Readers read, on average, 20% of the words on a webpage, according to the Nielsen Norman Group. Attention spans are getting shorter while demands on our attention are getting greater and louder, which makes it imperative for us to write better....
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People who are engaged in the practice of public engagement come to it from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives – communication, the sciences, community planning, engineering, sometimes politics – but those that are most successful almost always have one universal trait in common: the ability to truly empathize. If for ...
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The pandemic has changed all of our lives personally and professionally. The way that we now have to do our jobs with people has been the most obvious change. This profession, which has always been a generally high personal touch business, has transformed into a mostly no touch approach. And ...
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You can’t really solve the problem if the problem you’re trying to solve isn’t really the problem. (Huh?!) Understanding the needs, behaviors and beliefs of the people who will interact with the final product, service or policy that you’re trying to deliver – the problem you’re trying to solve – ...
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A state government agency head that we’re acquainted with recently announced that all of their public meetings will now be held only on Zoom; no longer in person. A pretty dumb policy in our estimation. Online engagement has grown the reach of government exponentially – no doubt it’s changed the ...
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Recognizing that much of the past year has been tough for many of us, it’s time to turn to one of the funniest human beings on the planet (at least I think so) for as much comic relief as we can handle. Welcome to Dave Barry’s Christmas Gift Guide.
Wendy, ...
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As people become more polarized and it gets increasingly difficult to have or facilitate ugly conversations, we as the potential peacemakers have to tune in better to how we manage ourselves and respond to these encounters. This is a simple little technique that I learned some time ago and have ...
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Public speaking is the single biggest fear for most people – people tend to list public speaking as more frightening than death. When most people get in front of a group, nerves tend to shift your brain into overdrive and your speed increases without you being consciously aware of it. ...
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Trust is the lubricant that allows families, friends, groups, societies, governments and economies to function. We know that the level of trust in institutions of all kinds has been falling for years, but now we see more evidence that trust is failing everywhere. It won’t be easy to reverse this ...
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Engaging and involving people starts with being able to communicate with them. If you can’t effectively accomplish that, don’t bother. The challenge starts with finding out who they are, understanding what they know and learning how best to reach them. The responsibility of communicating with them rests with you, not ...
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