Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

Many years ago, I conducted a seminar on public relations as it deals with the pulp and paper industry's interactions with its local communities. In attendance was a young engineer whose job, among other duties, was to handle the calls from the nearby communities concerning smells and so forth.

I asked him what his answer was when he received a call about smells. He said most of those complaints could be tracked to the non-condensable gases coming from the pulp mill and recovery boiler area. I then asked, what do you tell them?

Oh, that the smell likely comes from the non-condensable gases in the pulp mill and recovery boiler area.

Stop right there. For the general public, you just told them the nuclear reactor just exploded and run for your life.

He didn't understand.

I explained to him, and the rest of the audience by default, that you have to talk to the general public in terms they have a possibility of understanding. Think of the substances they have in their kitchen or laundry or garage at home. Describe your processes and materials in terms one could understand from the things they are familiar with using.

Headlines and news reports for fifty years or more have painted industrial processes as dangerous and about to kill you. You must describe them in terms that are (1) not lies, but (2) are not alarmist in nature.

Lie and you will get caught. Creating an alarm because you did not have a clear and reasonable answer is just as bad.

Simple when you think about it.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

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"Public Relations and Environmental Communication" by Jim Thompson: A Study Guide

Quiz

1. According to Jim Thompson, what was the young engineer's initial approach to handling odor complaints from the community? Why did Thompson find this approach problematic?
2. What is the central principle Thompson emphasizes regarding communication with the general public about industrial processes? Provide a brief example of how this principle could be applied.
3. Why should public relations professionals in industrial settings avoid both lying and using alarmist language when communicating with the public?
4. What does Thompson suggest as a better strategy for explaining industrial processes to the public? Why is relating these processes to everyday experiences important?
5. According to the text, what has been the general perception of industrial processes in news reports for the past fifty years or more? How does this impact public relations efforts?
6. What were the non-condensable gases mentioned in the excerpt associated with in the pulp and paper mill?
7. Why did Thompson compare the engineer's explanation to telling the public "the nuclear reactor just exploded"? What point was he trying to illustrate?
8. What was the setting of the seminar Thompson describes in the excerpt? Who was in attendance, and what was the young engineer's role?
9. What are the two key characteristics Thompson advises public relations professionals to ensure their communication possesses?
10. What is the ultimate goal of communicating about industrial processes in a clear and understandable way, according to Thompson's advice?

Quiz Answer Key

1. The young engineer's initial approach was to simply state that the smell likely came from the non-condensable gases in the pulp mill and recovery boiler area. Thompson found this problematic because it used technical jargon that the general public wouldn't understand and could sound alarming or dangerous.
2. The central principle is to communicate with the general public about industrial processes in terms they can understand by relating them to familiar substances or experiences from their daily lives (kitchen, laundry, garage). For example, instead of saying "chlorine dioxide bleaching," one might say "a process similar to how some household cleaners whiten clothes."
3. Lying will eventually be discovered and erode trust. Creating alarm, even unintentionally through unclear or technical language, can generate unnecessary fear and damage the company's reputation and community relations.
4. Thompson suggests describing industrial processes and materials in terms that the public can understand based on things they are familiar with using at home. Relating processes to everyday experiences makes the complex understandable, reduces fear of the unknown, and fosters better communication.
5. News reports for the past fifty years or more have generally portrayed industrial processes as dangerous and potentially lethal. This historical framing makes it crucial for public relations efforts to counteract negative perceptions with clear, non-alarmist communication.
6. The non-condensable gases were mentioned in the excerpt as a potential source of smells originating from the pulp mill and recovery boiler area.
7. Thompson used this comparison to highlight how the engineer's technical explanation, while accurate, would sound frightening and incomprehensible to the average person, similar to a catastrophic event. He was emphasizing the need to use accessible language.
8. The setting was a seminar on public relations as it relates to the pulp and paper industry's interactions with local communities. Attendees included individuals working in the industry, including a young engineer whose responsibilities involved handling community complaints.
9. The two key characteristics are that the communication must be truthful and not alarmist in nature.
10. The ultimate goal is to foster understanding, build trust, and avoid unnecessary fear and negative reactions from the community by making complex industrial information accessible and relatable.

Essay Format Questions

• Discuss the ethical responsibilities of public relations professionals when communicating about potentially sensitive environmental aspects of industrial operations. How does Thompson's advice align with these responsibilities?
• Analyze the long-term consequences of using either overly technical language or alarmist rhetoric when engaging with the public about industrial processes. Use examples (both real or hypothetical) to support your arguments.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of Thompson's suggested communication strategy in today's media landscape, where information (and misinformation) spreads rapidly. What challenges and opportunities might public relations professionals face in implementing this approach?
• Consider the role of community engagement in building trust between industrial facilities and their surrounding populations. How can the principles outlined in Thompson's advice contribute to more effective community engagement strategies?
• Explore the psychological factors that influence public perception of risk associated with industrial activities. How can public relations efforts address these factors through clear, relatable, and non-alarmist communication, as advocated by Thompson?

Glossary of Key Terms

Public Relations (PR): The professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person. In this context, it refers to managing communication between the pulp and paper industry and its local communities.

Non-condensable Gases: Gases that do not readily change into liquid form under normal pressure and temperature conditions in industrial processes, such as those in a pulp mill's recovery boiler. These can sometimes be a source of odors.

Pulp and Paper Industry: An industry that uses wood and other fibrous plant materials to produce pulp for making paper, cardboard, and other cellulose-based products.

Recovery Boiler: A critical component in a pulp mill used to recover chemicals from the pulping process and generate energy by burning the organic materials. It can be a source of non-condensable gases.

Alarmist Language: Words or phrases that exaggerate risks or dangers in a way that causes unnecessary fear or anxiety.

Technical Jargon: Specialized or technical terms and language used within a particular profession or field, which may not be easily understood by the general public.

Community Relations: The activities that a company or organization undertakes to build and maintain positive relationships with the people in the local area where it operates.

Transparency: The quality of being open and honest in communication and operations. In this context, it implies providing clear and truthful information about industrial processes.

Risk Communication: The exchange of information and opinions concerning hazards and risks among risk assessors, risk managers, and interested parties. Effective risk communication aims to help people make informed decisions about actions to take.

Layperson's Terms: Language that is simple and easy for someone who does not have specialized knowledge of a particular subject to understand.

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