Check out our Communicating Water Words and Visuals resource
A new resource on our website—Communicating Water Words and Visuals—can help communicate important messages about water-related issues. Whether you are designing information for outward facing communications (for example, a website or a fact sheet), planning for community consultation, having informal conversations with community members, or even talking to politicians, our research on water words and visuals can help you to more fully engage with audiences about water information.
Did you know?
- Only one third of Australians know that stormwater is not treated before entering waterways. When they think about stormwater, they think about flooding. So, if you’re going to use this term, we suggest providing examples of common pollutants found in stormwater.
- Very few people understand what the urban heat island effect is. So, make sure you define it if you use it in your communications.
- Most people don’t know what a raingarden is or what it does. And while just over half of all people would support having one on their street, only one third would have one on their property. So to encourage support, we suggest showing people what they look like and focusing on the benefits.
- Most people do not find images of green infrastructure meaningful. So, if you want to include images, explain what the infrastructure does and use highly attractive images (for example, raingardens with flowers or bright green foliage).
- Many people do not associate images of pristine environments or people engaged in recreation with stormwater management. That is, they do not recognise the environmental and amenity benefits of stormwater management. So, if you’re going to include images, make sure you explain the link between the image and stormwater management.