It's Not Water's Worth It — It's People are Worth It: An Exploration of the Crisis in Miscommunication from the Water Industry and How We Fix It

Its not Water's Worth It — Its People are Worth It. An exploration of the crisis in miscommunication from the water industry and how we fix it. Moderator: Steven Drangsholt, Brown and Caldwell Panelists: Stephanie Corso, Rogue Water Lab; Stephen Sanders, Morrisville State; Chelsea Boozer, Central Arkansas Water Introduction Water communications typically come in one of two forms. Something has gone wrong and we need to tell you about it (e.g., boil water notice, major rate increase) or here's this cool, new thing we built to provide better service (e.g., pipeline, treatment plant). But this communication lacks the focus to capture an audience's empathy and attention for more than mere minutes. It tells the story of the infrastructure but fails to tell the story behind the people affected in positive or negative ways. Therefore, this panel discussion will explore narrative storytelling methods that provide clear, effective, and compelling ways to connect with the shared humanity in one another while impacting community change. A Moment for Change With recent legislative success in gaining funding for water/wastewater projects, our industry is at a critical moment to show how this funding can create positive community change. The decades of underinvestment in rural communities, lack of safe drinking water for 2 million Americans and dangers of manufactured chemicals won't be undone through this single funding action. But it's a start and represents the place to build from if the communication is leveraged for continued water investment. Therefore, now is the moment of change in how we communicate the value of water. By using tools developed through exhaustive research, proven marketing approaches and understanding neuroscience, we can change the narrative from Water is Worth It to People are Worth It. What's the point of clean water and clean air if we don't have communities left to thrive from it? The impacts of climate change are happening and will continue to impact everyone; however, these impacts will disproportionally impact low-income communities, communities of color and other vulnerable groups. In addition to the federal infrastructure dollars creating the prime time to start communicating with our communities about how water impacts them, the 2021 snowstorm that devastated much of the south (Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana) can be leveraged as a great example of why investment in water matters and what can happen if it isn't done. As water communicators, we have an obligation to tell better stories and urge changes in behavior, more legislative action and create empathy to support all people. But it has become all too common for us to do just what's required (the bare minimum). We create water quality reports no one reads, hold public meetings few attend and celebrate ourselves while the community as a whole misses out on true engagement. There is another way, even with our minimal budgets and staffing, to have a greater impact with some tools. Storytelling: The Master Tool Stories haven been told for thousands of years, long before anything was written. The 'Hero's Journey' is well documented and is the basis for how communication works. 'We are hardwired to dramatize, to imagine, and to be pulled into good stories,' says Shane Snow. Modern storytelling experts such as Seth Godin, Donald Miller, Simon Sinek and Kindra Hall are best-selling authors that have adapted and taught storytelling techniques. Their approach will save our stories and communications if we remember the most important point — we (the water industry, utility, etc) are not the hero; we are the guide. Customers, the community, people are the main characters. This one mistake is the biggest challenge we must overcome. Donald Miller provides us with the 'formula' to effective stories and marketing. 'A character who wants something encounters a problem before they can get it. When they need it most, a guide steps into their lives, gives a plan and calls them to action. That action helps avoid a failure and ends in a success.' Credit: Donald Miller, Building A Story Brand By adapting our communications techniques to follow proven patterns and neuroscience, we have the opportunity to create change both for our communities and for our industry. Panel Discussion During UMC 2022, rather than a traditional presentation, a panel of experienced water communicators will explore discussion questions that engage industry expertise. This panel will provide examples from their work with utilities from around the US and outside industry examples from universities. Discussion questions for the session will include: - What is your favorite storytelling tool and how have you seen it effectively used? - How do you see our industry's communication strategies changing through social media and more virtual work? - What industry disruptions are you seeing from our lack of storytelling abilities and how would you change it? Attendees will walk away with tangible examples they can implement immediately to better engage, educate, and interact with their customer base.