By Mina Syadi
Published 12/6/24
The Community Engagement Core of NM-INSPIRES (New Mexico Integrative Science Program Incorporating Research in Environmental Sciences) offered a workshop on Media and Strategic Communication to address Environmental Health and Justice research efforts led by Nick Parker and Gwyneth Doland. The workshop focused on supporting New Mexico communities in communicating their message to the media, such as, live interviews.
The workshop took place at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Department of Communication and Journalism on October 25th, 2024 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Gwyneth began the workshop by getting to know the participants and learning about why they attended the workshop. Participants were motivated to attend to learn about “strategies for effective communication” and how to “message our concerns”. Afterward, Gwyneth and Nick discussed what to do and not to do during interviews, shared tips and tricks for interview preparation, and provided guidance on creating sound bites, as well as framing messages for the community.
This hands-on workshop was designed for community members, UNM researchers, and staff interested in communicating their Environmental Health and Justice efforts. Participants learned how to effectively engage with the media and communicate their stories clearly and impactfully. Particularly, a participant was able to do a practice run communicating their work in plain language – without the scientific jargon – to effectively communicate their message to the public. Several participants enjoyed thinking about their short message and some were able to narrow down their sound bites.
The workshop focused on what journalists are interested in, how to contact the media, distilling complex topics into clear messages, building trust through transparent communication, and highlighting the impact of research or community-led research projects.
Our goal was to equip participants with the skills to raise awareness about important environmental health issues and foster meaningful dialogue with both local communities and the public.
To learn more about Gwyneth and Nick, please read their biographies below.
Gwyneth Doland is a multimedia reporter who has spent the last 25 years working in print (New Mexico Magazine, the Santa Fe Reporter and Weekly Alibi), online (New Mexico in Depth and the New Mexico Independent), on the radio at KUNM, and on television at New Mexico PBS.
She is Professor of Practice in journalism at the University of New Mexico. Her report on government accountability for the Center for Public Integrity was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize from Harvard’s Kennedy School. Her work has been honored with awards from the Society of
Professional Journalists (SPJ), the National Federation of Press Women, the Association for Alternative Newsweeklies, the International Regional Magazine Association and the New Mexico Broadcasters Association. Gwyneth was previously the executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and has been recognized with a First Amendment Award from the American Civil Liberties Union at New Mexico (ACLU-NM). She is secretary of the board at the Journalism and Women Symposium and is active in SPJ, National Association of Professional Journalists (NAHJ) and Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA).
If you would like to learn more about Gwyneth, please visit her website: https://gwynethdoland.com/ or reach out to her (gwynethd@unm.edu).
Nick Parker is an internationally battle-tested problem solver who excels serving the C-suite, multinational organizations, entrepreneurs, communities, and major industrial, energy, military, and diplomatic operators. He has run strategic communications, infrastructure planning, and democracy-focused efforts in North America, Europe, the Balkans, Caucasus, and Africa.
Over a nearly 25-year career, he has developed a Swiss Army knife
skillset centered on strategic business development, crisis management, major organizational gap analyses, speech writing, research and polling, data-driven planning, design, marketing and campaigns, media relations, and culturally relevant stakeholder engagement.
While some of Nick’s work is confidential-to-classified in nature, select clients have included North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), BHP, Pattern Energy, Aurubis AG, BNSF Railway, AECOM, United Nations Women (UN Women), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and countless start-ups, private corporations, and communities.
Nick holds a B.A. from Clark University and an M.A. from University College London.
If you would like to learn more about Nick, please visit his website: https://www.nkparker.com/.