AWWA guide helps utilities build trust in changing media world

Advocacy groups, product marketers, celebrities and others can leverage social media and a decentralized media culture to suddenly and unexpectedly place utilities in a negative light.

To help water sector professionals prepare for and manage these situations, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) is releasing a new guide, Trending in an Instant: A Risk Communication Guide for Water Utilities.

The comprehensive guide draws on best practices and recommendations from water utilities and includes tools and action steps for strategically responding to high-profile communication issues. Produced by the Association’s Public Affairs and Water Utility councils, the full, 80-page guide (member login required first to view) is available as a benefit of AWWA utility membership. A smaller executive summary is available to all AWWA members.

Upcoming presentations about risk communication strategies identified in Trending in an Instant are scheduled for the AWWA/WEF Utility Management Conference in February, AWWA’s Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE20) in June, and AWWA/WEF’s Transformative Issues Symposium on Communications in August.

“The risk communication guide is designed to help utilities manage and, hopefully, capitalize on unexpected communication challenges to build trust and develop relationships with consumers,” said Mary Gugliuzza (pictured left), chair of the Public Affairs Council. “Our members provide an essential and life sustaining resource to customers across the world and we are committed to supporting them in that effort.”

The guide incorporates research into the psychology and behavior for responding to media-driven community anxiety. It also includes talking points for several current issues in the water sector, including drinking water quality, infrastructure funding, the Safe Drinking Water Information System and affordability.

As a resource, the guide is designed to help water professionals:

•    Understand today’s communication environment and opportunities created by social media and risk communication
•    Build standing in their communities as trusted information sources
•    Respond effectively to community concerns that may stem from misinformation
•    Learn from other utility communicators who have experienced a negative media cycle and maintained their reputation
•    Access recent utility-focused communication research

The guide contains utility case studies from across the United States and Canada, describing communication challenges and field-tested strategies and recommendations on issues ranging from chloramines to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

“The risk communication guide is intended to complement existing communication efforts at utilities,” Gugliuzza said. “We highly recommend incorporating this guide into your emergency management plans as a separate but equally critical planning tool.”