Public participation is grounded in the premise that people who are affected by a decision have a right to have something to say about that decision. I’ve generally presumed that we, in America, shared a fundamental belief that the public’s interest is the foundation of a functioning democracy. And that premise around the greater good… read more →
Most of what’s written and discussed about public participation these days emphasizes online engagement and that’s understandable. It’s still new enough, organizations are able to reach an exponentially larger audience, and users’ comfort level and convenience continues to grow. But the rules aren’t really any different than they’ve always been; it’s still the relationship business… read more →
Sitting around knitting toaster covers the other night, I was thinking about what Fiona Hill and Newsweek magazine both are calling America’s Cold Civil War. The overall lack of empathy on display is beyond anything we’ve seen. It’s more than apparent that those of us who see other people as not just wrong but evil… read more →
We’ve said this before but it bears repeating: many of the pieces that we include in this newsletter are written from and for the perspective of profit making businesses. Companies usually need to worry about their credibility, profitability and competitive advantage. Government? Not so much. But given the continuing decline in trust, in expertise and… read more →
By most credible measurements, government continues its downward spiral as the least trusted of institutions by most people. But public servants might take heart in the fact that media (news) isn’t far behind in its loss of credibility. The partisan divide – meaning who on the political spectrum does or doesn’t trust media – is… read more →
I know I talk too much. We all talk too much. We’re in a period of time where everybody has an electronic bullhorn in their hands all the time. Everybody’s talking and damn few people are actually listening. So, we talk about active listening here quite a bit; a necessary skill to develop for public… read more →
Are You Informed? If you’re at all familiar with the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Public Participation Spectrum, you know that the listed range of public influence level categories begins with ‘Inform’. And if you learned about the Spectrum from a licensed IAP2 instructor, you should also have learned that just ‘informing’ people, in… read more →
Facilitation Tips and Belonging to a Gang? I belong to a motorcycle gang. I’m also in a bicycle club. I never go to the meetings, I don’t actually know many of the other respective members, and I don’t usually see them unless we meet on the road, but we have a bond and a code… read more →
What is Normal? A constantly changing normal is the new normal. When you think about it, you realize that time changes all of us and makes the previously odd or out of place common and more acceptable. Consider fashion, music, or attitudes about right, wrong, fairness or honesty. Change happens, and people and their values… read more →
Does Good Governance Require Care? Melania Trump went to the border to look at the kids several days ago and wore a jacket with the above word graphic on the back. The rest of us are left to wonder; was it supposed to be a statement of solidarity, a protest, another distraction, a nothing-burger –… read more →