Five Skills That Make an Effective Environmental Management Practitioner

I’m sure that you could find many formalised competency schemes that are produced by professional institutes and the like that could answer this question. However, I thought I would have an informal attempt myself after being an environmental practitioner for quite some time now. Here are five skills that I think are important to be an effective environmental management practitioner.

A strong knowledge base 

Having a good level of knowledge of the discipline is key. EMPs tend to be involved in providing advice on environmental management to others. They’re usually generalist, so they need to know about a wide range of subjects such as law, policy, geology and planning and how they apply to environmental problems and solutions. Knowledge can be accumulated by education, training and experience. 

Keeping up to date

Environmental management is a rapidly changing field. There is always something new to get grips with. It is important for EMPs to keep up to date with the latest requirements. For example, a fair amount of an EMP’s work sometimes involves environmental law, and this seems to change at a rapid pace and must be understood to give competent advice. 

Effective communicator

Having good communication skills is a must. Even if a practitioner has good knowledge of the discipline, getting the message across succinctly and clearly is a great skill to possess. It is often the case that we are trying to get the message across to those who do not have specialist knowledge and sometimes have limited interest. Make the message relevant to what motivates; the message might be different for various job roles such as operational staff to a board of directors.

Being objective not subjective

It is important to provide fact-based evidence. For example, when talking about environmental problems such as climate change, the science speaks for itself. If we take the emotion out of the argument and provide fact-based information in an interesting way, then this will help gain support. I often say on courses after presenting the science surrounding an environmental issue, that it is down to the individual to interpret what this means to them. I feel this approach is less ‘preach’, more ‘teach’! The data should shine through, and the person works it out for themself.

Backup with a reputable source

EMPs often must provide advice at various levels, whether it’s a quick chat in a corridor to writing a long, complex report, it is a big part of the job. It is essential when advising to refer to reputable sources of information such as the law, standards and good practice guidance. 

For example, by quoting reputable sources, it is not just you saying that a situation is poor; it is recognised as being poor by others as well, which adds gravitas to conclusions. For example, you notice that waste management is poor and mention this in an audit report, but if you state that it breaches the law and why, then the issue is more likely to be dealt with and the environmental impact minimised.

Final Note

This was just a brief post to get across what I think are some important skills for an EMP. I am sure there are others! What is an effective skill will vary to a certain extent, as not all EMPs will undertake the same role. But if you can master having a strong knowledge base, effective communication, being objective and using quality recognised information sources to backup your views, then you’ll be someway to becoming a good environmental management practitioner!

John Binns BSc (Hons), MSc, MIEMA

John Binns BSc (Hons) MSc MIEMA is an experienced  environmental tutor and consulta