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Rose, Chris (2010) How to Win Campaigns: Communications for Change, Second Edition. London, UK: Earthscan

It can be instructive to view your work through a different lens. This book is about setting up and managing campaigns, and most of the examples deal with environmental problems, so the topic is very relevant to sustainability professionals. While you may not be working for an NGO that is planning a major campaign, the lessons in this book are still quite useful. Campaigns are defined as a conversation with society, with the goal of persuading large numbers of people to act with urgency, without having to make friends first. (p. 1) Some of the main lessons I took away:

 Campaigns as a story—you don’t want to reveal the ending to the story when you start, even if you have a clear vision of what you want the ending to be. On page 20, there is a visual that explains the flow of a campaign using broad phases: Awareness, Alignment, Engagement, Action. So you start by identifying problem, perhaps an enemy or victim, then a solution, the call to action. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, the public has to go on the journey. You can’t start the story by telling them they just have to click their heels to get what they want or they won’t go on the journey with you.

The importance of events and images—Campaigns are organized around events, in part to draw media attention. There is a whole chapter on managing the media and that too is an interesting example of story-telling where the reporters have (perhaps subconsciously) certain archetypical stories that their reporting quickly falls into; and if you’re not careful in communication, they can be telling a completely different story than the one you intended. Rose provides an interesting example of this with campaigns of fishing quotas. Photographs of bulging nets can be viewed by the public in contradictory ways: as positive (there are still lots of fish, what’s the fuss about?) or negative (we’re raping the seas). The debate is esoteric with arguments by scientists and pressure groups on the health of the stocks. Suddenly the fishermen become the victims as talk of quotas emerge. And politicians use this as political theater while they play their cards to see if their nation can come out on top. While the fish are really the victim, what tends to be picked up by the media is the battle between the parties. Declining fish stocks become a distant memory while the power struggle story takes over.

Visual language—Rose emphasizes that you’re better off creating an image more than language because they are less subject to reframing and work to set up the shot so that it tells an iconic story we’ll quickly recognize. Remember the man in Tiananmen Square standing in front of the tank? David and Goliath. We instantly know whose side to be on.

Interview ‘suitcase’—If you’re going into an interview, the book provides a step by step process for preparing your communication: a headline (the main thing you want to say); three reasons supporting the headline (that answer the question, Why?); and then one fact to go with each reason (preferably a number); finally anecdotes (which brings it to life). Rose also provides appropriate bridges for when the interviewer asks a question which isn’t directly related to the points you want to make. He says it’s rude to ignore the question (as we see politicians do all the time) but instead to acknowledge it and get back on track. EG, “That’s an issue but what the public is really concerned about is…”

Fundraising—Keep it simple. Usually campaigns give people one option but different levels of support (eg buy a seat or table at the event).

The importance of solutions—Problems quickly become demotivating. We’re all overwhelmed with negative news. “Start campaign planning with an opportunity to take action and work back from it.” This may mean not taking on the problem (eg climate change) head on but rather one little piece.

All these principles apply equally well to sustainability practitioners trying to make the business case for something they want to do.

The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) is the world's leading professional association for sustainability professionals. We're proud to be a member-driven association committed to moving the profession of sustainability forward through building strong networks and communities of practise. We're always looking for partners, sponsors and as much exposure as we can to expand our reach.

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Ray Berardinelli

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New Sustainability Hall of Fame Established By The International Society of Sustainability Professionals
July 2011 - Five sustainability pioneers to be inducted as founding members of The ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of sustainability and to the professionals that serve it. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/7/prweb8618228.htm

The International Society of Sustainability Professionals Prepares to Launch Consultants Cohort
June 2011 - The International Society of Sustainability Professionals will soon begin hosting the ISSP Consultants Cohort, a 12-month series of webinars and peer engagement sessions designed to increase the business success of sustainability consultants and help them build a support network with other ISSP members. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8596862.htm

Life Cycle Assessment Workshop Offered By International Society of Sustainability Professionals
May 2011 - The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) is hosting a four-week on-line workshop that will introduce participants to the emerging science of life cycle assessment (LCA), which measures the environmental impacts of a product through all stages of its life, from cradle to grave. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/5/prweb8458203.htm

Finalists Announced for ISSP Pinnacle Award
May 2011 —Five industry leaders have been selected as finalists for the first ISSP Pinnacle Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the sustainability profession.

ISSP In the News

For a summary of recent press coverage of ISSP and its projects and programs, click here.

ISSP Press Releases

ISSP's Sustainability Lexicon Project (tm) Ready For Next Steps

August 2011 - With an initial scoping and baseline phase nearing completion, ISSP's Sustainability Lexicon Project (tm) will reach a significant milepost at the ISSP Conference 2011 in Portland, Oregon this September.  Read more about the project and about how you can get involved here.

ISSP Establishes Sustainability Hall of Fame (tm)

July 2011 - The International Society of Sustainability Professionals has established the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame (tm) as a way to formally recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of sustainability and to the professionals that serve it. Read about the founding members here.

Finalists Announced for ISSP Pinnacle Award

May 2011 —Five industry leaders have been selected as finalists for the first ISSP Pinnacle Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the sustainability profession . Read more here. 

ISSP Executive Director, Marsha Willard, interviewed by Triple Pundit

February 2011 —Sustainability blog Triple Pundit asked Marsha Willard to talk about how organizations are addressing sustainability.  See the interview here.

ISSP Launches ambitious Lexicon Project

January 2011 — ISSP takes on terminology!  There is plenty of ambiguity and misinterpretation in the field of sustainability. ISSP is taking the reins to convene professionals from all over the world to begin to bring clarity and consistency to the words that define our field.  Learn more here.

ISSP in the News

September 26, 2011 - Here's an on-the-ground report from the ISSP Conference 2011 in Portland, focusing on the induction of the first five members of the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame (tm) that occurred at the event. Reporting by Paul Studebaker, editor-in-chief of Sustainable Plant.  http://bit.ly/qgHmqj 

September 19, 2011 - The Sustainability Lexicon Project by ISSP is given credit as perhaps the most interesting effort to get the language of sustainability right in an article by CSR Hub writer Carol Pierson Holding and reposted at the Triple Pundit Website.  http://bit.ly/ob9N3M

September 15, 2011 - In response to a growing need to move the world toward sustainable development and sustainable practices, a whole new professional track has emerged in the last decade. In a guest editorial for Sustainable Business Oregon, ISSP executive director Marsha Willard outlines what it will take to be successful as a sustainability professional in the years ahead. http://bit.ly/peKCYS

August 22, 2011 - An overview of ISSP's first five years and a preview of ISSP Conference 2011 are highlighted in an interview of ISSP executive director Marsha Willard by Paul Studebaker, editor-in-chief of Sustainable Plant. http://bit.ly/nZBixg

August 8, 2011 - ISSP members teach sustainable business practices at Austin Polytech, a vo-ed school focusing on high-skills manufacturing in Chicago. http://austintalks.org/2011/08/austin-polytech-creating-healthy-futures/

Click here for ISSP Press Releases.

Click here for ISSP Press Kit.

For more information, please contact Ray Berardinelli, rberardinelli@sustainabilityprofessionals.org .

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