Communicating is something we all do … so it’s no surprise that when time comes to plan a communications campaign, everyone chimes in. I mean, we all know how to communicate. Don’t we?

If the goal is persuasive communication – changing a group’s views or behavior – the answer is a resounding “maybe.”

The fact is, communicating with the public is a heck of a lot more complicated than dinner table conversation. One of the earliest and most influential works that attempted to unravel the mysteries of how public attitudes and behaviors are formed was Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion. Since its publication in 1921, his work has been a touchstone for folks who try to figure ever-more effective strategies to move public opinion.

Lippmann’s genius was to examine communications as a cultural phenomenon – not just a mechanical one. The most basic mechanical model for communications was [and remains] built around three primary elements: a communicator, a medium, and an audience. Researchers have learned a lot about all three – about the importance of credibility in selecting who communicates, about the power of various media with various groups, and about what the public is thinking [almost on a hour-by-hour basis!].

What we, as communicators, sometimes overlook is how people think.

Fortunately, social scientists won’t let us forget the lessons Lippmann taught almost a century ago. “People use mental shortcuts to make sense of the world,” according to the Frameworks Institute – intellectual heirs to Lippmann. “Since most people are looking to process incoming information quickly and efficiently, they rely upon cues within that new information to signal to them how to connect it with their stored images of the world.”

Those cues – deeply embedded through life experiences and culture – amount to a filter that determines what gets into our brains, and what happens to it while it’s there. We often characterize this process through an old cliché – perception is reality.

So how do you communicate persuasively and effectively. The Frameworks Institute [among others] suggests you explore first how information is filtered – the frame in which people organize it, as it flows into their minds. Remember: a thirty-second TV spot, or a half-page newspaper ad can’t tell the whole story. Effective communications is built on a solid understanding of the cues and shortcuts people use to fill in what’s not said, or to interpret what they hear.

Consider three different message points, each separately:

• Families own more forests in the United States than anyone else. They care for their land.
• The forest and paper industries plant 1.7 billion trees a year. They care for their land.
• The government owns most United States forests. We need them to take care of our land.

What exactly are the cues and shortcuts consumers might use to interpret these messages?

The term “families” might ignite a warm feeling and predispose people to accept the premise. It’s worked for agriculture; for them, “family farms” have become a cultural icon. Using the term “industries” might have a contrary effect. Since Thomas Jefferson tweaked John Adams, Americans have always been a tad suspicious of big banks, big companies and big cities. As for “government” … well, let’s save that for another column.

My point here is hardly original. If we want to change perceptions or influence behavior, we must “frame” our message in a way that’s consonant with people’s preconceived notions about who’s saying what, and what it means. Only then will folks be able to start grasping what, for them, might be new realities, and ultimately shed worn-out perceptions. And I suspect that means the sound of success to a communicator might very well be a rousing chorus of “Geez, I didn’t know that!?!?!”

Laurence Wiseman, President

American Forest Foundation
1111 Nineteenth Street, NW
Suite 780
Washington, D.C. ▪ 20036
Phone 202.463.2462
Fax 202.463.2461

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ATFS Notes
Over 37,000 forest landowners in ATFS Group Certificate Program

ATFS announced that there are more than 37,000 forest landowners in their group certificate program who own more than three million acres. The latest group, the Grossman Forestry Company of Michigan, successfully underwent an independent third party audit in July 2005. Forecon, Inc. the auditing firm, judged conformance to AFF’s Standards of Sustainability and the Standard Operating Procedures for Group Organizations Group Managers and Group Members (SOP-01).  The Grossman Forestry group includes 19 landowners who manage more than 42,000 acres in Michigan. Gerald Grossman, the group manager, said plans are in place to increase the group acres to 100,000 within the next 24 months. The Grossman Forestry Company is a privately owned forestry consulting firm that assists Michigan’s private landowners with forestry and wildlife management. Read the ATFS press release at http://www.treefarmsystem.org/cms/test/38_45.html and visit http://www.treefarmsystem.org/cms/pages/26_19.html  for more information on ATFS Group Certification.

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PLT Cornerstone
PLT Outstanding Educators participate in World Forestry Center Educators Institute

PLT 2005 Outstanding Educators headed to Portland , Oregon in July 23 to participate in the 2005 World Forestry Center Educators Institute. Caroline Alston, PLT's Director of Network Outreach & Partnerships joined the outstanding educators in Portland . Rick Zenn, Education Director for the World Forestry Center and PLT Education Operating Committee member, has hosted PLT's Outstanding Educators since 1996 .

The Summer International Educators Institute (SIEI) is an intensive eight day study tour that brings together some of the most successful classroom teachers in the United States and abroad to the World Forestry Center to exchange information about utilizing best practices in forestry education. Participants in SIEI return to their classrooms with new tools, new inspiration, and an active global network of colleagues and resource specialists.

Weyerhaeuser provides sponsorship to the Institute by extending Weyerhaeuser's helicopter for tours over Mount St. Helen during the day long study at the Forest Learning Center and Johnston Ridge Observatory.

This year our Outstanding Educators were joined by educators from Connecticut , New Mexico , Australia , Brazil , Cameroon , Chile , China , and Norway . To date, participants have come from 13 countries and 24 states. To learn more about the World Forestry Center Educator Institute you may visit their website at www.worldforestrycenter.org .

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PLT Cornerstone
GreenWorks! - Providing Service-Learning Opportunities

GreenWorks!, PLT’s service-learning program, was a featured session at the Second Annual Texas Summer Service-Learning Institute in Austin, TX. The Texas Center for Service-Learning, a statewide initiative of Region 14 Education Service Center and the Texas Education Agency, sponsored the conference for the over 300 participants, making it the largest conference of its kind to date. PLT’s Caroline Alston, Director, Network Outreach & Partnerships, presented two GreenWorks! sessions that linked environmental education with service-learning opportunities. Participants were thrilled to receive the GreenWorks! guide, funding opportunities, and an abundance of national and local resources.

Additional GreenWorks! service-learning workshops will be held in Oklahoma this fall. Contact the Oklahoma PLT state coordinator at cstallin@oda.state.ok.us for details.

GreenWorks! is now accepting applications for its next grant year. For more information visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_22_18.html

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Back Issues:
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At A Glance is a monthly e-newsletter of the American Forest Foundation. At A Glance highlights the activities, events, and projects of the Foundations programs, the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), Forests for Watersheds and Wildlife (F2W2), and Project Learning Tree (PLT).

		The American Forest Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works for healthy forests, quality environmental education and informed decision-making about our communities and our world. Our vision is to be recognized for our commitment to sustainable forestry, quality environmental education, and wildlife habitat and watershed protection.
		The American Tree Farm System sustaining forests, watersheds, and healthy habitats through the power of private stewardship.
		Forests for Watersheds and Wildlife links family forest landowners with conservation partners from private, state, and federal wildlife agencies to improve and restore wildlife habitat.
		PLT uses the forest as a window on the world to increase students understanding of our complex environment and to help students learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment.

We hope that the AFF At A Glance e-newsletter provides our readers with current news on our program activities, events, and initiatives. However, if you wish to be removed from this email list please hit reply and put "Remove" in the subject heading. We’ll be happy to accommodate your request.

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