How can you effectively communicate with individuals who are resistant to social justice messaging?

Effectively communicating with individuals who are resistant to social justice messaging requires empathy, patience, and a willingness to engage in open and respectful dialogue. Start by listening to the concerns and perspectives of the person you're communicating with. Show genuine interest in understanding their point of view. Look for areas of agreement or shared values that you can build upon. Highlighting common ground can help create a sense of connection and make it easier to engage in constructive dialogue.Share personal stories or anecdotes that illustrate the impact of social justice issues on individuals or communities. Personalizing the issue can make it more relatable and help foster empathy and understanding.

Understanding your audience is critical to any effective communication, but when you anticipate resistance to your message, it's even more important to understand what experiences and preconceived notions they are bringing to the conversation. If you can find some common ground or point of shared interest, it can open up much more productive lines of communication.

Alongside all of this, also map out your own biases about your audience, to figure out how you see them and the assumptions you are making about them and their beliefs. This plays a huge role in how you think about and address them. For example, if, like me, you are firmly pro-Palestine and believe all anti-Palestinians are also Islamophobes, you will likely spend time trying to convince people Muslims deserve respect and human rights - whether or not that's the real motivation behind their apathy. Which may or may not be the right approach for your project or campaign. Finding out how you see them helps to humanise an audience, which is especially useful when the audience isn't yet supporting you or your work.

According to Google, the San Diego Foundation defines social justice as: “Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities.” ---Sep 24, 2022 The question being, "How can you effectively communicate with individuals who are resistant to social justice messaging?". Why is this question being posed here? My job as a real estate agent is to represent and service my clients indiscriminately. I will do my best to speak in a way that my clients receive positively, but I will never try to persuade my clients, or anyone in my professional environment, to abandon their beliefs, values, or ideals to match my own. I do not pursue control over others as this question promotes.

It helps empathizing with your audience. You can't just come in and force your opinion on them. Or assume they're evil or wrong and force it on them, no matter how much you believe in the message. People develop opinions organically, through life experience. Get to understand theirs, and where they are coming from. What are their needs? Where are they trying to get? Try see the world through their experience, and then build a bridge. Make developing understanding and empathy a shared project, between you and your audience, not something you are trying to implement on them.

It's important to be a good listener, allow them to express their opinion first before sharing youth thoughts and beliefs on Social Justice, and if possible help them see things from your point of view. As much as possible avoid pushing your beliefs but rather highlight them respectfully to the point they perceive them as you do. Always try to find common ground and work around it to get them into your thoughts on SJ.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways of communicating, and it also works to humanise arguments and people on different sides of a debate. (There's a lot written about poverty porn and white saviourism around case studies so be aware of that.) But a well-crafted story can communicate your message more subtly, by sharing key messages and ideas without talking down to your audience or alienating them. Grounding it in reality also helps convince people of the need for your work/approach, otherwise it can get too theoretical. Discussing the political context of your work and how that affects your people also puts the reader in their frame, as well as building their awareness.

In addressing resistance to social justice messaging, facts and evidence serve as powerful tools to bridge understanding and foster meaningful dialogue. By grounding discussions in objective data and research, individuals who may be skeptical or resistant are more likely to recognize the validity and urgency of social justice issues. Presenting evidence in a respectful and non-confrontational manner encourages receptivity and opens avenues for constructive engagement. It's essential to acknowledge and address any underlying concerns or fears individuals may have, demonstrating empathy and a willingness to listen.

Again, this should also be done internally - reflect on the assumptions, evidence, biases, and power you, your team, your organisation have and how that has influenced your arguments. As much as possible/relevant, try to separate your political beliefs about the issue and present facts your audience will accept - which may include expanding your pool of sources. Using the example above, you may have to talk about international laws and conventions Israel has broken in the genocide, if your audience has not yet humanised Palestinian people and their human rights. (Personal experience)

Try and anticipate the counter-arguments you'll hear during a campaign, what lies behind them, and what your audience would need to hear to convince them. Mapping out how you could respond to hostility, or the strategies you'd need to address them can help you think ahead and plan a more nuanced communications campaign.

Keep feedback channels open - website, social media, in person, etc - and make sure you're fully ready to hear feedback on your work. For many of us, our work and personal values are intertwined, so be prepared to hear negative feedback about deeply personal beliefs. Try to keep your instinct in check and keep an open mind while hearing feedback. Listen as much as you can/within reason since this is also a great time to learn more about your audience.