Communicating about sustainable urban water management: community and professional perspectives on water-related terminology |
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| Authors: | Angela J. Dean Kelly S. Fielding Effin Jamalludin Fiona J. Newton Helen Ross |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Communications &2. Arts, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia;3. CRC for Water Sensitive Cities, Monash University, Clayton, Australia;4. School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia;5. School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia;6. Department of Marketing, Monash Business School, Monash University, Caulfield, Australia;7. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia |
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| Abstract: | As approaches to water management begin to encompass broader social and environmental goals, new technical terms have entered the field of water management. Effective communication across professional disciplines, and with community stakeholders, is essential for sustainable urban water management. However, use of technical terminology has the potential to undermine effectiveness of communication. We surveyed professionals and community members to examine these issues. Findings indicate that water-related technical terms may not be well understood by the community. Professionals most likely to overestimate community understanding were influenced by their own understanding rather than experience with communities. For communities, individuals with poor topic knowledge or low education were less likely to seek information about terms, highlighting the importance of reducing reliance on technical terms when collaborating with diverse stakeholders. |
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| Keywords: | Communication community engagement information seeking jargon technical terminology socio-technical systems |
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