The idea of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is not just under attack in the U.S., it’s in the process of annihilation. It’s been repackaged and branded, along with the term “woke”, as vile concepts that have no place in society. And, as of this writing, the concept of empathy ...
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Gloom, despair and agony is pretty easy to wallow in for a lot of peple these days, but if you pay attention, there is light at the end of the tunnel....
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In working with one of the advisory type groups that I facilitate, there are frequent occasions when invited speakers are given a finite amount of time to present whatever information needs to be shared with our folks.

This often poses a challenge because: (1) experts love to talk at length ...
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I think I’ve been surveyed beyond exhaustion for quite some time now. Every major and minor encounter results in a text or email asking for my feedback (to serve me better), and unless I’m either joyfully giddy or mad enough to sue, I tend to ignore it. Don’t ...
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You talk too much. We all do. Culture has evolved and social media has given everyone a handheld megaphone. Fleeting thoughts take on an importance that must be immediately shared with the rest of humanity.

As a result, everyone’s talking and few people are hearing much of what they’re saying. ...
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Urban cores are changing. When people started evacuating offices in favor of working in the hinterlands and exurbs, downtowns changed overnight. Although employers are trying to entice some people back into offices, nobody believes that urban cores will ever be quite what they were pre-pandemic. But what these buildings, spaces ...
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Involving the public is a lot of trouble, but often not nearly as much trouble as not involving them. The way this particular issue was handled might have been a simple oversight; it might just have been an overzealous administrator just trying to get the job done. But the perception ...
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Cookies have sometimes been the bane of my professional life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of warm, chewy, nutty, chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies, and I love almost all Christmas cookies. There are emergency Girl Scout Thin Mint sleeves and Tagalongs in my freezer, and I sometimes have ...
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The most useful tool to ever come out of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) was actually “gifted” to the organization, and us, by the three people who created it. Two of our longtime friends and colleagues, Dr. Marty Rozelle and Lewis Michaelson, and TPC partner, Doug Sarno – ...
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PublicInput is a software company that recently released the results of their survey on current trends in public involvement. Keep in mind that this is from a for-profit business, but you might find some of the reported trends interesting, particularly numbers four and five....
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