In this briefing paper I look at recent research on effective communication on social issues, and at climate change in particular.
The paper provides an introduction to a series of different approaches:
- Framing: Why Language Matters
- Visuals: Why Images Matter
- Connection: Why Values Matter
- Storytelling: Why Stories Matter
- People: Why Conversations Matter
Each section includes links to toolkits and guides so that readers can investigate further and incorporate the approaches into their own practice, so that anyone communicating on the climate crisis, whether campaigners, educators or environment leads in local churches, can find useful resources. These are not exhaustive lists but should help to illustrate key approaches developed in the last five years or so.
The paper ends by identifying some of the common threads across the approaches.
JRI Briefing Paper 52: February 2026
Find out more about my previous briefing papers in the series.
Shelly Dennison 