We’re concluding Tap Talk Season 6 with another two-part series! Today, we release the first episode of the set: “Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication Basics for Water Systems.” Mike McGill, founder and president of water utility communications & PR firm WaterPIO, joins Jennifer and Steve to discuss the shifting landscape of communicating in the water sector. Between the longstanding issue of lead pipes, the evergrowing threat of PFAS contamination, and looming possibilities of natural disasters and other crises, the task of communicating with the public is harder than ever for utilities to avoid.
Topics Discussed
- Meet Mike McGill | LinkedIn
- Mike’s Water Hero: Jeaniece Slater, General Manager of West Morgan East Lawrence Water and Sewer Authority in Decatur, Alabama
- How do the challenges for water utilities today differ from 15 years ago, and how does that effect communications/PR/public trust?
- Which topics and issues does WaterPIO most commonly deal with when assisting a utility?
- WaterPIO’s process for developing a communications plan for a utility
- How to handle the differing desires of each utility for their communications
- Which factors influence public trust?
- Misinformation vs. disinformation and how each effects water utilities
- Connect with WaterPIO
“If you say, ‘these pipes that are giving you your water everyday could collect social security,’ people get it. They understand that this infrastructure, we can only band-aid it for so long. It’s got to be replaced.”Mike McGill
Go Further
You’re invited to discuss the episode in our LinkedIn Group. If you decide to share on Twitter, please use the hashtag #TapTalkPodcast. And, of course, make sure to subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
About the Guest
Mike McGill is the founder and president of WaterPIO, a communications strategy firm dedicated to the water and wastewater industry. The firm, launched in 2017, provides a range of communications services to utilities and local government operations that will strengthen relationships with customers and residents. Mike began his career in journalism, and spent time as a producer at CNN before shifting into communications and public relations in 2002. He served as media relations director for General Colin Powell’s America’s Promise Alliance non-profit for two years, and then entered the water sector with positions at WSSC Water, Loudoun Water, and the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.
Mike holds BA degrees in broadcast journalism and political science from Syracuse University.