IMHO: Is the word ‘crisis’ overused?
Are we in a crisis or are we just facing a challenge?
The Collins Dictionary declared permacrisis – a portmanteau of ‘permanent’ and ‘crisis’ – the word of the year in 2022. Permacrisis captured the upheaval and uncertainty created by the overlapping, and continual, nature of unprecedented events being experienced that year including: the pandemic; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; Brexit, cost-of-living increases; political instability; and severe weather events.
Similarly, ‘crisis mode’ was declared Germany’s word of the year in 2023 to encompass the multiple and ongoing struggles people were enduring including the war Gaza, climate change, the nation’s education system collapse and lack of budget plans.
If everything is a crisis, then is nothing a crisis?
Words are one of the most powerful tools we have. Words can excite, comfort, inspire and motivate, but they can also incite, polarise, damage and destroy. Leaders throughout history have understood the power of words. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream speech” is one of the most unforgettable examples of the impact of words and their ability to unite, and transform, people for a common cause. Equally though, there are examples of great orators that used their skills to unite people in hatred and fear.
If we overuse a word, does it lose its power?
The words we use are important for effective communication. However, if they become clichés they can lose their power. Use of the word ‘crisis’ is meant to get cut-through an otherwise noisy environment and instil a sense of urgency, a key component of behavioural change, and motivate people to act.
Studies into use of the terms ‘climate emergency’, ‘climate crisis’ and ‘climate change’ have found varying results. While some studies have shown that the words did not result in greater climate action, others found that it depended upon political outlook and a range of other factors. Conversely, while articles that focus on actions and solutions have been found to be regarded more positively, they are similarly not a consistent driver of action.
‘Challenge’ has similarly suffered from overuse/misuse over the years. Often considered a form of “leader speak”, it is frequently used to try and put a positive, or constructive, spin on a problem – for the very reason that terms like ‘problem’, ‘barrier’ and ‘crisis’ have a negative connotation. Would the phrase “Houston, we have a challenge” have conveyed the same sense of urgency?
The sense of urgency
Covid-19 took the world by surprise. But, in response to the health crisis that it presented, we saw both rapid behavioural change and technological developments. The varying experiences in Italy’s northern regions were testament to the difference that good leadership can make, with the region of Lombardy the most severely affected with almost one sixth of all Covid-19 cases.
Climate change hasn’t taken the world by surprise. It’s been a slow build, with frequency and urgency of messaging increasing over the past two to three decades as the frequency and urgency of climate change-related events unfolds in front of our eyes – heatwaves in the UK, bush fires in California, flooding in China, droughts in Thailand and, closer to home, Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary Weekend flooding.
But it’s also frequently pitched as an environmental crisis – rising sea levels, weather extremes, coral reefs dying, ocean acidification – something one step removed, which can level out the sense of urgency. Ultimately climate change is a health crisis, and our inbuilt survival instincts need to be activated.
The emotion of a crisis
Climate communication has frequently been the presentation of facts and figures by scientists, educating and convincing people about the causes, size and scale of the crisis. Appealing to people’s intellect and reason. Seeking to motivate people through rationality and logic. But at the point where it was called a ‘crisis’, people started paying attention. The word is emotive, but emotion is a key driver, especially during a crisis.
Time and time again during crises – wars, bush fires, floods – it is the stories of human collaboration, connectedness, mobilisation and heroism that gets our attention. The emotional response can drive action, as the fear of people dying during Covid-19 did.
Are we facing ‘crisis’ fatigue?
Climate change is big and overwhelming. While adrenaline can help us through a short-term or time-limited crisis, longer-lasting or repeated crises can result in crisis fatigue. People coped remarkedly well during the first Covid-19 lockdown but, as the situation continued, resilience wore thin. As well as the physical symptoms of crisis fatigue, it can lead to mental detachment and apathy towards an issue.
The enormity of the climate change challenge can lead to what’s referred to as the “say-do gap”. Climate change awareness is probably as high as it will ever be, but the difficulty remains of getting people/businesses to make changes and take the actions required. This is where the emotion as a motivating force comes back to the fore.
Facts and figures are not enough
Facts and figures form the critical basis for decision-making, but they aren’t enough in and of themselves. Facts and figures didn’t get Blockbuster to change its business model when Netflix arrived in the market. Facts and figures didn’t get Nokia’s management to pay attention to the iPhone.
Facts and figures are interpreted based on our beliefs, experiences, history and biases. Use of the word crisis doesn’t explain what it means for your day-to-day life, or what it means for your business. We need to be clear what we mean when we talk about the climate crisis, why it matters, and what it means for people.
Pennies-a-day
Breaking down messaging to make it more easily digestible has been a key marketing tool for decades. In an August 1960 newspaper, German typewriter seller Olympia advertised its new portable typewriter for mere pennies a day.
Similarly, charities such as UNICEF and Save the Children used to talk about the enormity of the problem – every hour of every day 700 children die. Such numbers were too big, and the problem seemed too insurmountable. Using the same psychological technique as Olympia, they reframed their marketing to $1 per day – providing an easy solution for people to adopt.
To help solve the climate crisis we need to break it down into challenges that we can address, as people, as businesses. If we only talk at the crisis level, we will lose our audience.
Understanding our audience
Whether our audience is a board, our fellow directors, employees, consumers or investors, ultimately words are about meaning and understanding – if there is a sense of urgency, then this needs to be conveyed, but we need to give urgency and hope in equal measure.
We also need to not overuse words, so we don’t disempower them. Any messaging needs to have highs and lows – if an email is ALL IN CAPS LOCK WE STOP PAYING ATTENTION. Similarly, if the someone is shouting at us, we stop hearing the message. We need to use emphasis, like word ‘crisis’, a little more discriminately.
Not wanting to overuse a quote so as to disempower it, but Maya Angelou was definitely onto something when she said: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
We need to balance facts and figures with action and solutions. We also need to balance talking with listening. We need to balance urgency with hope.
We need to provide examples of the doing, not just the saying. This is why measuring, monitoring and reporting on actions is important. We need to know about the successes and to know that other people, businesses, regions and countries are doing things to make a difference. We are not in this alone and there is still time for action.
Judene Edgar is a Senior Governance Advisor at the Institute of Director’s Governance Leadership Centre. She is an experienced director and currently has roles with Network Tasman Trust, Rātā Foundation and is Chair of the Nelson Historic Theatre Trust.
