Thinking at scale: Our October 2024 Virtual Community Discussion
On October 17, States for the Future convened for a Virtual Community Discussion with Ten Across founder Wellington “Duke” Reiter. Ten Across is a cross-state organization dedicated to convening diverse perspectives to better share information and to inspire proactive decision-making for resilience and sustainability.
Many states, regardless of their political orientation, face comparable challenges, especially as the climate changes and the impacts are not confined by man-made state boundaries. In this session, Duke shared his organization’s experience with partnering with states in the southern US to address extreme heat and water management, and how other policy organizations can build coalitions, foster optimism, and collaborate with peer states to drive towards policy change.
Attendees discussed what communication tactics worked best for these often hyper-partisan issues and explored how representing new voices into the conversation. This can include customizing messaging based on the audience’s “issue and place,” and partnering with reputable organizations or influencers to shift a conversation.
Key takeaways from this session are:
- Combining lived experiences with data can help individuals and decision makers picture themselves in the story: 10 Across looks at a wide range of complex issues facing municipalities and states along the Interstate 10 corridor in the southern US. They take an approach of “intersecting issue and place” and use storytelling and data to reflect the lived experiences of those in the region experiencing drought, storms, and increased demands on water management infrastructure. This approach can also reduce hyper-partisanship by humanizing the data.
- When communicating on controversial issues, recruit diverse voices: 10 Across has found that messages from the “expected” or “common” voices aren’t always effective with audiences, especially on issues like extreme heat and water management. Amplifying the voices of non-ideological experts that aren’t regularly prominent in a policy conversation may have more of an impact. For example, hearing from an Air Force Base Commander – a role that is typically viewed as neutral and non-partisan – on the threats of climate change can be an effective way to discuss what can be a politically divisive issue.
- Offer a range of formats for storytelling: To reach their broad audience, 10 Across collaborates with media partners to create a variety of assets like podcasts, videos, educational courses, data-rich maps and graphics, and events. This range of knowledge products creates traction with media and other organizations who can then use the assets in their own work or communications.
If you missed this session, a recording of Duke’s presentation is available here and slides may be accessed through this link.