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Strategizing Communications for Drinking Water Professionals
- 1. 1 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Strategizing Communications from the Inside Out for Drinking Water Professionals
- 2. 2 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Intro Slide
- 3. 3 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Does the Community Know You Exist?
- 4. 4 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now.
- 5. 5 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now.
- 6. 6 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Another Step… • https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/pworks/wate r/pdf/water-quality-report.pdf • http://www.mudomaha.com/sites/default/file s/CCR2014.pdf Time & Resources
- 7. 7 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. What’s In It For You? • Build community support and diminish opposition; • Help people understand the value of what you do for them; • Prepare them for innovations, regulatory changes, rate increases, and so forth; and • Strengthen your positive image as a good neighbor providing a vital service
- 8. 8 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now.
- 9. 9 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Communicating Your Message: Public, Public, Public, Public • Public Relations • Public Information • Public Education • Public Involvement
- 10. 10 University of Nebraska–Lincoln COMMUNITY RELATIONS ASSESSMENT
- 11. 11 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Your Communications Strategy— Where You Need to Go and How to Get There • Clear Objectives • Your Audience • Logo and Theme • Planning and Strategy – Who Can Help? • Budget, Time, Money, & Resources
- 12. 12 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Your Communications Strategy— Where You Need to Go and How to Get There • Clear Objectives • Your Audience • Logo and Theme • Planning and Strategy – Who Can Help? • Budget, Time, Money, & Resources
- 13. 13 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Your Communications Strategy— Where You Need to Go and How to Get There • Clear Objectives • Your Audience • Logo and Theme • Planning and Strategy – Who Can Help? • Budget, Time, Money, & Resources
- 14. 14 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Your Communications Strategy— Where You Need to Go and How to Get There • Clear Objectives • Your Audience • Logo and Theme • Planning and Strategy – Who Can Help? Employees, Partner Agencies, Consultants, Suppliers and Vendors, WEF, Interns • Budget, Time, Money, & Resources
- 15. 15 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Your Communications Strategy— Where You Need to Go and How to Get There • Budget, Time, Money, & Resources – Cost Efficiency – The Bottom Line How do I get there???
- 16. 16 University of Nebraska–Lincoln CLARIFYING THE MISSION Example: KatieTown Water System’s mission is to produce and distribute an adequate supply of high-quality water to meet the demands of customers efficiently and at the least cost.
- 17. 17 University of Nebraska–Lincoln SITUATION ANALYSIS
- 18. 18 University of Nebraska–Lincoln GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
- 20. 20 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Identifying Target Audiences • Decision makers/influencers • Customers • Internal • Others • WHY DO I WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM?
- 21. 21 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now.
- 22. 22 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now.
- 23. 23 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Selecting a Communication Strategy • By communicating with a target audience… – Inform (create awareness) – Influence attitudes – Influence behavior • Four main forms of communication – Mass media – Targeted media – Community/social gatherings – one-on-one contacts
- 24. 24 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Written Communications • Consumer confidence reports • Letter from the board • Information sheets • Stuffers • Brochures • Newsletters • Press releases
- 25. 25 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Spoken Communication • Presentations • Telephone Contacts • One-on-One • Responses
- 26. 26 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Electronic Communication • Email • Websites • Social Media – Blogs – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – youtube
- 27. 27 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Resources for Rural and Small Systems • A Drop of Knowledge: The Non-operator’s Guide to Drinking Water Systems • Board Member Training • Drinking Water Security for Small Systems • National Rural Water Association Website • Rural Community Assistance Partnership Website • The Big Guide for Small Systems: A Resource for Board Members
- 28. 28 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Know how. Know now. Questions
Editor's Notes
- Before going into detail, introduce yourself and give some background. If the crowd is new, take a little survey to understand what size of community they are working with, how long they have been doing so, and what other responsibilities they have. Gone is the era of “no news is good news” for water professionals – welcome the Information Age, where even the small plant operator is expected to have some public communications savvy. As limited resources are stretched to meet the needs of growing populations, regulation, and even climate change issues, your importance in the community is growing. So are the demands for public communication…
- Do your customers understand the breadth of expertise it takes to collect, clean, and recycle wastewater efficiently and affordably? Do they have any idea what you do to protect them? If not, it’s time to tell them—now! You have been entrusted to protect the public health and the environment. To do that, you need to understand the needs and concerns of the community. Your customers have a right to know what they’re getting fortheir money, and you should be recognized for meeting vital needs in the community. All you need to do is communicate! Chances are, writing and public speaking were not your favorite subjects in school. So who’s going to be your spokesperson? You, because you’re the expert, the one who knows! Today we are going to quickly help you learn how to communicate effectively with your community, customers, and boards. With a little help, you can learn the basics of public communication because it’s not rocket science— it is an art, with a few rules and a lot of room for individual expression.
