Top  Ten  Community  Engagement  Tips  

Rachael  Edginton  Managing  Director  PLUM  Communica<on  

“Tell  me  and  I  will  forget.    Show  me  and  I  will  remember.    

Involve  me  and  I  will  understand.”    

Confucius    

1.    Start  early  “Last  minute  engagement  will  end  in  tears  and  tantrums.”  

 Engage  and  communicate    at  the  start  of  your  project  –    stakeholders  will  surprise  you  with  their  interest  and  knowledge  

 Involve  your  communica<on  team/department  early  

 Recent  audit  by  PLUM  with  a  government  department  found  90%  of  respondents  believed  they  should  engage  their  communica<ons  team  in  their  projects  ‘as  early  as    possible  to  have  the  most  effec>ve  outcomes’.    

2.    Don’t  rush  into  marriage    

Before  you  take  the  leap  make  sure  the  engagement  was  effec>ve.  

 “80%  of  your  community  engagement  effort  is  in  the  planning”  Desley  Renton,  former  IAP2  global  president  

Decide  Announce  Defend  

Consultation Negotiation & Partnerships

Plan  Listen  Decide  

3.  Be  genuine  about  wan<ng  their  opinions  

4.    Show  them  that  you’ve  really  listened  

“Asking  people’s  opinions  is  oIen  the    first  step  in  building  a  successful    rela>onship  with  them.”    

 Use  your  connec<on  to  engage    stakeholders  by  asking  genuine    ques<ons  and  listening    

 Ask  them  how  they  would  like  to  be    communicated  with  

 Keep  them  in  the  loop  and  always  get  back  to  them  

5.  Are  you  talking  to  the  right  people  and  do  you  have  a  fair  sample  of  views?  

6.  Have  strategies  to  keep  to  the  topic  

  Don’t  waffle  on  

  Develop  succinct  and  though]ul  communica<on  materials  and  speakers,  that  engage  the  audience    

  An<cipate  what  your  audience  may  WANT  to  discuss,  and  have  strategies  to  ensure  you  keep  to  the  task  at  hand  

7.  Always  go  over  your  lessons  learnt    

  Take  <me  to  learn  from  every  engagement  

  Be  open  to  learning  and  to  being  honest  about  what  can  be  improved    

  There  is  no  such  thing  as  failure,    just  feedback  

  The  more  you  enhance  your  process,  the  beber  your  outcomes    

8.    Reinvigorate  

“Stakeholder  fa>gue  syndrome    –  it’s  an  epidemic.”    

 Stakeholder  fa<gue  can  set  in    mid  way  through  your  project    –  it’s  <me  to  invigorate!    

 Use  your  storytelling  skills  –    mix  it  up  and  be  crea<ve  with  how    you  connect  with  your  stakeholders  

 Tailor  your  communica<ons  to  suit  your  stakeholder  –    if  they  have  to  wade  through  a  lot  of  informa<on  only    to  find  a  small  amount  is  relevant  to  them,  they    will  get  bored  quickly!  

9.  Community  engagement  is  good  risk  management  

  Effec<ve  community  engagement  will  help  your  organisa<on  keep  it’s  finger  on  the  community  pulse,  in  readiness  for  emerging  issues    

  Your  organisa<on  can  learn  to  mi<gate  risks  and  be  prepared  to  respond  to  most  situa<ons  

  Community  engagement  can  an<cipate  reputa<onal  risk  and  minimise  the  nega<ve  impacts  it  can  have  on  your  brand  and  bobom  line.    

10.  There  is  great  power  in  community  sen<ment  

  Communities are savvy and are getting better at utilising the power of their voices

  A passionate community can be your greatest ally

  Conduct your community engagement with clear principles and integrity to win the respect of your audience

  Engage genuinely and consistently, and involve them in the decision making process, and you may win their trust

  Win their trust, and win their loyalty

  The bank of goodwill will be full when you need it the most.

11.  There  is  power    in  collabora<on  

Compile  and  learn:  

  3  interviews  with  members                                                                                    or  visitors  per  week  

  Email  surveys  to  targeted  audiences,  sent  at  the  same  <me  (ie:  start  with  Council  staff)  

  1  under-­‐u<lised  group  engagement  per  month  (same  group  per  library)  

Create  awareness:  

  Shared  radio  Community  announcement    

  Shared  online  viral  campaign  to  inform  of  services