How can you use environmental performance data to communicate with stakeholders?
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Environmental performance data can help you measure, monitor, and improve the environmental impact of your design projects. But how can you use this data to communicate with your stakeholders, such as clients, users, investors, or regulators? In this article, we will explore some tips and tools to help you present your environmental performance data in a clear, engaging, and persuasive way.
The first step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to know your audience and their expectations. Different stakeholders may have different interests, priorities, and levels of knowledge about environmental issues. For example, a client may want to know how your design can help them save costs, reduce risks, and enhance their reputation. A user may want to know how your design can improve their comfort, health, and well-being. An investor may want to know how your design can generate returns, create value, and mitigate environmental liabilities. A regulator may want to know how your design can comply with standards, regulations, and policies. Therefore, you need to tailor your message and data to suit your audience's needs and goals.
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Vivianne Kadesa
Environmental Scientist | Research Assistant | Environmental Health Safety Specialist
In my experience, Understanding the specific needs and expectations of the audience allows the building of a strong working relationship with them. This leads to greater transparency, trust, and collaboration.
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Moroka Letshela (Pr. Sci. Nat.)
LLM (Environmental Law) Candidate (UKZN)
It is important to understand your audience so as to decide the scaling of the data and information to share. Demographic factors of your audience, such as age, gender, education level, occupation, and location can influence how your message is received.
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The next step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to choose the right metrics and indicators to showcase your results. Depending on your project scope, scale, and objectives, you may want to use different metrics to measure and compare your environmental performance. For example, you may want to use energy use intensity (EUI), carbon footprint, water consumption, waste generation, or indoor environmental quality (IEQ) as some of the common metrics for environmental design. However, you should also consider the relevance, accuracy, and reliability of your metrics, and avoid using too many or too vague metrics that may confuse or mislead your audience.
The third step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to use visual aids to illustrate your data and make it more understandable and appealing. Visual aids can include graphs, charts, tables, maps, diagrams, images, or videos that can help you convey your data in a simple, concise, and attractive way. Visual aids can also help you highlight the key points, trends, patterns, or relationships in your data, and show how your design performs compared to benchmarks, standards, or alternatives. However, you should also be careful not to overload your visual aids with too much information, or use misleading or inappropriate scales, colors, or formats that may distort or misrepresent your data.
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Vivianne Kadesa
Environmental Scientist | Research Assistant | Environmental Health Safety Specialist
Visual aids help bridge the gap between technical details and the broader understanding of environmental initiatives, strengthening relationships with various stakeholders and enhancing transparency in operations.
The fourth step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to tell a story that connects your data with your audience's emotions and values. A story can help you explain the context, purpose, and impact of your design project, and how it addresses the environmental challenges and opportunities that matter to your audience. A story can also help you showcase your creativity, innovation, and leadership in environmental design, and how you achieved your environmental performance goals and outcomes. To tell a compelling story, you should use clear and engaging language, avoid jargon and technical terms, and use examples, anecdotes, or testimonials that can illustrate your data and make it more relatable and memorable.
The fifth step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to invite feedback from your audience and encourage dialogue and interaction. Feedback can help you understand your audience's reactions, opinions, and questions about your data and design project, and how you can improve your communication and collaboration. Feedback can also help you build trust, credibility, and rapport with your audience, and demonstrate your openness, transparency, and accountability in environmental design. To invite feedback, you should ask open-ended questions, listen actively, acknowledge different perspectives, and respond constructively and respectfully.
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Vivianne Kadesa
Environmental Scientist | Research Assistant | Environmental Health Safety Specialist
Inviting feedback from stakeholders is instrumental in improving environmental performance and safety measures. It enhances transparency, builds trust, and allows us to be more responsive to the concerns and expectations of the local community, NGOs, and regulatory authorities.
The sixth and final step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to provide action steps that can inspire your audience to take action and support your design project. Action steps can include recommendations, suggestions, or requests that can help your audience apply, implement, or promote your design project, and contribute to its environmental performance and impact. Action steps can also include incentives, benefits, or rewards that can motivate your audience to take action and support your design project, and show how they can benefit from its environmental performance and impact. To provide action steps, you should be clear, specific, and realistic, and use call-to-action phrases, such as "join us", "contact us", or "learn more".