Menu
Innovative engagement

New ways to inspire effective dialogue

Climate change is an urgent and difficult problem. In order to bring about meaningful change in complex systems, we require transdisciplinary dialogue. Innovative engagement can support more inspiring, candid and ultimately effective dialogue.

For many years now, the Climate Centre team has explored different ways of bringing innovation to these processes through the use of serious games, storytelling techniques, interpreting data through art, virtual reality, data sculpture, cartoons, humour, acrobatics, to name but a few.

In recognition of the increased need for online engagement as a substitute for air travel, made even more urgent by the coronavirus pandemic, we became champions of interactive and meaningful virtual engagements.

We are continuously exploring new ways to promote effective dialogue, engaging with stakeholders from all over the world.

Key links

NEW: IFRC Global Innovation Summit
Another level of reflection on innovation and change (Cartoons Anonymous)
IPCC Working Group II: cartoon summary
Cartoonathon fact sheet
Innovation video showcase (12 films)

Innovative engagement approaches

Cartoonathons
Acrobatics
Humour
Conferences
Thermo-interactive art

Our games

Our much-loved veteran Innovation Lead, Pablo Suarez, the originator of our games, died on 16 July 2024. A full article on his life and work is here.

The games that Pablo was instrumental in developing are presented and linked on a separate mini-site: there is one for every occasion. (He is pictured left at a 2016 Applied Improvisation session in Oxford.)

At the heart of his approach was the belief that games are a fun but serious way of helping humanity tackle the complexities, volatilities and uncertainties that could be hallmarks of the “new normal” for the global climate.

Five reasons for using games: they encourage active learning and active engagement, allow you to simplify complex systems, link decision-making and feedback on it, provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, exploration and challenge. Considering that emotions matter in learning, this is also a serious goal.

Acrobatics
Gallery

Acrobatics

Can you think of any art form that embodies the evaluation and management of risk as compellingly as acrobatics? How can disaster managers learn from this? The Climate Centre has been working to harness the power of acrobatics and circus arts to nurture inspiration and action on changing climate risks.

For example, with the Circocan International School of Circus, we contributed two sessions at the 2022 Understanding Risk Forum (banner photo above and left), and with the Anticipation Hub we have distilled insights for anticipatory action in a short video (see link below).

Acrobatics multimedia

Virtually Amazing

As a well-known and visible international actor on climate change, virtual engagement is increasingly important for the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. While we want to infuse our vision of enhanced learning and dialogue through interactive approaches in these events, we also seek to promote efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and the necessary behaviour change to achieve this.

Recognising the increased need for online engagement – made even more urgent by the current Coronavirus – the Climate Centre aims to become a champion of interactive, meaningful, effective virtual engagements, becoming virtually amazing as it does so.

A hybrid panel at the 2020 high-level meeting on the humanitarian impacts of climate change, coordinated from Stockholm with (L to R) Jagan Chapagain, Norbert Barthle, Mami Mizutori, Mark Lowcock, Margareta Wahlström, and Climate Centre Director Maarten van Aalst, who moderated throughout. (Photo: Climate Centre)

Virtually Amazing manifesto

Promoting engagement

Here are 18 innovative methods that spark closer interaction between the event participants. The suggestions on the link below are meant to inspire audience members to connect more deeply with one another and with session content.

In this document we share options to creatively engage delegates in meeting and conference settings. We hope this will inspire you to offer more interactive and engaging events in the future.

Games (and laughs) at the 2022 First European Investment Bank conference on community disaster preparedness. (Photo: EIB)

Our 18 easy lessons
Cartoons

Humour keeps us honest

Humour strips away illusions that support the status quo. It helps bridge the gap between what is and what could be. The argument is simple: by overlooking reality, people and organizations often fail to anticipate and address risks, and humour helps to dissolve denial.

Working with the team at CartoonCollections.com, we are designing and delivering cartoonathons in both face-to-face and fully virtual modalities. Read our cartoon fact sheet for more ideas.

Downloadable cartoon gallery
Humour keeps us honest
Video

All about cartoonathons

Real-time cartoon creation can help break the ice and build trust at conferences. Here’s how this process works.