What did you learn?
Well, I saw a brilliant PR guy today in action. By using a lot of collective pronouns, "We aren't going to build any new coal plants ... We have installed scrubbers ... we are testing new ideas," sharing needless details about family and silly stories about mint juleps, and generally being very respectful and having a peaceful tone of voice, he was very convincing even when he didn't really answer a question. Likable and talkative, he was not putting on airs. He seemed to truly believe in what he was doing. He did also emphasize the need to reduce our usage. Georga Power's job is to meet demand, (which they won't have trouble doing until 2020) so they can do that by reducing demand, too. But they do make mercury. I was surprised to hear that the scrubbers get the methyl mercury completely out, so that all that escapes is elemental mercury. I was also unimpressed by his argument of "the earth is a box"--sure, all we're doing is moving CO2 and some other elements around. But we don't pump nerve gas, anthrax, or sewage into his backyard air, even though it might exist on this planet.
What are your questions?
How do we become winning like that gentleman? Is it only a gift from God, or do we cultivate it in the way we talk to others?
What do those meetings of the Public Service Commission look like? How does Southern Company listen to people there?
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