The Good Communicator

Virginia Cinquemani is an accredited transformational coach and sustainability trainer with over 20 years of experience in the sustainability field. She has trained thousands of sustainability professionals throughout her career and focused entirely on soft skills training and coaching since founding her company, Green Gorilla, in 2018.

Acknowledgements

A note to the reader Why is this book needed? Who is this book for? How can it help you?

How to use this book Part 1 - Introduction Part 2 - Practical steps to build effective sustainability conversations and presentations Part 3 - The action steps workbook

Part 1 Why is it so difficult to get others to buy into sustainability? Why is sustainability not mainstream yet? From communication to community: the key to a sustainable future The psychology of influencing: the predictably irrational way humans behave What if I’m not a natural communicator? How does communication change from conversations to presentations? Coaching your team to communicate sustainability effectively Case studies from pilot Practical exercises

Part 2 Let’s start from you Shifting your mindset from you to them Using empathy as your magic wand What do you think and believe when you talk about sustainability? How can you become a better communicator? Practical exercises

Part 3 Action steps workbook Introducing the six-step framework towards effective sustainability communication Goals Starting with the end in mind Exploring your goals, your audience’s goals, and the Planet’s goals Practical exercises

Reality check What are the status quo, needs, wants, plans, and past experiences of your audience? What are the potential consequences of doing nothing? Practical exercises

Co-creation The importance of building trust and rapport towards co-creating new futures Wearing your empathic hat The forgotten art of listening How to ask illuminating questions Practical exercises

Barriers What are your audience’s objections? The most common biases and barriers to sustainability and how to bust them Practical exercises

Options Working with your audience to explore the options to move forward Using systems thinking to test consequences and thinking long-term Practical exercises Key points to remember (blank page for notes)

Commitment Getting your audience to commit to sustainability A framework to go from words to actions Practical exercises

Part 4 What Next? How to apply the principles of the book into your everyday working life