What is Normal? A constantly changing normal is the new normal. When you think about it, you realize that time changes all of us and makes the previously odd or out of place common and more acceptable. Consider fashion, music, or attitudes about right, wrong, fairness or honesty. Change happens, and people and their values… read more →
Does Good Governance Require Care? Melania Trump went to the border to look at the kids several days ago and wore a jacket with the above word graphic on the back. The rest of us are left to wonder; was it supposed to be a statement of solidarity, a protest, another distraction, a nothing-burger –… read more →
A Strategic Communications Plan Would Have Avoided Conflict A lack of communication by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) appears to have been a key factor in U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro’s decision to dismiss charges filed by the federal government against Cliven Bundy earlier this year. A clearly written and followed strategic communications… read more →
Power Balance Requires a Facilitator Role The subject of Power is so vast that it’s hard to tackle from any angle. Power is the warp and weft in the tapestry of human history. Power grabs, power imbalances, abuses of power, struggles against power. The subject is just as ubiquitous today as it was during the… read more →
I really do try to steer clear of the pure politics of public policy issues but it’s impossible to ignore the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the gutsy response of the #NeverAgain surviving students and now the blowback of people demonizing those courageous,articulate kids online and in traditional media. And I’ll admit… read more →
This summer, we surveyed IAP2 leaders and practitioners about the condition of our field in 2016, and the public participation survey results are in. In fact, we presented those today during our 2016 IAP2 North American Conference session, titled “Over Our Dead Body.” If you were in attendance, you might want to refer back to… read more →
Our partner, Dr. Marty Rozelle, recently wrote an article on dialogue in community involvement and the importance of listening to others. Well, I consider myself a professional listener, so I thought I’d expand on that. With my community involvement work, I do a lot of listening to others … Every couple of weeks I listen… read more →
The dictionary defines the verb trolling as making “a deliberately offensive or provocative online post with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them.” We all experience this and the more we use online dialogue and public input in community involvement, the more doors we open to these trolls to disrupt… read more →