The public involvement meeting world has changed. The days of packing school cafeterias with people stuffed together into folding chairs munching cookies is gone for the immediate future. But life does go on and our engagement goes on online. Here are some helpful tips. Read more
At the risk of offending redheads (please send your comments and death threats to Doug at Sarno@TheParticipationCompany.com), I must point out that probably the least considered and prioritized core value of authentic public participation is IAP2’s #7: Public participation communicates to participants how their input affected the decision. It’s the one that tends to get… read more →
The death of George Floyd launched a rocket under the seven-year-old Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and nothing suggests it will fade from public consciousness anytime soon. But at some point we’ll need to decide what happens beyond just the protests. More than a year ago, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County North Carolina started putting talk… read more →
Our managing pardner Debra Duerr has some personal thoughts on the role of a citizen. Those of us in the public participation business will always remember the citizen activist we met on every project – the person with boundless energy who resisted, shouted, provoked, forced a different way of thinking, and ultimately created a better… read more →
Given the still rising number of new COVID-19 cases in most of the U.S., it’s pretty obvious that we’re going to be in quarantine mode for the foreseeable future, which means that most face-to-face public events will still be held virtually for a while. We’ve used various checklists for real time public meetings in the… read more →
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington says wearing face masks reduces transmission of the COVID virus by as much as 50%. There’s really no debate about that by anyone credible. So, as infections are now doubling in some recently reopened states, one might think that convincing people to… read more →
Lord Acton is known to have said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” David Brin later said, “… it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible.” The genesis of public engagement is based on people’s right to some influence on the decisions that have an effect on their lives. A key challenge… read more →
As the following story says, just when we most need to connect to people on an interpersonal basis, that’s the last thing we can safely do. Here are some ideas about staying humanly connected while still staying as safe as possible. Read More …
I struggled with how to start this newsletter but I’ve been thinking about Allen Saunders’ quote (often attributed to John Lennon): “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Prescient, considering Lennon’s murder and appropriate now with COVID-19, our new Pearl Harbor or 911. I guess it’s as good a place… read more →
I’m sure that my first grade teacher, Sister Mary Mercy, wouldn’t happy if she caught me saying this but let’s face it, some people are just jerks. Look, I’m a committed believer and practitioner of respecting people’s opinions and treating others with civility, regardless of how they honestly feel or how misinformed they might be. But the fact is, there are people who are just full of B.S., and dealing with them is a challenge. I finally found an idea. Read More …