why are you concerned about climate change? The vulnerability of sharing your narrative around how you personally came to care about climate change, and your process in addressing it can help build connection and understanding. 

Inspire others by sharing the actions you are taking to address climate change while emphasizing that they are approachable and practical. You can also mention that while these work for you, they can find actions that work for them.