Carbon price from a communication perspective

Interesting, so much focus on the communication....is the prob people aren't listening, cos PM has definitely been out there.... (@latikambourke)

I honestly don't think that Julia can explain this more clearly. People just aren't listening. They don't want to (@peterjhinton)

Some say it's too difficult to understand (inc word "carbon"). Others say JG talks down to them & she thinks they're dumb (@bonitamersiades)

After day two of the carbon price campaign, a common theme emerging in discussion, on Q and A and certainly among the twittersphere (see above) is that the message is just not coming across from the government and been accepted by the community.

The sample above shows what might be one of the problems - the fact that the government is out there selling the message, wearing out the ‘soles of shoes’ and doing interview after interview, but the message is not resonating with the public. The danger of this is that the attitude is taken that the PM and government are communicating, but it is the public’s fault for not listening.

Now at this stage, my research only goes as far as the people of Twitter (although @latikambourke is a good political insider), but if this view is ever held by Government then they might as well give up. Because if you are saying something and people aren’t listening, then you’re not communicating – just talking! It’s your fault not theirs.

As the instigator of the communication it is your responsibility to ensure that they engage in the conversation and provide feedback that indicates an understanding. If that understanding is not evident, then you need to either change your message or change the way that you are saying it so that you can give them another shot.

The basic communication model to the right demonstrates the principles needed for successful communication. The Government could do much worse than remember this as it tries to sell the message.

Of equal importance, and missing from the diagram, is the impact of interference in the reception of the message. This will stem from pre-conceived thoughts and ideas, influences and in this case, the Opposition.

The sales pitch for the carbon price is going to be five weeks of message massage and opportunity for real engagement. It will not be an easy sell for the Government because the Opposition has the much easier task of tapping into the basic of communication principles, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and using self-interest and fear/safety to sell their message and undermine the Government. In order for the Government to have any chance, they need to be rock solid on message, talk in everyday language and be able to answer each and every question with confidence and clarity. To have any doubt or uncertainty on questions will simply play into the Opposition’s hands.

We are only on day two of plenty, but one thing is clear about this carbon price – communication will play a big part in deciding the acceptance of this issue, and potentially of the Government in two years.

JH