When a project draws a community’s concern, successful completion is measured almost as much by public perception as by the end of construction. That makes community engagement an essential step for any sensitive project, beginning at the very early stages, way before the first piece of equipment rolls onto the site. Yet, it is often either perceived as less of a priority compared to other elements of a project, or disregarded entirely.

Failure to initiate a comprehensive community engagement strategy commonly results in:

  • A public response based on incomplete facts or a misunderstanding of the facts.
  • Insufficient dialog taking place to answer questions and address concerns.
  • A frustrated community that is expressing their concerns through:
    • Complaints to their local, state, or federal government representatives,
    • Seeking the attention of news media,
    • Airing their grievances through social media.

This article highlights the elements that are the key to effective community engagement.

What is a sensitive project

When asked this question, I typically answer it this way: A sensitive project is any planned endeavor that has the potential to concern a community. It is visible, disruptive, and to some degree controversial.

The types of projects run the gamut from building critical infrastructure or facilities to remediating legacy environmental impacts. Every project is going to have a few detractors.

Community Engagement
Getting a 100% positive reaction is improbable. But engaging with 100% of the community can make the difference between a project that is accepted and one that is scorned, and even the difference between whether the project moves forward or not.

 

What is community engagement

All under the strategic communications umbrella, community engagement is a hybrid approach of public affairs and community relations. Let’s look at the Public Affairs Council’s definitions for both of these disciplines.

  1. Public affairs is an organization’s strategy to monitor, manage and impact its business environment. It integrates government affairs; advocacy; communications; environmental, social and corporate governance; and issues management to influence public policy, build a strong brand and find common ground with stakeholders.
  2. Community relations is a functional strategy designed to improve and maintain a company’s reputation and relationships in the communities in which it operates. Community relations involves developing programs that benefit society and build mutual trust and understanding. These initiatives are generally viewed as essential for promoting long-term business goals.

You can find the definitions and more on the Public Affairs Council website. But let’s look at the key steps in community engagement:

Step One: Do the research, know the community

Knowledge is the root of all solutions. Understanding the community as thoroughly as possible makes you better prepared to:

  • Plan the project’s schedule;
  • Understand the perspectives of persons who live and work in the community; and
  • Address, as much as possible, the elements of the project that will be most concerning to the public – before those concerns become issues.

Being prepared with knowledge of the community allows you to anticipate the issues and react proactively. When you can operate proactively, rather than reactively, you are in control.

It is important to be in the right headspace for this kind of research by accepting a simple but important fact: Every community is different; not understanding the importance of those differences leads to confusion and distrust.

Now let’s take a look at two key community elements to research.

  • The key stakeholders – Every community has its leaders. Some are standard, such as the mayor and council. Others come in the form of a local nonprofit or neighborhood association. Solid research will identify those leaders who are catalysts for community activism, and who are trusted, influential voices – even if they don’t have an official title or affiliation.
  • The sensitive receptors – Knowing the projects and other issues that have sensitized the community can provide a wealth of information to forecast what sort of pitfalls your project may encounter. Missteps by prior projects could lead to assumptions about your approach, making your project becoming collateral damage of pre-existing community attitudes. Don’t just look at projects similar to yours. The sensitive receptors could be a completely different kind of construction, or even local environmental concerns. Whatever it was, if it sensitized the community, if it led to opposition, then it is relevant to understanding the preconceptions that will shape public attitudes toward your project.

A note about AI and research: It can be a very effective research tool and there are steadfast best practices on how best to utilize it. But AI outputs are only as good as the information it pulls from. Check the sources, substantiate the assumptions, and confirm the conclusions.

Step Two: Build your plan, work your plan

An effective and strategic community engagement plan is built on a strong foundation of research. No two communities are the same, and no two plans will be the same. Ensure the right stakeholders are included, the sensitive receptors are considered, and the appropriate communications tools and approaches are utilized to reach community members on their terms, within their comfort level.

Step Three: Conduct tiered engagement

Every stakeholder is important and should be treated as such. But there are logical reasons why information is shared to some before others.

Back in my early government affairs days, a mayor gave me a simple piece of advice: “Whatever you do, don’t surprise me. I never want to hear something about your company from a constituent that I didn’t know about from you first.”

