What do nontechnical staff want or need to know?
Either officially or unofficially, all staff members are spokespeople for the agency and, as such, they need an accurate understanding of how the NRC reaches its decisions. While nontechnical staff want to understand the broad conclusions, they typically want the least background information underlying those conclusions. Tips for communicating with nontechnical staff Effective two-way communication between technical and nontechnical staff will ensure that the available risk information is technically accurate, understandable, and relevant to stakeholders’ concerns. Keep the following tips in mind when communicating with nontechnical staff: • Explain why a risk-informed approach is beneficial for certain projects. • Explain how risk will be used in making decisions. • Explain the impact of the decision on them, the licensee, and the public. • Use qualitative explanations. • Use understandable language and familiar examples or comparisons. • Encourage questions to clarify understanding.
