How can you use environmental performance data to communicate with stakeholders?

1 Know your audience

The first step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to know your audience and their expectations. Different stakeholders may have different interests, priorities, and levels of knowledge about environmental issues. For example, a client may want to know how your design can help them save costs, reduce risks, and enhance their reputation. A user may want to know how your design can improve their comfort, health, and well-being. An investor may want to know how your design can generate returns, create value, and mitigate environmental liabilities. A regulator may want to know how your design can comply with standards, regulations, and policies. Therefore, you need to tailor your message and data to suit your audience's needs and goals.

2 Choose the right metrics

The next step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to choose the right metrics and indicators to showcase your results. Depending on your project scope, scale, and objectives, you may want to use different metrics to measure and compare your environmental performance. For example, you may want to use energy use intensity (EUI), carbon footprint, water consumption, waste generation, or indoor environmental quality (IEQ) as some of the common metrics for environmental design. However, you should also consider the relevance, accuracy, and reliability of your metrics, and avoid using too many or too vague metrics that may confuse or mislead your audience.

4 Tell a story

The fourth step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to tell a story that connects your data with your audience's emotions and values. A story can help you explain the context, purpose, and impact of your design project, and how it addresses the environmental challenges and opportunities that matter to your audience. A story can also help you showcase your creativity, innovation, and leadership in environmental design, and how you achieved your environmental performance goals and outcomes. To tell a compelling story, you should use clear and engaging language, avoid jargon and technical terms, and use examples, anecdotes, or testimonials that can illustrate your data and make it more relatable and memorable.

6 Provide action steps

The sixth and final step to communicate your environmental performance data effectively is to provide action steps that can inspire your audience to take action and support your design project. Action steps can include recommendations, suggestions, or requests that can help your audience apply, implement, or promote your design project, and contribute to its environmental performance and impact. Action steps can also include incentives, benefits, or rewards that can motivate your audience to take action and support your design project, and show how they can benefit from its environmental performance and impact. To provide action steps, you should be clear, specific, and realistic, and use call-to-action phrases, such as "join us", "contact us", or "learn more".

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?