- The work of wastewater professionals is vital to the community, but do members of the community even know that you exist? You need the support of the community to accomplish your mission. Of course it already supports you, literally, because it pays the bills. You would be nowhere without it. But why not have the support of community members’ hearts and minds too? With a strong public communication program you can have it all, even respect. Not only do customers want to know what is occurring with their water systems, but it’s the law. The 1996 Amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act requires water systems to communicate with their customers; all public water systems regardless of size are required to inform their customers of the content of their water.
- Now, we’ve all seen this before, right. For many of you, this is your main or ONLY form of communication with your community. You are all required to put together an Annual Water Quality Report. And based on who is in the room today, some of you all must mail a report to customers served and others of you must only publish the report in the newspaper. I am sure many of you are working directly with Becky Schuerman at DHHS. And hopefully you are well aware that there is really not a lot of wiggle room with this form. To meet all of the requirements, you really can’t change the text – almost at all. You definitely don’t have room for education/relations/participation in this document. And if you were to make changes you wouldn’t be meeting the requirements.
- During this slide, discuss the individual results from this example community. Ask participants how they think individuals in their community react to this information. Ask them what they think their community understands on this page and what they don’t understand.
- During this slide, go through the two links provided. Most of the attendees will be from smaller communities. Make sure discussion on these two resources focuses on both the method of communication and the strategies being utilized. Ask participants to tell you what they would need to create resources like these – the most common answer is time & resources.
- So if that’s what’s required, why should I do more? One thing that’s often forogotten is that often times we are working with a very limited staff. The full staff may be a technician and the town clerk, neither one full time – one functioning as the operator, the other functioning as the book keeper and the board functioning as the manager. So it’s importatn to make sure that going the next step is the best use of your resources. You have to know that there is something in it for you as an operator/manager/etc. or that there is something in it for your community. Some of the best reasons to communicate with the public are to … You probably know a few more reasons, too. At some time, every facility has unique circumstances that should be communicated to neighbors, ratepayers, the community at large, legislators, the media, and others. If you only communicate with them after a process upset or chemical spill, you just might be a sucker for punishment. It’s difficult to make your best impression when dealing with an emergency (unless people already know and trust you!). Better to have established lines of communication, developed a rapport, and built trust. Once you have the community’s approval, the community is likely to support system new projects, rate hikes, repairs after disasters. Also, negative news will not affect the water system as much if the community has a favorable view of the system.
- Before you learn how to develop a communications strategy, you should know some terms of art in the field of communications. The continuum of public communication functions includes public awareness, education, information, involvement, outreach, participation, and relations. Some of these terms are virtually interchangeable, but public communication activities fall into four general categories. Public Relations Any interaction with the public is public relations. Public relations (PR) activities promote a positive image or ecognition of an organization, project, or issue. This can be as simple as a logo or as sophisticated as a multimedia campaign. Public Information Public information is shared without the expectation of feedback from the public. It builds awareness and can stimulate interest in water quality issues. Examples are newsletters, brochures, fact sheets, annual reports, and newspaper advertisements Public Education Public education teaches citizens how they can conserve water and protect and enhance water quality. Tours, presentations, exhibits, teacher’s workshops, demonstration gardens, and participation in community events are examples of public education Public Involvement The public is involved in or participates in making a decision. Authentic public involvement begins long before a decision is made. “Too little, too late” fails because people will feel their input was not really incorporated to the decision. A good public communication strategy uses the entire spectrum. One communication tool might encompass all four. For example, a newsletter may highlight your facility’s perfect compliance record (promotes), answer frequently asked questions (informs), offer water conservation tips (educates), and include a survey of preferences (involves) for a new sewer alignment
- A water system should strive to gain and maintain its community’s confidence and support. To accomplish this goal, you need a communication strategy. You may ask, Why bother with a communication plan? The answer is simple, to make sure your communication activities help you reach your goals and objectives. Otherwise you may be spending time and money doing thins that don’t help you get where you’d like to be going. Let’s look at where you are today. Take a minute and fill out the community relations assessment. Now I know some of you are saying – yikes. It’s all me. I don’t have board support. My clerk is not helpful, or I wish I had a clerk. Think of this as a tool. Something you can take back and say – hey, we need to do some work.
