FPRA - Florida Public Relations Association Blog

The dictionary describes convergence as “Coming together from different directions.” In public relations today, we must artfully bring people together for consensus, understanding and, eventually, execution of strategy. David Voss discusses how to learn to listen effectively and facilitate engagement forums of diverse communities to build consensus.

This session has approximately 40 attendees.

Convergence is another tool to help you reach your public relations goals

Levels of PR
1. Press relations
2. Public information
3. Persuasion
4. Engagement – listening to audiences, involving public, reaching consensus, sharing responsibility

The case for engagement
- successful implementation of change
- acceptance of programs, services, products
- new funding for programs, operations and facilities
- intro new product or service
- recruit partners, volunteers
- improve leadership, staff buy-in
- reaffirm public role in democracy
- survival for CEOs, board members, executives

Need for community engagement
- four needs, for community, consumer understanding of:
- understanding
- trust
- permission
- support
“We need to build a conversation. If we don’t, they will have the final word. Always have. Always will.” – Jamie Volmer, education consultant

Engagement challenges
- leader’s role, personality
- limited time, human resources
- extends process to action
- messy, can be confrontational
- balance board member roles of public representative and trustee
- see same people over and over
- under-represented constituents

(Note: David says you will have to accept the fact that you won’t ever reach EVERYONE, but hopefully there will be some change, and that for example the small vocal minority will quiet down because they are tempered by the fact that they are not popular)

Engagement tools
- community conversations
- study circles
- focus groups
- surveys, polling, phone notification systems
- use web to deliver, take info, blogs – (note: David says blogs and using web as part of engagement is only another way of offering opportunities for feedback, but there’s no way to scientifically analyze. Just because you have a blog doesn’t mean you have public engagement, so he doesn’t really care for them, and would prefer that those resources be used in tools that create conversations and provide feedback and follow-up)
- report results, take action, give feedback

Engagement tips
- ask board members to ID people for special invitations
- advertise widely for more participants
- do personal follow-up from board members
- look for “holes” among populations
- use outside (professional) facilitators
- use questions that generate conversation
- provide feedback and follow-up

Possible results of engagement
- stop wasting $ on things that won’t work
- acceptance of reforms
- attendance at events
- more involvement in solutions
- form communicators network – building voices on the street, rumor control from citizens
- impact on board policy
- e-newsletters, build database
- form citizen adcademy, bring them closer to you, the more they know…
- conduct campaigns, ie parent involvement in schools, crime watch, senior services, referendum, capital campaigns

(Note: David engaged parents and teachers in a very successful campaign in Volusia County last year, and they came to the conclusion that parents were not involved enough. But just telling them that would not work. They were/are disengaged. All the research out there has shown that the more parents are involved in their children’s education, the higher the students will achieve, so that was the goal for this program. The Be There program in Volusia County, www.BeThere.org will continue to be evaluated in the coming school year, and will go statewide this fall.)

Invest in communications
(Percent of operating budget in communications)
- Proctor & Gamble, 35%
- Service industry, 15%
- Education, less than 0.1 of 1%
- What’s your percentage?

People tell us to run schools more like a business….

Questions for engagement
- do you have a community engagement policy?
- what are the priority issues to engage in?
- how can you engage your constituents?
- What kind of help do you need?

At this point in the session, David asked the group to break into small groups and “engage” with each other and talk about their own organization’s projects/campaigns and what they were doing, what worked, what didn’t work, etc. A VERY lively discussion to put it mildly! He had trouble bringing the group back to order.

Participant comments to:

How did it feel?” (engaging)
“You knew you were communicating when you got questions back, and that felt good.”
“It feels good to talk and to know that you are being heard.”

Did you learn anything?
“Going to the audience rather than have them come to you.”

How would you describe value of your engagement?
“The whole cause, org, etc. is lifted up.”

Engagement IS the next step in our jobs.

For more information:

David R. Voss
- www.vossandassociates.net
- david@vossandassociates.net
- (941) 366-4845