Trust is every organization’s most valuable intangible asset. The need to build trust has never been greater and the path to becoming a trusted resource on issues in food and agriculture has never felt more elusive. Those in food and agriculture would like science to be the foundation for most decisions and are frequently frustrated when the latest Tik-Tok trend undermines credible information. The evolution of source credibility makes trust-building more complex.

The latest Edelman Trust Barometer and CFI’s trust model may provide insight into how to make science and scientists more relevant in the digital discourse on food and agriculture.

CFI’s peer reviewed model has three primary elements.

1.      Competence – science, data, and facts.

2.      Confidence – perception of shared values.

3.      Influential others – those whose opinion is trusted on the topic in question.

Historically, “influential others” was defined as credentialed experts whose opinion we respect, but the proliferation of online influencers is reshaping that definition.

In fact, in the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, “someone like me” is now as trusted as a scientist.

While not surprising in today’s hyper-fragmented media environment, the Edelman findings have important implications for building trust in food and agriculture, and when combined with CFI’s trust model, provide a clear path for scientists to become more influential.

The fact that “someone like me” is now as trusted as scientists is 100% aligned with CFI’s trust model. Our peer reviewed and published model shows that connecting on shared values (being perceived as someone like me) is three to five times more important than sharing facts in building trust. The historical challenge has been that scientists have focused their communication on competence – sharing facts and data – rather than building confidence by connecting through shared values.

CFI’s Engage training empowers scientists to communicate and connect on shared values BEFORE introducing data, facts, and science. This allows scientists to first establish they are “someone like me” before they share the credible information that helps inform a science-based decision.

CFI has trained thousands of technically oriented experts in how to effectively engage using shared values in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The curriculum has been translated into several languages and integrated into an e-learning platform.

Unlocking the ability of scientists to connect using shared values while tapping into their expertise can make them the superheroes of food and ag communication! The “S” on the chest now stands for SCIENCE!

To learn more about how to empower scientists to become communication superheroes, contact us at learnmore@foodintegrity.flywheelsites.com.