Archive for the ‘2. FoolproofPhotos’ Category

I sure enjoyed presenting for the NC Conservation Network’s “Rainmakers” program last week. As promised, here are PDF versions of the presentations.

• Water Words That Work Overview
• The Water Words That Work “Environmental Message Method”
• More Than A Message: Planning a Campaign for Results You Can Measure

Click this link f you are interested in using the Due Diligence Test Panel to evaluate your upcoming end of year appeals:

Environmental Message Testing Service

Good luck!

Do you enjoy looking at maps? Most people DO NOT.

Conservationists love geography and we love maps, don’t we?

I know I do. I have a vast collection of paper maps, and I am heavy, heavy, heavy user of Google Maps, Google Earth, GPS systems, etc. I spend a lot of time looking at maps, selecting zip codes and county boundaries to approximate watershed boundaries, and compiling market research data to tell a story about the people who live there and how you can reach them with your message. I really enjoy it!

And, truth be told, the whole point of this Water Words That Work business venture is my business trips take me to interesting corners of the country, where I can see my my clients’ fascinating work, and write it all off as a legitimate business expense. That’s my idea of work/life balance right there: Looking at maps and planning trips.

So — I understand why conservation organizations want their logos to be maps, when you want to name their organizations after geographic features, when you want to fill the space on your home pages and brochures with maps. But I have learned through both experience and research that this is actually not a good idea.

Here’s why. Taken a whole, everyday citizens are astonishingly, resoundingly, stunningly disinterested in geography. In a 2006 study on Americans’ geographic literacy, the National Geographic Society found:

• Six in ten (63%) cannot find Iraq on a map of the Middle East, despite near-constant news coverage since the U.S. invasion of March 2003.
• Two-thirds (67%) can find Louisiana on a U.S. map and half (52%) can find Mississippi – leaving a third or more who cannot find these states, in spite of months of intensive media coverage of the 2005 hurricanes and their aftermath.
• Moreover, half (50%) cannot find New York State, even though it is the third most populous state in the union, after California and Texas.

And here’s the real reason for those shocking numbers: Most people think geography is boring! Most people think maps are boring! When we push maps on people when we want them to take action for conservation, we are actually stepping on our own feet because we are boring them.

What most people are interested in is other people. That’s why faces are high on the list of Foolproof Photos. When I have the Due Diligence Test Panel review communications efforts from conservation organizations, the highest scores for images invariably do to pieces that have big striking pictures of peoples faces, like the one below:

For most, this image is far more eye-catching than a map

Every time you find yourself saying “I could put a map here,” stop and take a deep breath. Then ask yourself “could I put a face here?” instead.

It was a great pleasure to deliver the Water Words That Work presentation to the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore this week. As promised, here are the links to the presentations.

Click the link below for part one of the workshop:

Environmental Awareness Presentation

Click the link below for part two of the workshop:

Environmental Message Method

Environmental Awareness Story in the Martinsburg Journal

This recent story from the Martinsburg Journal in West Virginia hits the spot! It’s a group effort to restore a raingarden after it was buried in snow for … more or less forever, it seems … The story includes a terrific photograph of people working together to make a difference, and talking about what they’re doing it using words that work:

Vice President Lisa Giles said she is proud of the group and its projects because they are making a difference locally. Public outreach and education are vital because they teach others to respect the environment and also encourage them to help make a difference…

Most people who read this story would be look favorably on the effort, and some might feel inclined to get involved themselves. It’s a nice piece of work.

Click the link below to read the full story:
Environmental awareness story in the Martinsburg Journal

Thanks to S.W. in West Virginia for sending this my way!