- Remember that community relations is an ongoing processes – it never stops. And the trust your are building with the community can not be earned overnight, but it can be lost overnight. Once you’ve earned the support of the community, board members must work hard to keep the support. An effective communications strategy requires clear objectives. If you know where you need to go, you can focus your efforts to get there. The first step is to identify the problems or issues you wish to communicate. These might include public and internal communication issues, such as complaints, lack of public image, or low staff morale. Many facilities have these issues and will have other problems that would benefit from effective public communications.
- Even in the smallest community, there will be several distinct audiences to whom you are communicating. At the very least, you will communicate with customers, elected officials, and staff. Other audiences might include environmental groups, neighborhood associations, industry representatives, partner agencies, municipalities, other public and private organizations, schools, and the media. Your message and audiences will be defined by the issue or communication need.
- A logo is a symbol that represents your organization. If you don’t have a logo, get one that is simple, easy to understand, and easy to reproduce. Involve employees in developing the logo; they’ll appreciate being asked and also have good insights to how the organization is viewed. Before choosing a logo, test it with many audiences to make sure it is clear and related to your organization from the customer’s perspective. Ideally, you should seek graphic design expertise when designing a logo. Experience is needed to create and design an effective logo. The logo may include initials, geometric shapes, or water symbols. Add a theme or catch phrase, focusing on the benefit you provide to the community, for example, “Clean Streams for the Future” or “Protecting Your Water”. Choose words that will not become out- dated quickly, but also expect to update the theme about every ten years or as needed to keep current with your organization’s image.
- Your communications strategy or plan helps ensure that you get the right message to the right audience. Once you have identified your objectives, the messages, and audiences, you can begin to consider which media or communication tool would be most effective. Some messages will be good topics for newspaper articles and trade publications. Others will be lively topics for radio and television. Local radio stations and weekly community newspapers might be particularly interested and give in-depth coverage to your stories. It’s a good idea to have one designated spokesperson for your facility to ensure consistency and accountability. Still, you want to maximize your resources to launch an effective communication campaign. If you have a staff of one, prioritizing will be key because you won’t be able to hold a press conference, host an open house, distribute a newsletter, and staff a booth at the county fair at the same time. radio and television. Local radio stations and weekly community newspapers might be particularly interested and give in-depth coverage to your stories. It’s a good idea to have one designated spokesper- son for your facility to ensure consistency and account- ability. Still, you want to maximize your resources to launch an effective communication campaign. If you have a staff of one, prioritizing will be key because you won’t be able to hold a press conference, host an open house, distribute a newsletter, and staff a booth at the county fair at the same time. WHO CAN HELP? Your staff may be limited, but there are many people who might contribute to your public communication Activities Employees All employees are potential spokespersons and ambas- sadors within their own communities. Many are eager to participate in communication programs and enjoy contributing skills such as speaking, writing, illustrating, or taking photographs. Partner Agencies Many public agencies have at least one communica- tions specialist on staff. You probably work closely with city, county, public works, utilities, parks, schools, libraries, police, fire, and other officials who are used to being in the public eye. Find out who they are, ask about their communication programs, and explore potential partnerships. Consultants Many engineering consulting firms have marketing, public participation, and communications specialists who might be able to offer some advice and assis- tance. Public relations expertise can boost your efforts and help define the organization’s strategy. Suppliers and Vendors Marketing materials from suppliers and vendors might be useful in your communications program. Review manufacturers’ Web sites, CDs, videos, photographs, fact sheets, brochures, and other materials to deter- mine their appropriateness, cost, and availability. Water Environment Federation In addition to this book, the Water Environment Federa- tion produces a variety of excellent communication materials that can be viewed on the Federation’s Web site at www.wef.org. nterns Students majoring in communications or journalism might provide valuable assistance at little or no cost. Writing, editing, video production, graphic design, and Web site development are all skills that you might find for free at the local college or high school. Establish a relationship with the journalism, communications, or business departments of your local colleges. Once they know your requirements, you may be able to secure high-caliber interns on an ongoing basis
- Your plan must have a realistic timeframe, cost, and staffing. Plan for more time and money than you think you’ll need, and count on having less help than you want. Estimate the timeframe in work hours and duration for each activity. It will take a few days to develop and distribute a news release, a couple of weeks to develop and print a fact sheet, and months to produce a community event. The hours per item will vary depending on the number of contributors and the levels of review. COST EFFICIENCY For every activity or tool you plan to use, chart cost of staffing and materials (graphic design, printing, mailing, etc.). Estimate the number of individuals to be reached and their strategic priority. Divide the cost of the activity by the number to be reached to see if this activity is cost effective. THE BOTTOM LINE Estimating the cost of a communications activity can be daunting, but do your best. At the very least, the true cost of an effort will include the following: • Staff time, for example, hours x hourly wage; • Materials, for example, brochures, PowerPoint slides, and signsServices, for example, design, printing, mailing services, and postage; and • Operating costs, for example, computers, telephones, and postage. Remember, the true cost of a project might also include lost time on other projects.
