COMMUNICATIONS FOR WILDLIFE PROFESSIONALS

1. COMMUNICATIONS FOR WILDLIFE PROFESSIONALS • Susan K. Jacobson • Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation • University of Florida, • Gainesville, FL 32611 USA

2. Introduction • Most challenging wildlife problems include people as part of the problem and communication will be part of the solution. • Effective communication is essential for managing ecosystems, influencing conservation policy, changing people’s behaviors, garnering funds, or recruiting volunteers.

3. Introduction A handmade billboard declares, “Kids not Cougars,” in a local effort to prevent reintroduction of endangered Florida panthers. Photo by SK Jacobson • Communication is a process of exchanging ideas and imparting information. Poor communication leads to problems.

4. Photo by SK Jacobson Human conflicts with wildlife include concerns about diseases, depredation, and regulation. Even opportunities for hunting, ecotourism, and education require effective communication to better manage wildlife and people.

5. What is Communication? Simplified model of the communication process. • Models of communication • Encoding stage – the source sends message • Decoding stage – receivers receives/interprets message and any response provides feedback for evaluation

6. Elements of Communication • Source - central person or organization communicating • Have a certain way they want the message to be received but cannot completely control encoding or decoding. • Tone, gestures, credibility are important • Message and Medium • Once the source's ideas are encoded or translated, they are transmitted in the form of a message. (complexity will influence receptivity) • Interpersonal approaches– conversation, group interaction and decision-making processes, speeches, and participatory demonstrations • Mass media approaches –newspaper, magazine, radio, television, Internet, mail, brochure, newsletter

7. Factors Influencing Decisions Regarding Appropriate Messages and Media

8. Elements of Communication • Receiver • An understanding of the receiving audience is vital in designing messages and selecting media to produce an effective program. • Audience research to orient wildlife communication program to meet your audiences’ needs and to promote the products of your organization. • Feedback • Was your message received as intended? • Help you evaluate whether you achieved objectives to increase your audience’s awareness about a wildlife issue, shifted their attitudes, or changed their behaviors. • Program worked? • Improvements?

9. Communication Process • Systematic plan • Identifying communication goals • Targeting specific audiences • Selecting appropriate media and messages • Evaluating your results • It begins with a GAME PLAN

10. Game Plan for Communication Programs A GAME plan to guide wildlife communications involves an iterative process to identify your Goals and objectives, Audiences, Message and Media strategy, and Evaluation techniques.

11. Game Plan Elements • Goal: What is your purpose or desired outcome? • Audience: What audiences or stakeholders are involved in the issues to be communicated? For each audience, what changes/actions are needed? • Message/Media Strategy: What messages must be sent? What channels will most efficiently result in the desired behaviors? • Evaluation: How will you know if the strategy worked?

12. Identifying Communication Goals and Objectives • Goals of wildlife organizations may be to protect endangered species, sustain game animals, conserve land, manage a reserve, or restore a forest. • Communication goals generally address problems. Problem statements can help identify a specific goal or specific audiences.

13. Identifying Communication Goals and Objectives • Influencing Attitudes • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests people must first address their physiological needs before striving for self-esteem and, ultimately, self-fulfillment.

14. Identifying Communication Goals and Objectives • Influencing Behavior • Goal of many wildlife communications program is to affect long-term behavior—a difficult task. • Many factors affect environmental behaviors including knowledge of issues, skills, commitment, beliefs, values, perception of efficacy, and social norms or influences.

