What do presidential elections have in common with toxic waste sites?
June 6th, 2008By Loren Wassell
When the subject of communications is a “low-trust, high-concern” situation, such as toxic waste or other environmental issues, facts are only the first step. More than 10 years ago, Dr. Vincent T. Covello, director of the Center for Risk Communication, established that competence and expertise provide only a fraction of effective communications.
His research demonstrated that caring and empathy are the most important factors in trust and credibility of environmental communication, as summarized in this chart:
Image source: Center for Risk Communication
The same principles seem to apply to our presidential politics. Analyses of Hillary Clinton’s second-place finish often point out that she effectively communicated messages of competence and experience, but only later in her campaign did she emphasize caring and empathy. In a contest that close, any one factor can be considered decisive. In contrast, Bill Clinton’s appearances during his own successful campaigns usually demonstrated caring and empathy.
No matter what the message, the best messenger is someone trustworthy who cares about our concerns.
June 6th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
What’s the old adage? People won’t care about what you know until they know you care? Something like that?
(Susan Isk sent me here! Welcome to the world of social media!)
June 8th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Jason, when I was at Hill & Knowlton, I had the pleasure of working with Dick Hyde, who has been with H&K for 45 years. Dick is a major ambassador for Covello and his research, and he introduced it to me. Covello and Hyde know what they’re talking about! Thanks for sharing and say hello to Cathy for me.