The Latest

Creating Transformational (not Transactional) Experiences When Engaging Residents

What comes to mind when you think of a transformational experience? 

Here’s what it likely does not look like: Filling out a survey; being handed an information card; or responding to a public notice.  

Community engagement practices can often feel transactional: the community is a source of information and the goal is to retrieve that information to design the ideal solution. We say thank you and then move on. 

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7 Steps to Repair Relationships For Stronger Community Engagment

What should you do when history, tensions or conflicts get in the way of ongoing community engagement that is in any way authentic and meaningful? 

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Why You Should Always Share Your Results

The part of the community change process that gets dropped most often is all that comes after the work is done. We host an event and then don’t do the debrief. We coordinate a year-long community of practice but don’t capture the way the meetings have impacted people. We convene neighbours for a community gathering and work day but don’t share how we did it and why people came.

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The Opposite of Boring: Eight Things to Care About when Hosting A Community Consultation

I think I might be experiencing some consultation fatigue. When an in-person consultation comes up in my community I have full intention of attending. I have opinions I am eager to share. I even RSVP. But I mostly don’t end up going. Then the full effects of cognitive dissonance set in.

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Reading the Digital Body Language of your Community Members

My background is in the world of marketing and specifically in the field of marketing automation where the focus is on having meaningful interactions with customers online based on the digital cues they provide. This is called reading their ‘digital body language’.

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Online Community Engagement: Is the Data Valid?

Community engagement processes have evolved significantly in the past 15 years with the creation of online engagement methods to complement traditional in-person community engagement. Now, it is common for online community engagement – through online surveys, polling, forums, social media, discussion groups, etc. – to make up a significant portion of engagement activities. The benefits of online engagement are real: the increased breadth of participation, being able to reach people on their own schedule, and reduced costs of printing and distribution, to name just a few.

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