Narrative frames are key because they “make visible what was invisible,” Freya Williams told the Sun Valley Forum last week, as she implored the audience to find a new narrative to drive the climate movement – and fast. “People need to feel like they belong to your movement....We need to create a new frame and narrative to win the world we want,” she added.

Quoting cognitive linguist George Lakoff, Williams said, “Frames are mental structures that shape the way we see the world,” and how people see the world drives their choices. Williams is the CEO of Futerra, North America, and previously co-founded OgilvyEarth and also served as EVP of Business+Social Purpose at Edelman.

The Sun Valley Forum, founded by Christensen Global CEO Aimée Christensen, brought together a few hundred top leaders and change agents in the climate, energy, sustainability, ESG – environment, social, governance – space for four days of sharing best practices to accelerate the transition to a climate positive, equitable economy. Christensen has nearly three decades of experience in policy, law, investing, and philanthropy, with a particular focus on climate strategies, including working with the World Bank, Baker & McKenzie, Google, the U.S. Department of Energy, and corporate, nonprofit and entrepreneurial clients.

Here are 8 insights from the Forum on how to communicate to mobilize the public to address climate change more effectively and more rapidly:

  1. Focus on solutions, not problems.
  2. Promote “possibility” not “doom”
  3. “Tell solutions-forward stories”
  4. Drive the cultural narrative, like happened with gay marriage.
  5. Name heat waves so people can relate to them better and prepare better.
  6.  Integrate the climate impact to every story, as much as possible.
  7. Talk about becoming “climate positive” not just averting danger.
  8. Explore if using the ‘fighting” climate change terminology works.

Read the full article about climate movement by Joan Michelson at Forbes.