15. Planning Successful New Interviews Typical questions asked in a feature interview. What are you trying to achieve? What is the purpose of your program? What problems have you had? What obstacles do you still face? How have you handled past (and future) problems? When did your program start? Who started it? How did you get interested in it? • Identifying Audience • Developing Message and Media Strategies • Defining Communication Goals and Objectives • Evaluating and Monitoring Your Performance

16. Planning a Public Talk Photo by SK Jacobson • Introduction • Grab audience attention with a startling fact and interesting photograph. (e.g. “These golden toads (Bufoperiglenes) are now extinct) • Body • Conclusion • Transitions • Visual Props • (e.g., An interpreter at the Monterey Bay Aquarium demonstrates jellyfish anatomy using a plastic model. • Evaluation Photo by SK Jacobson

17. Evaluation Checklist for Your Public Presentation. Content Addressed audience’s needs and interests Attention-getting beginning Organized, logical flow of ideas Points supported by examples Effective transitions between points Effective conclusion Clear message Precise words Vivid mental images Good use of illustrations and/or anecdotes Visual aids enhance message and points Visual aids clear and easily seen Voice and BodySuitable voice volume Understandable speaking rate Varied vocal pitch Pleasant voice tone Clear articulation Language appropriate for audience Expressive body language Appropriate dress Confident manner (Your audience will think you are confident if you appear confident) Good eye contact with audience

18. Planning a Scientific Presentation • Goal: convey scientific information. Audience is usually other scientists. • 1 hour research seminars for job interviews. • 15-20 min presentation at scientific meeting. • Introduction – theoretical or applied context for your research question and main topics. • Body – study site, subjects, methods, results and implication of findings. • Conclusion – key findings and take-home message.

19. Planning a Scientific Presentation • Tips • Arrive early. • Talk to the audience before showing slides to establish rapport. • Always preview slides. • Images should be organized in sequences to develop a single idea. • Use sequences of images to reveal the complex nature of a specific topic. • Use high-quality images. • For text slides, use bullets to minimize the number of words. • Avoid crowing too much information on a slide. • Change your voice inflection to keep the audience’s attention. • Practice your talk in front of sympathetic colleagues to get feedback. • End on time, reiterating your take home message. • Allow time for questions.

20. Planning Print Communications Developing a Brochure A brief title and single, interesting photograph attract readers to this brochure for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. • Design Elements • Catchy Covers • Body and Content • Evaluation

21. Tips for Effective Writing Write with nouns and verbs. Adjectives and adverbs seldom add vigor to a story. For example, “Bob yelled” is more compelling than, “Bob said loudly.” Use active, not passive, voice. (e.g., Good: “Biologist Bob darted the grizzly.” Bad: “The grizzly was darted by biologist Bob.”) Write simple, ordinary English. Avoid jargon and elaborate words. (e.g., write "use" not "utilize," and "now" not "at the present time") Avoid using qualifiers, such as “very”, “rather”, and “little”. They sap strength from your statements. Be clear. As Mark Twain admonished: “Choose the right word, not its second cousin.” Relay your message using elements of interest to the reader. Be specific and provide details; do not be vague. Be concise. Use short sentences and paragraphs; they are easier to read. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Particularly when you are starting out, the wastebasket or delete button is your best friend.

22. Planning a Scientific Poster • Poster sessions are an important form of communication at many scientific meetings. Highlight main message, research findings. • Attracting Viewers - attractiveness, brevity, clarity and dynamism. • Content - title, abstract, methods etc. Best to organize around intro, body, and conclusion. Illustrate most important results, visually if possible, in graphs and photos. • Layout - text, graphics, empty space should be about equal. • Evaluation - Pilot test poster with members of target audience.

23. Planning Conflict Resolution Activities • Step 1. Focus on interests, not positions: focus your discussion on areas of agreement and shared goals. • Step 2. Separate people from the problem: build a good working relationship with all sides in a conflict. • Step 3. Generate a variety of options: don’t assume a “fixed pie,” instead find ways to enlarge the pie to address the interests of everyone and help solve individual problems. • Step 4. Base the result on objective criteria: treat people fairly.

24. SUMMARY • Effective communication essential for influencing conservation policy, changing people’s behavior, garnering funds, sharing scientific advances, and negotiating conflicts. • A review of communications process and guidelines for common communication channels used by wildlife professionals. (e.g. interviews, public talk, and design of brochures and scientific posters). • Follow a GAME plan that identify goals and objectives, analyze audiences, select media and message strategies, and evaluate impacts to ensure your communication process.