Nobody changes the minds of others; people change their own minds. Nobody talks you into anything – you decide. Consensus and compromise are how big things actually get done and that comes about when people are able to collaborate and change their minds to some degree. This requires people with varying mindsets to come to… read more →
Government officials started calling the public customers several years ago which, I guess, was an homage to the pressure that “government needs to run like a business”, which is BS because government isn’t, and isn’t supposed to be, a business – but don’t get me started. We can continue this argument at a later date,… read more →
As a facilitator and evangelist of civil discourse, it gives me no pleasure to say that civil discourse feels dead – at least in national politics. The general national malaise that we now read and hear about (depression, drug and alcohol abuse) has happened before, so I’m going to believe we’ll get through it like… read more →
To many people, government is this big, scary, secret and intimidating institution run by a bunch of robotic bureaucrats. There are consequences for that perception – that government has allowed to fester – and we see those ramifications playing out now before our very eyes. Fixing the disconnect between the government and the governed needs… read more →
In an age of unchecked, professional propaganda, keeping people on edge and jumping at boogiemen and shadows is a very useful strategy. It works because we suck at judging things to be true or not. It helps to better understand where conspiracy theories come from. Read More …
Here’s the list of 20 important words that slithered into our vocabulary in the last decade. I’m not going to mansplain any of them; you’re on your own. Read More …
Here’s a slightly different perspective on one of the hottest topics that we all face these days. You’ll find eleven (11) straightforward, simple traits of people who are trusted. Read More … If you’ve paid any attention to the saga of the Boeing 737 Max 8, you probably realize that Boeing’s credibility and reputation… read more →
Now that we’re all on the usual path of New Year self-improvement, I suggest we consider the following. These verbal tics are easy to pick up; it’s time for all of us to lose ‘em. Read More …
If you’ve worked in public engagement for a while, you should seriously consider the process of becoming an International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Certified Public Participation Practitioner (CP3) or even a Master Certified Public Participation Practitioner (MCP3). My partner, Doug Sarno, and I were two of the first three guinea pigs to complete this… read more →
We spend a lot of time thinking about how people think…or not. Or more precisely how people feel as opposed to think. It’s often tough for thinking people to wrap their heads around people’s emotions and feelings, and apparently Bill and Elon think/feel the same way. But I think (feel) you’ll find the graphic that… read more →