Shifting Normal - designing projects to tackle climate change: summary guide

Designing projects with the Four Questions and Four Zones

The most important thing is that your project makes it easier for more people answer ‘yes’ to all four questions. This is more likely if all four zones are helping rather than hindering the change your community wants to see.

Here, project design is broken down into four steps. Once you are clear about the change you want, use the Four Questions and Four Zones to discover what matters; then to help decide what the project will do, and finally use the Four Questions and Four Zones to develop clear, consistent messages.

Be clear about the change:

Agree what issue your community group wants to tackle

Decide the specific changes your community group seeks

Discover what matters:

Find out what people feel and think about the change

Find out what might help or hinder them to make the change

Work out who could help develop and deliver the project

Decide what the project will do:

Identify possible activities

Work out how other people and organisations could help

Decide the project’s main activities and partners to cover all Four Zones

Develop clear, consistent messages:

Communicate to reinforce the issues that are helpful to the change

Ensure every aspect of your project supports the change

Support staff and volunteers and engage with partner organisations