The word existential might be approaching overuse right now, but I think that the biggest existential threat to the work that we do with the public in democracy and for the greater good may likely be the proliferation of disinformation. Weaponized propaganda and bull$#it amplified by the current cultural climate, ...
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I told you my story of the pants at the top of this blog which, I hope, helps clarify the importance of the myriad of non-verbal factors involved in conveying knowledge and nurturing understanding in others. Because so much of the work that you do involves working with groups, those ...
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Someone that I was working with recently suggested, in a snarky kind of way, that engaging the public boils down to just being nice to them. Of course, there’s a teensy more to it than that which prompted a conversation about the meaning of nice. We all know nice people; ...
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This very simple, very short read makes clear, important points about the dichotomy between what we say and what others hear. We’ve said for a long time that communication, especially with a concerned and often skeptical public, has far less to do with what you’re saying but has everything to ...
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You probably remember the story of the collapse of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia this summer that was expected to result in a local traffic nightmare for at least months while the fix was planned and executed. Instead, the repair was accomplished and traffic restored in astonishingly record ...
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… because I have a pretty cool vinyl collection. So, before he actually saw it in action, I found myself trying to explain what this thing was and how it worked to one of my grandkids. And that then led to me trying to explain tape – 8-tracks, cassettes, and ...
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We’re living in a time of relentless talk where we’re encouraged to continually spew our opinions (and photos of most of our meals) through social media. And broadcast infotainment and angertainment is populated by any number of talking heads, many of whom clearly have their sphincters on the pulse of ...
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According to the Pew Research Center, 16% is the pathetic number of Americans who say they trust the federal government always or most of the time. That’s among the lowest level in seven decades. Lowest level in seven decades. That may not be the best news for this democracy. ...
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So, I was lined up in my position at an airport gate the other day and one of the people waiting in front of me used the term “airport vultures,” meaning people waiting to board who crowd the gate regardless of where their seats are or when their boarding position ...
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A lot of the work that’s done with the public is just generally difficult. Jobs with the greatest burnout have always seemed to be those in the service industry – servers, retail employees, catering to everyday people. So it stands to reason that successfully facilitating people in meetings that deal ...
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