Rule #6 in sustainability communication: Don’t tell me I’m wrong

Don’t talk bad about someones choices; talk highly about the alternatives, and make those easily accessible.

Don’t tell a person who buys Brand X: “Brand X is evil.” Because he currently associates himself with X, it will feel like a personal insult: You’re doing it wrong, you’re dumb because you haven’t been able to notice it yourself.

That’s also the mistake Dutch activist Jan Rotmans makes in this Tegenlicht Talks (Dutch documentary series):

From: Tegenlicht Talks, Sep 2, 2013

He basically says: “Everyone is dumb and can only be brought onto the right path through a lot of external pains. However, me and my elite of ‘kantelaars’ are different.”

That’s a message that doesn’t go down well, Jan.

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