CBI delivered a one-day training for the URS Colman, the U.S. Army’s Chemical Materials Agency. The training began with an overview of the Mutual Gains Approach to public relations, contrasting it with the “traditional” approach espoused by many crisis management consultants. Participants engaged in a multi-party simulation that concerned the setting of Dioxin standards and the monitoring of air quality in a situation where trust has been compromised. A strategy clinic at the end of the day gave participants the chance to ask questions about specific uses and implementation challenges and to receive expert advice on how to apply the Mutual Gains Approach in difficult situations. Core topics included the importance of acknowledging the concerns of the other side, admitting mistakes, use of joint fact-finding, use of contingent commitments to address uncertainty and risk, ways to build (and lose) trust, and ways to transform adversarial relationships into working long-term working relationships.

More Case Studies.