1. Top
Ten
Community
Engagement
Tips
Rachael
Edginton
Managing
Director
PLUM
Communica<on

2. “Tell
me
and
I
will
forget.
Show
me
and
I
will
remember.
Involve
me
and
I
will
understand.”
Confucius

3. 1.
Start
early
“Last
minute
engagement
will
end
in
tears
and
tantrums.”
 Engage
and
communicate
at
the
start
of
your
project
–
stakeholders
will
surprise
you
with
their
interest
and
knowledge
 Involve
your
communica<on
team/department
early
 Recent
audit
by
PLUM
with
a
government
department
found
90%
of
respondents
believed
they
should
engage
their
communica<ons
team
in
their
projects
‘as
early
as
possible
to
have
the
most
effec>ve
outcomes’.

4. 2.
Don’t
rush
into
marriage
Before
you
take
the
leap
make
sure
the
engagement
was
effec>ve.
 “80%
of
your
community
engagement
effort
is
in
the
planning”
Desley
Renton,
former
IAP2
global
president
Decide
Announce
Defend
Plan
Listen
Decide
Consultation Negotiation &
Partnerships

5. 3.
Be
genuine
about
wan<ng
their
opinions

6. 4.
Show
them
that
you’ve
really
listened
“Asking
people’s
opinions
is
oIen
the
first
step
in
building
a
successful
rela>onship
with
them.”
 Use
your
connec<on
to
engage
stakeholders
by
asking
genuine
ques<ons
and
listening
 Ask
them
how
they
would
like
to
be
communicated
with
 Keep
them
in
the
loop
and
always
get
back
to
them

7. 5.
Are
you
talking
to
the
right
people
and
do
you
have
a
fair
sample
of
views?

8. 6.
Have
strategies
to
keep
to
the
topic
 Don’t
waffle
on
 Develop
succinct
and
though]ul
communica<on
materials
and
speakers,
that
engage
the
audience
 An<cipate
what
your
audience
may
WANT
to
discuss,
and
have
strategies
to
ensure
you
keep
to
the
task
at
hand

9. 7.
Always
go
over
your
lessons
learnt
 Take
<me
to
learn
from
every
engagement
 Be
open
to
learning
and
to
being
honest
about
what
can
be
improved
 There
is
no
such
thing
as
failure,
just
feedback
 The
more
you
enhance
your
process,
the
beber
your
outcomes

10. 8.
Reinvigorate
“Stakeholder
fa>gue
syndrome
–
it’s
an
epidemic.”
 Stakeholder
fa<gue
can
set
in
mid
way
through
your
project
–
it’s
<me
to
invigorate!
 Use
your
storytelling
skills
–
mix
it
up
and
be
crea<ve
with
how
you
connect
with
your
stakeholders
 Tailor
your
communica<ons
to
suit
your
stakeholder
–
if
they
have
to
wade
through
a
lot
of
informa<on
only
to
find
a
small
amount
is
relevant
to
them,
they
will
get
bored
quickly!

11. 9.
Community
engagement
is
good
risk
management
 Effec<ve
community
engagement
will
help
your
organisa<on
keep
it’s
finger
on
the
community
pulse,
in
readiness
for
emerging
issues
 Your
organisa<on
can
learn
to
mi<gate
risks
and
be
prepared
to
respond
to
most
situa<ons
 Community
engagement
can
an<cipate
reputa<onal
risk
and
minimise
the
nega<ve
impacts
it
can
have
on
your
brand
and
bobom
line.

12. 10.
There
is
great
power
in
community
sen<ment
 Communities are savvy and are getting better at utilising the
power of their voices
 A passionate community can be your greatest ally
 Conduct your community engagement with clear principles
and integrity to win the respect of your audience
 Engage genuinely and consistently, and involve them in the
decision making process, and you may win their trust
 Win their trust, and win their loyalty
 The bank of goodwill will be full when you need it the most.

13. 11.
There
is
power
in
collabora<on
Compile
and
learn:
 3
interviews
with
members
or
visitors
per
week
 Email
surveys
to
targeted
audiences,
sent
at
the
same
<me
(ie:
start
with
Council
staff)
 1
under-­‐u<lised
group
engagement
per
month
(same
group
per
library)
Create
awareness:
 Shared
radio
Community
announcement
 Shared
online
viral
campaign
to
inform
of
services