Activity 4.4 - Bringing it all together

1 -Summing it up

Find the concept map you made earlier. Now you are going to turn it into a plain-english summary; ideally using some of the analogies you prepared earlier too. Submit your answer on the next page as a document.

Example:

“In my research I want to help predict how climate will change so that we can prepare properly for it. To do this I need to learn to measure rainfall from outer space because some places of the Nile are really hard to get to. This will help us answer the question of what methods we should be using. For example…"

Communication tip

Simplifying your message does not mean being simplimistic. A key way to avoid your messages being manipulated is to:

Express yourself in clear, short sentences
Avoid jargon and acronyms
Thinking carefully about analogies used - how accurate are they?
Always start with the facts (and remember to address myths later on)
Reframe when you can, steering away from "water wars" towards cooperation and evidence-based approaches

You cannot control the spread of misinformation in the media, but you can certainly minimise the chances of it happening; this is a priority for those wanting to improve how the media reports on the Nile Basin.