8 Communication Strategies to Influence Change

WEEK 8: COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES to INFLUENCE CHANGE

Overview:

Although we’re trying to help our communities learn HOW to think, rather than WHAT to think, even media literacy education can engender strong reactions in our politically divided nation. As we learned last week, patient and kind communication is a must when engaging with people about their beliefs. This module aims to help build our skills as empathetic and effective communicators and educators.

This module is the last assignment in Track 1, so it concludes with a choice of assignments, depending on whether you are ending your time with the Disinfo Squad here or continuing with Track 2 to conduct your own project. There are 2 parts to this week’s work. Expect to take up to 7 hours to complete all of the assignments.

Part 1 of 2: COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
Objectives:

1. Explore theories in communication and motivation
2. Brainstorm ideas for implementing these ideas in our work.

Activities:

1. (60 minutes)  Let’s begin our explorations with what might appear to be a simplistic idea: the power of talking to one another in person. Read 3 sections of Part I of the ebook

Turning to one another : simple conversations to restore hope to the future – The Courage of Conversation, The Power of Conversation, and Willing to be Disturbed, pages 28-41. Then respond to the following questions.

• • • What were Wheatley’s main ideas?
    • What potential do her ideas have for our work?
    • Later in the book Wheatley says Wheatley says, “There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” How might we help our communities care about the problem of disinformation and its potential to keep us divided and isolated from one another?

2. (60 minutes) Next, let’s take a look at a journalist’s ideas for having better conversations. Watch Celeste Headlee’s How to Have a Good Conversation and respond to the following questions:

• • • What is “crap” according to the speaker?
    • Which of the speaker’s 10 basic rules for conversation resonate with you?
    • What is the last conversation you had that left you feeling connected and/or energized?
    • How might we energize our communities in relation to digital media literacy?

3. (30 minutes) Basically, we’re attempting to help people change their ideas and their behaviors, but change is never easy, is it? Watch the video How to Change People Who Don’t Want to Change for some ideas, then respond to the following questions:

• • • What did the speakers mean by an “influential question”?
    • What is “reactance” and how might we avoid it?

4. (30 minutes) Now, let’s take a closer look at reactance and misinformation with this article, Why Are People Ignoring Expert Warnings? Psychological Reactance, then answer the questions below:

• • • What are the reasons psychological reactance has been worse recently?
    • The authors give us some advice for how to reduce our own reactance. How can we use this advice to help reduce potential reactance to our interactions with our communities?

5. (30 minutes) Our last communication resource is business oriented, but the basic premise is more than 2000 years old, and can be applied to nearly any public speaking situation. Watch the video, The Art of Persuasion Hasn’t Changed in 2000 Years, then answer the questions below:

• • • What do the following terms mean in relation to the art of persuasion

Ethos –

Logos –

Pathos –

Metaphor –

Brevity –

• • • Do you think employing these strategies can help avoid reactance? Why/why not?

Part 2 of 2: REFLECTION or PROPOSAL
Objectives:

If you have concluded your work with the Disinfo Squad: the reflection assignment is intended to provide an opportunity to look back at what you have learned and connect that knowledge to your personal, academic and professional life.

If you intend to continue with the Disinfo Squad to work on your own project: the proposal is intended to provide an opportunity to plan your work, communicate your intention, and create shared expectations for your final project.

Activities (choose one):

REFLECTION: Write a 2-3 page reflection that:

• • • Summarizes your overall experience with the Disinfo Squad
    • Details key experiences that you will remember and share
    • Predicts how you might use this experience in your personal, academic and professional life.

PROPOSAL: Write a 2-3 page proposal that:

• • • Identifies what aspect of the challenges of disinformation you’re interested in investigating further
    • Provides a description of 1 resource from the Disinfo Squad modules, and 1 resource that you’ve found that you might use for your project.
    • Details what your deliverable might be:
      – a research poster
      – a literature review
      – a research proposal
      – an educational resource
      – a podcast series
    • Estimates how much time (up to 8 hours) you will dedicate weekly to your project