STATE OF THE AUDIENCE MISINFORMATION, POLARIZATION, WEAPONIZATION, & TRUST HOW ARE LANGUAGE NORMS SHIFTING? L NOTES Weaponization of Language & Influence Pain and Gain has been the norm of messaging for decades Fear is manufactured, hyped, and systematically delivered to the nonconscious mind to limit consideration discourse and the evaluation process Using pain or fear as a base language strategy may limit the positive effects of communication, such as long-term relationships, and organizational/team/societal behavior change at scale. Increasing fear or pain engagement in life-and-death communication may be necessary to counteract overstimulation and desensitization. 2 Forms of Fear & Pain in Engagement 1. Civil: Inherent and necessary to accurately and adequately explain to navigate understanding 2. Uncivil: Heightened and exploited to compel rapid decision-making; may or may not be easily identifiable as fear-mongering THE SCIENCE OF COMMUNICATION YOUR WORKBOOK NAME PAGE 1 THE SCIENCE OF COMMUNICATION MAKING SENSE & CHANGING BEHAVIOR AT SCALE | 0 7 | 0 7 MAKING SENSE & CHANGING BEHAVIOR AT SCALE