Albert Einstein said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Pretty smart idea – I’m surprised that guy didn’t make more of himself. Changing opinions and positions is so hard for most people because opinions become part of our identity – they’re who we are. So getting people to stop believing lies has… read more →
Criticizing, debating and railing at the government has been a favorite hobby of people the world over since government was invented. Now, in some times and places this might result in losing your actual, personal head, but thankfully we’re not there yet – as of today. As public trust in government continues to depreciate, that… read more →
Regardless of the purpose or size of any meeting that you’re managing, there are a few things that need to happen right away – like now. First, people have to feel comfortable and welcome and you need to make sure that happens. Second, people need to know why they’re there; don’t let them wonder why… read more →
A common pushback we hear against doing effective public participation is that it just takes too long. Organizations hate the idea of letting the public, especially their critics, slow their plans and the process down. If people would just leave us alone, things would go so much better and when it’s done, everybody will see… read more →
The events of January 6th scared a lot of us – it should have scared every one of us. In this unbalanced time, we need to remember that democracy is based on balance and equilibrium and the secret sauce is the involvement of its citizens. You’ll find this, along with a couple of freebies that… read more →
I’ve said before that the COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest and most consequential risk communication failure of our time. Assessing relative risk is something that most of us do almost every day – can I make this left turn in time, do I buy the cheaper or the organic apples, should I get this… read more →
2020 was a year for the books, and given the events of the past few weeks in the U.S., it feels like 2021 is already nine months old. But the tone from the top is changing and that’s not a small thing. We’re seeing a remarkable contrast in the temperature of the words being used… read more →
Trust is no longer a foregone conclusion; in fact, organizations are safe to assume to be starting from a position of mistrust. So if you know you’re trusted by someone, guard it and nurture it faithfully. Missteps require making amends, but sometimes that won’t be enough or won’t result in any immediate change. Be patient,… read more →
It’s easy to think that the political and public polarization of this country is a fairly recent phenomenon, but it isn’t; we’ve seen it steadily growing for a long time. It just took a few people with talent for propaganda and promotion to more clearly define the tribes, identify the enemies and light the match.… read more →
Have too many of us lost the ability to think critically? Maybe. One of the toughest challenges that we face is finding and agreeing on common, evidence-based facts. We’ll never agree on the truth until we can do that. Public engagement requires a collective, common understanding of information – thus the Inform level of the… read more →