Developing public affairs counseling skills to support a public participation focus at Fernald
- Fernald Environmental Restoration Management Corp., Cincinnati, OH (United States)
To provide closer coordination between the Public Affairs Division and environmental restoration management and technical staff, the Fernald Environmental Restoration Management Corporation (FERMCO) matrixed Public Affairs staffers as counselors to project teams within FERMCO. Close coordination between technical staff and public affairs staff is essential for effective public communication in a public participation, environmental risk communication environment. Two-way symmetrical communication (public participation) represents a paradigm shift for public affairs staff who have developed skills primarily in a public information (asymmetrical communication) environment. While there has been much focus in the literature and workshops on management changes needed to support a public participation environment, less attention has been paid to identifying and developing the skills needed by public affairs professionals to support public participation. To support the new counseling role of public affairs staffers, FERMCO used a public affairs training consultant to design and deliver a workshop to initiate development of the skills needed for the public affairs counseling role. This paper describes FERMCO`s matrixed counseling program and the training to develop public affairs counseling skills for the public participation environment.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Albuquerque Field Office, NM (United States). Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project Office
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-91AL62350
- OSTI ID:
- 10134611
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940225-74; ON: DE94008609; BR: EW2010102/EX2040010
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste management `94: working towards a cleaner environment,Tucson, AZ (United States),27 Feb - 3 Mar 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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