Communicating with Skeptical Audiences

Abstract

As a science teacher and youth minister in a predominantly white evangelical community in rural Appalachia, I have had many opportunities to teach the science of global warming to climate change deniers. In this manuscript, I share some of the lessons I have learned to make my presentations less contentious and help those I teach be more accepting of accepted science content. Specifically, I focus on the importance of language, the prioritization of feelings over facts, and the fact that there is no single effective way to communicate climate change to all learners.