When Belief is Not Enough
A communication framework to move audiences to action
The Framework
Know the Audience
Understand their values and attitudes
Create Positive Visions
Talk about what’s on the other side of this work
Connect to Values
Show how your request relates to their existing identities
Seek Progress, Not Perfection
Reward small, incomplete victories
Create New Myths
Sustainable cultural myths offer a guide for the future
Contact Me
Email: hello@deanngarcia.com
Website: deanngarcia.com
Book recommendations
The following are excellent books for designers and non-designers who are interested in exploring how cognitive science can be used to improve communication about difficult topics and inspire people to behave differently.
Engaged: Designing for Behavior Change
by Amy Bucher
Design for the Mind: Seven Psychological Principles of Persuasive Design
By Victor S. Yocco
Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior
By Indi Young
A Future Untold: The Power of Story to Transform the World and Ourselves
By Alina Siegfried
Academic Texts
Self-Determination Theory: A Macrotheory of Human Motivation, Development, and Health, by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan
Why Facts Don’t Change Minds: Insights from cognitive science for the improved communication of conservation research, by Anne H. Toomey
Environmental Psychology and Sustainability: Comments on topics important for our future, by Luc G. Pelletier, Karine J. Lavergne, Elizabeth C. Sharp