Communication Challenges in Project Management

Kerry Kirk Pflugh

ManagerOffice of Constituent Services and Communication

Planning NJDEP

Risk Communication To establish open two-way dialogues

with communitiesTo involve the public early in the

environmental decision-making processTo maximize availability and

understanding of risk data

Key Aspectsof CommunicationHow Communities See RiskEarning Trust and CredibilityWhen to Release InformationInteracting with the

CommunityExplaining Risk

How Communities See Risk

How Communities See RiskACCEPTABLEVoluntary riskIndividual controlFairInfo from trusted

sourcesMorally rightNaturalFamiliarAssoc. w/

catastrophes

UNACCEPTABLEImposed riskGovernment controlUnfairInfo from strangersUnethical practicesArtificialUnfamiliarAssociated with daily life

How to earn trustand credibility?Pay attention to processExplain agency proceduresInvolve the public earlyFocus on trust and dataFollow upOnly make promises you can

keep

Trust (cont.)Provide information to meet agency

and public needCoordinateListen to citizensUse locally recognized support

If Trust is low:Consider their point of viewAcknowledge lack of trustPlan a trust-building strategyIdentify stepsBe prepared to go out of your

way

When should we releaseinformation?Act/waitExploring potential

risksBeat the mediaTalk proceduresPreliminary dataRelease in contextQ/A

How can we interact with communities more effectively?Involving the publicDevelop Appropriate forumsCommunicating with

different audiencesDealing with Values and

feelings Responding personallyChoosing speakers

How Do you Explain Risk?What do people want?How do people want it?Level of knowledgeDown to earth languageClear graphicsBackground materials

How do we explain risk? (cont.)Acknowledge uncertaintyRisk comparisonsQuestion and answerDebrief

ExerciseRadium in Groundwater

Goal of Communication PlanningEstablish dialogues between the

agency and affected publics earlyInclude citizens in the decision-

making processPresent information clearly and

make it accessible to citizensDevelop a context for the issue that

will help audiences evaluate how to respond

Identify the IssueEstablish an advisory groupIdentify a project coordinatorIdentify the communication

coordinatorOrganize a planning meeting

Goal

A goal is a “big picture” or ultimate impact desired for a project, issue or situation.*

*NOAA Coastal Services Center

Types of Goals Functional goals (those unspoken, assumed

standard operating procedural goals that should always be built into a project and communication effort) Universal Process Information Legal

Case specific goals Inform/alert Mediate/negotiate Solicit input

SMART Goals

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely

Elements of a SMART Goal

State or define the task(s) State how you will achieve it Determine how you will measure it Determine when it will be accomplished Don’t make it too complicated If necessary break down goals into specific

objectives with measurable results-think short-term, mid-term and long-term intervals

Example:Weight Goal

I want to lose some weight by the end of the year.

SMART Weight Goal

I will lose 10 pounds by May 31, 2008 by cutting 200 calories per day and exercising vigorously four times per week.

Fish Advisory Goal

Understand and eliminate the barriers to compliance with advisories.

SMART Fish Advisory Goal By December 1996 learn the barriers to

compliance with state fish consumption advisories by conducting a survey of at least 300 anglers along the Newark Bay waterfront with visits to 32 fishing locations in seven towns and three counties at least three days during the week and one day on the weekends from Spring 1996 through late Fall.

Exercise

Writing a SMART goal.

Profile the Issue

Establishes a case record.Identifies key internal and external

stakeholders.Determines your resources -- time,

staff, money, etc.Compilation of data on the case and the

affected community.Review of history.

Some Key Profile Questions What does the department need to learn? What does the department need to share? What is the expected response from the public? What are the likely concerns? Who is impacted? What is known about the problem, the community,

DEP history with this site, community or issue?

The Profile is critical to assuring the case-specific goal is appropriate. Each time new information is learned, return to the case-specific goal to see if it,or the plan needs to be modified.

Identify the Audience

Key audiences are those people with whom you need to establish a dialogue and those who wish to talk with the department. They include those who are or must be made aware of the issue, those affected by the problem, those affected by the solution, and the media.

Questions to Identify Audiences

Who is likely to be affected directly by the agency action? Who was previously involved in this issue? Who might have important ideas,

information, or opinions? Has the agency heard the full range of

opinions? Who are important community leaders?

Audience Assessment

Determines how citizens perceive an issue What information the public wants What information the agency needs to

provide What local communication systems can be

used for a continuing dialogue.

Audience AssessmentDo Always

Review newspaper clippings Discuss expected audience

concerns with management team Make a few targeted and random

phone calls to determine audience knowledge, perception and concern about issue.

Audience AssessmentDo At Least One

Meet informally with affected stakeholders and stakeholder groups.