- Start the process by reviewing your water system’s mission. Before any effective communications planning can take place, all board members and employees must have a clear understanding of your system’s mission. If you don’t know where the organization is headed, it is impossible to help it get there. If your system already has a mission statement, now is a good time to review it and revise it if necessary.
- Consider the direction your system is headed by analyzing current and anticipated concerns and opportunities. In analyzing the current situation and then thinking about your goals and objectives, determine the image your system wants to project. You can later use that ideal as a yardstick once you solicit opinions on the systems perceived image.
- In light of the mission statement and situation analysis, outline your major goals and objectives for your system. Goals are general outcomes desired – where you want to go. Objectives are specific means of achieving your goals.
- Next, describe your current communication resources – who is communicating, what is your budget for communications and what are the available media. Consider the communications plan’s position in the overall water system. Have a clear outline of any budget and personnel committed to communications. Although some water systems are large and have personnel committed to communication, many small rural water systems do not have employees with backgrounds in public relations. Employees who were hired to handle operations probably do not have time to handle a communications program. So it is important to take time into consideration. The operator does not have to be the main spokesperson.
- Brainstorm about who your various target audiences or stakeholders are. It may be helpful to think of them in one of these categories: decision makers and influencers (health department and regulatory agencies; government officials), customers (water system users), internal (water system employees and board members), and others. Now think about why it is important to communicate with each of the target audiences you’ve identified and what you want to happen as a result of your communication. After identifying the target audiences get a picture of why you want to communicate with them. Be honest. Maybe it is “to get more money” or to “stop their attack on us” Whatever it is, be clear.
- Give each person a handout which has the survey shown above and other tools you will go through moving forward. It is important to determine what your target audience perceives about your water system. This is not simply what you think they think. You may need to do interviews, telephone interviews or a survey. Take a minute to think how you might answer these, how you might want your community to answer these and how you think they will actually answer. It is important not to assume you know what the community thinks.
- Still using the handout… Now that you have identified the target audience, objectives, what they currently think and the intended outcome of your communication, you are ready to develop the plan. Go through each step on this page of the handout. Give each participant time to write down there answers as you talk about each step. Ask for volunteers to talk about the draft plan they have come up with. This may take some one-on-one interaction and a little bit of time.
- Based on your understanding of the audience, its habits for receiving information, your objectives, the level of commitment you want to get, select the form of communications best suited to your need. There are three main objectives of communication with your target audience (describe as in the slide). There are four main forms of communication (discuss as in the slide).
- Within these four types of communication discussed, your strategy will be developed. Each of you will have different strengths and resources. Play to those strengths when deciding your communication strategy. Some of you will not feel comfortable speaking to large crowds, but one-on-one conversations will work for you. Others of you may decide to use written communications such as (describe as on the slide).
- If you do decide to go the route of spoken communications, clarity is key. A speaker may often think they are conveying one message, but the audience perceives a different message. Large and small presentations, one-on-one contact, telephone conversations all have significant potential because there is an opportunity to evaluate if your audience is gaining understanding. Informal evaluation during a presentation or one-to-one communication can be invaluable, but a follow up evaluation is extremely important for making decisions about future communication.
- Finally, if you choose to use electronic communication, make sure to do so with a plan. This topic in itself deserves a full workshop, however, it is important to know that simply creating a facebook page or an instagram account does not imply that there will be an impact. Knowing the ins and outs of social media is key. For many of us in this room, it is simply not an effective means of communication. Know your audience. If they do not use social media, why would you use it to communicate. If you would like to develop a new audience using a social media base, make sure you know how to use that form of social media or you will lose your audience before you start.
- For most of you, that’s been a significant amount of information. In your handout I have given you several resources for more information on communication with specific target audiences. The ones listed here are some of my favorites and we will walk through these to give you an idea of the resources available. Go through the resources as time allows. If you have any questions, please be sure to contact me.
- Insert contact information on the last slide.