Starting the information chain with the official community leaders, i.e. the elected officials, first demonstrates respect for leadership and allows you to test the waters about what you know before reaching the broader public.

Following that communication with outreach to other community leaders and influencers is an appropriate second tier, and then transition to full outreach.

Step Four: Practice Clear, transparent, effective communications

It is OK to not have all of the answers. Saying I don’t know, I will get back to you, never hurt anyone, as long as you do the follow-up. Misspeaking, however, has gotten many people in trouble. The perception will be it is a lie, even if that wasn’t the intent, and lies kill credibility.

Truth, facts, empathy, and personal authenticity is the perfect recipe for effective communications. When developing your messaging and when responding, lead with empathy. Start by viewing the issue through the eyes of others. In conversation, acknowledge – and never dismiss – the concerns of others.

Remember this axiom often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt: “no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Bojinka Bishop wrote in an article for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “…authentic communication is the best way to build long-term trust and social capital.”

Also, check out insights on clear communications within a project from my colleague John McKeegan

Step Five: Find common ground and be willing to compromise

Restating an earlier proclamation – 100% consensus in the affirmative is unlikely, but creating opportunities to engage with 100% of a community can make the difference between a project that moves forward or not. You likely will not win everyone over, but making the attempt goes a long way. And sometimes getting a neutral stance is the best you will achieve with some.

I encourage clients to:

  • Be willing to find common ground. Concentrate on what you agree on with community members first.
  • Evaluate your project before you engage and know where you can be flexible for potential compromise before you are asked.
  • Especially during early discussions, listen more. Community members need to know, sincerely, that they are being heard.
  • Leave assumptions at the door. That is why I encourage clients not to put people into neat and tidy boxes. Descriptors like NIMBY (not in my backyard) are not helpful. Assumptions and stereotypes hinder a productive dialogue.

According to Drs. Jessie Hanson and Allan Schwartz, “When we hold preconceived notions, we often fall prey to confirmation bias, which is the tendency to seek out information that supports our existing beliefs and dismiss anything that contradicts them.” You can find their article about preconceived notions on MentalHealth.com

Step Six: Be part of the community

This is your community, whether you have been there for years or just setting up shop. You are a part of it. But it is your actions that will determine if the rest of the community feels that way.

Understanding the history, the points of pride, the events and activities that are important will allow you to make decisions and provide support in ways that no “outsider” could ever do.

Step Seven: Stay engaged, keep your promises

Back to that mayor comment from earlier in my career, “don’t surprise me.” It seemed a very easy request at the time. But it soon became apparent how challenging that simple request was given the complexity of projects and all of the moving parts. The different parties involved in a project are often in silos, communicating with each other only when required by the work they’re doing. Their focus is on the tasks that need to be done to keep the project moving forward.

Unfortunately, the lack of information flowing across the project can make your intentions go sideways. Having someone to keep an eye on what was promised, proactively provide project updates, and respond quickly to questions and concerns is very important. A project liaison who covers the community angle while the rest of the team gets the project done will keep your project out of hot water, with the mayor and everyone else who is watching to see if you keep your word.

Whether you use an internal person, or hire someone like me, it is essential to embed that person into the project team. With a seat at the table, that person will have up-to-the-minute information, will know when there are shifts in approach or project schedule, and if something goes wrong.

Step Eight: Wrapping it up

Providing strategic community engagement support for sensitive projects is a core part of H&G Public Affairs’ services, and an instrumental part of my career that has helped to shape how I view strategic communications as a whole. Our team is objectively confident in it and can quantify the benefits.

Practicing effective and strategic community engagement for a sensitive project is the most effective way to demonstrate respect for external stakeholders while maintaining credibility, and to ensure your team is viewed as the best and most credible source of information. As the old saying goes, tell your story or someone else will.

About the Author

Tom Reilly is Vice President for H&G Public Affairs, a Slice Communications company. He has nearly 30 years of experience finding meaningful ways to connect an organization to its stakeholders, developing campaigns that make complicated information accessible to real people, and building value-driven partnerships between organizations and communities. Tom has developed strategic communications approaches for clients in the utility and manufacturing industries, acted as liaison for several sensitive environmental and infrastructure projects, and has supported both crisis management planning and actual crisis event response on behalf of clients.