Survey stakeholders for their questions and concerns

Determine what each audience expects from the agency

Messages

A message is information you want/need to share with audiences about the issue or case, a question that you need them to answer, or both. It is linked to the case specific goal and addresses all key points about the issue.

Identify MessagesWhat information must be conveyed?Does it reflect the goal?Does it answer stakeholders questions?Is the position of the agency clearly

presented?Does the message reflect the audience

assessment?Was it pre-tested with a representative

from the target group?Is technical information clearly explained?

Developing Messages-Message Mapping*

* Rule of three Template

* Primacy/Recency Template

* 27/9/3 Template

*Covello, Vincent T. Message Mapping Workshop, March 2005

Rule of 3*

Everything in threes Three key messages Key message repeated three times Each message supported by three supporting

messages

*Covello, Vincent T., Message Mapping Workshop, March 2005

Primacy/Recency

State the most important messages first and last. In high stress situations, listeners tend to

remember that which they hear first and last. Message that are in the middle of a list are often not heard or remembered.

27/9/3*

27 words – the average length of a sound bite in the print media is 27 words

9 seconds – the average duration of a sound bite in the broadcast media is 9 seconds

3 messages – the average number of messages reported in both print and broadcast media is three

*Covello,Vincent T., Message Mapping Workshop, March 2005

What is Message Mapping?

Starts with a question. Responds with three key ideas. Is no more than 27 words. Takes no longer than 9 seconds to deliver. Provides three supporting statements linked

to the three ideas.

Message Map Example Stakeholder: Urban Anglers Spokesperson: DEP Fish Advisory Expert

Question: Are blue claw crabs from Newark Bay safe to eat?

Key message 1:Blue Claw crabs from the Newark Bay are contaminated with dioxin and shouldn’t be eaten. Eating blue claw crabs from these waters may cause cancer. Dioxin can also harm brain and nervous system development in

unborn and young children. There is no safe way to prepare and cook crabs from the Newark

Bay Complex.

Example, Cont. Key Message 2: Dioxin is a known carcinogen.

Dioxin is a chemical byproduct of certain industrial processes.

Dioxin stays in the environment for a very long time. Dioxin is found in the sediment of the Newark Bay

Complex from historical industrial pollution.

Key Message 3: Dioxin tainted crabs don’t look, smell or taste different.

Dioxin is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. You will not immediately become sick from eating a

dioxin tainted crab. Crabs get dioxin into their bodies by eating food from

contaminated sediment.

Exercise

Message Mapping

Method Selection

A communication method is the means by which you communicate with your audiences. There are a number of methods that can be used. Selection of a method is based on your goal, and how your audience communicates with itself (learned in the audience assessment) and the nature of the issue.

Method Selection Criteria (see chart)

Agency receives information from citizens Agency gives information to citizens Establishing Dialogue Summarizing Consensus

Methods for CommunicationPublic meetingsFocus groupsMediaDisplaysConferencesWorkshopsAvailability sessionsSurveysPhone interviews

Implement StrategyDevelop a timeline

Outline the needed tasks How long will tasks take to complete? What data needs to be shared and in what

form? Who is responsible for each task? What constraints may emerge in

completing tasks? How will the effort be evaluated?

Evaluation

Evaluation is the systematic collection of information about activities, characteristics, and outcomes of projects to make judgments about the project, improve effectiveness, or inform decisions about future programming.*

*NOAA Coastal Services Center

Types of Evaluation

Front-end – issue identification and profile step—gathers information about the issue to determine next steps. Formative – ongoing evaluation monitors

progress of the project and communication effort, adjusts as needed Summative – documents the outcome of the

effort and leads to follow-up.

Key Evaluation Questions Did the strategy used meet the goals? Were the needs and concerns of citizens met? Was the intended message received and

understood? Was the method used appropriate for this case and

audience? Are there questions which require a follow up? Were there unintended effects, good or bad, in

addition to intended effects?

Debrief and Follow-upMeet with Internal Workgroup to

determine: What were the results of outcome

evaluation? How did ongoing evaluation impact the

goals, and results? What follow-up is needed with

stakeholders? What ongoing support is needed if any?

Components of a Successful Communication EffortUnderstand the issue before developing an

outreach planEstablish a project teamAssign a communications coordinatorConsult with the target community to

develop the outreach planDevelop products that meet both agency

and community needGet buy-in from agency hierarchy, local

government and community groups

Success (cont.)Partner with local groups to act as

agency liaisonProvide technical support to assist

local groups in their tasksEnlist political supportSeek financial supportEvaluate /Debrief and follow-up

Kerry’s Final Thoughts on Communication with CommunitiesRemember that we are often strangers

in someone else’s neighborhood--it takes time for relationships to develop.Remember and practice what we were

taught about good manners-- “please” and “thank-you” helps.Remember that we can learn

something new and important every day -- and often not from the experts.