{"id":2094,"date":"2026-08-14T16:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T23:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/?p=2094"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:49:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T21:49:36","slug":"osu-extension-intern-learns-the-power-of-effective-communication-in-promoting-public-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/2026\/08\/14\/osu-extension-intern-learns-the-power-of-effective-communication-in-promoting-public-health\/","title":{"rendered":"OSU Extension intern learns the power of effective communication in promoting public health"},"content":{"rendered":"

My internship with the Groundwater Protection Program has been nothing but a positive experience so far. I have enjoyed the opportunity to travel throughout Oregon, visit areas I had never been to before, and learn more about the different communities and demographics across the state. Each trip has given me a better understanding of how different communities experience and approach water-related issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n
Abby helping out at the OSU Extension booth at the Polk County Fair. Photo: Colleen Lovdokken<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

One thing I am especially looking forward to is continuing our interviews with people who participated in a septic system replacement grant program that my internship site has been involved with over the past few years. I am interested in hearing directly from participants about their experiences with the program and learning more about how these types of resources impact people in their communities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One challenge I have encountered during my internship is interacting with community members who are hesitant to share details while testing their water. Sometimes there is a lack of trust, and people may worry that we are collecting information to report them or their property. Learning how to approach these conversations respectfully and explain our purpose has been an important part of my experience. It has taught me that building trust and making people feel comfortable is just as important as the information we are providing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of my biggest takeaways from this internship has been learning how to communicate effectively with members of the general public. Water quality can be a very personal issue, especially when it involves someone’s home, family or health. I have learned that it is important to listen to people’s concerns, meet them where they are, and explain information in a way that is understandable and useful to them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a piece of knowledge I hope to carry with me throughout my future career. Being able to communicate with people from different backgrounds, build trust and make complicated information easier to understand will be an important skill.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 – Abby Thorsen<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My internship with the Groundwater Protection Program has been nothing but a positive experience so far. I have enjoyed the opportunity to travel throughout Oregon, visit areas I had never been to before, and learn more about the different communities and demographics across the state. Each trip has given me a better understanding of how… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14884,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[146,315],"tags":[314],"class_list":["post-2094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-groundwater-protection","category-mid-and-southern-willamette-valley","tag-abigail-thorsen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14884"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2094"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2122,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2094\/revisions\/2122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}