Community meetings, town halls, open forums. There was a time when many community relations practitioners recommended them as the best way to connect with large groups of stakeholders. Nowadays they appear to have become a tool of last resort. What happened?  There are many contributing factors but what they have […]

The world of social media and online engagement is ever changing, with new trends, platforms and algorithms popping up all the time. Have you ever stopped to think about how many platforms, services and products are out there? Many of the larger ones like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn […]

ICYMI (in case you missed it), acronyms are seemingly everywhere these days. It’s rare to receive a text or message on social media that is short a FOMO, YOLO or IKR. But while some of us are down with the most efficient way possible to tell someone they only like […]

The role of communication and stakeholder engagement in the delivery of projects has rapidly evolved over the past 20 years. This has mainly been a response to increased community participation, triggered in turn by legislative change and greater social awareness.  Those tasked with managing such projects have adapted their approach […]

As community engagement practitioners we sometimes find ourselves wedged in that ‘inform’ part of the IAP2 Spectrum where we’re tasked with delivering tough news to people with little scope for them to influence a project or decision that will affect their lives and/or livelihoods. While the given project or decision […]

From online dating to menus, spelling is one of the first things that you’ll be judged on by a prospective partner or stakeholder. And just like they’ll keep swiping if you are “luveing” life and enjoy a few “quite drinks”, so too will your stakeholders if your communication is punctuated […]

Writing in plain English doesn’t mean “dumbing things down” or patronising your audience. Plain English style is intentionally less complicated, minus all confusing technical jargon and replaces them with clear, concise words. Permitting the reader to understand the intent of the message and resonate with it the first time its […]

In a world full of electronic communications, is there still a place for the good old-fashioned doorknock?  When it comes to community engagement, we know that there are a number of inexpensive methods we can use. We have social media, dedicated websites and QR codes linked to online surveys to […]

When illustrating the benefit of sustained stakeholder engagement, we sometimes talk about ‘occasional’ vs. ‘constant’ mates.  What does this mean? Somewhere in your inner circle of friends and family, there is probably someone who drifts in and out of your life, perhaps only showing up when they need something. You […]

We’ve all been there, typing away in our daily communications, questioning whether to let those letters soar high as capitals or keep them grounded as lower case. And let’s face it, we see people committing capital sins all the time…. From those who feel the need to put EVERY WORD […]