The Cutting Edge in Effective Communication for Water Infrastructure

08/27/2009 - Past Webcast

Introduction:

This webcast has now passed.  Please check the Webcasts page for information on any plans for future offerings.  If you are interested in viewing this webcast, please send an email to webcasts@wef.org.  

 

 

Join us to focus on the 10th Attribute of Effective Utility Management – Stakeholder Understanding and Support.  Potentially, it is the key to realizing your community’s water infrastructure investment needs.  Whereas the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides a boost to our nation’s infrastructure needs as a whole, it supplies only a small portion of what is needed for water and wastewater. The ASCE Infrastructure Report Card reflects the urgent need with its D minus grade for wastewater.  Using effective communications for accountability and transparency will be the foundation for gaining public support. 

Coalition Strength
If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together.  Partnerships in public education can lay a foundation for organizations with similar interests to speak with a louder voice.  We will consider the St. Louis partnership model.  Utilities, professional associations and non-profit community groups have formed their own non-profit organization to promote the value of water and wastewater infrastructure investment.  Discover how they leveraged the power of Penn State Public Broadcasting’s award winning documentary “Liquid Assets the Story of Water Infrastructure.”  Look at how WEF’s public education initiative “Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes It Happen” can provide you with free top-notch public relations outreach tools. 

Join us to focus on the 10th Attribute of Effective Utility Management – Stakeholder Understanding and Support.  Potentially, it is the key to realizing your community’s water infrastructure investment needs.  Whereas the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides a boost to our nation’s infrastructure needs as a whole, it supplies only a small portion of what is needed for water and wastewater. The ASCE Infrastructure Report Card reflects the urgent need with its D minus grade for wastewater.  Using effective communications for accountability and transparency will be the foundation for gaining public support.  If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together.  Partnerships in public education can lay a foundation for organizations with similar interests to speak with a louder voice.  We will consider the St. Louis partnership model.  Utilities, professional associations and non-profit community groups have formed their own non-profit organization to promote the value of water and wastewater infrastructure investment.  Discover how they leveraged the power of Penn State Public Broadcasting’s award winning documentary “Liquid Assets the Story of Water Infrastructure.”  Look at how WEF’s public education initiative “Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes It Happen” can provide you with free top-notch public relations outreach tools. 

 

 

Gauging the Media Climate
Now that you’ve increased the volume of your message, how do you gauge the changing media landscape and use resources skillfully?  Applying your voice in the right places (multi-media), and with the right velocity, can trigger a cascade of messaging that shifts public focus and creates mass reception.  Learn lessons on how to tune in, build constituent support, and present your water infrastructure case to public officials. 

Communication Power
Employ the cutting edge of communication technologies to better engage citizens and develop new standards for transparency. Web 2.0 platforms such as wikis, blogs, forums, groups, podcasts, mashups, virtual worlds, as well as sites for social networking, social bookmarking, social news, knowledge sharing are moving rapidly and in many unexpected ways. How will this new array of technology evolution affect local government and your ability to build support for needed water infrastructure? What do the current trends indicate? What are the benefits and what are the risks? Finally, from a proactive perspective how are local governments utilizing new social media technologies to their advantage in building a stronger sense of community and outreach? What have we learned thus far and how can you put it to use for water infrastructure investment?  

Topics:

• Stakeholder Understanding and Support


• Educating public officials


• Web 2.0 (social marketing) tools


• Local coalitions for water infrastructure

Speakers:

• James Horne from the U.S. EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management will provide a brief overview of the 10 Attributes of an Effectively Managed Utility with a special focus on the 10th Attribute – Stakeholder Understanding and Support.
• Lance LeComb, Public Information Director from the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District will examine the city’s model for building a local coalition for water infrastructure investment.
• Don Hamilton, Chief of Communications for the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office and former professional journalist will provide an inside perspective about how to raise the profile of the water infrastructure discussion in the local media.
• Dr. Alan Shark, Executive Director/CEO of the Public Technology Institute and Assistant Professor at Rutgers University School for Public Affairs & Administration will explain how to use Web 2.0 social marketing tools to help municipalities facilitate public information, education, and involvement. (Dr. Shark formerly served as associate executive director for the Water Environment Federation.)