Community meetings

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 in common is this – in a room full of voices and ideas, large community meetings can leave many people feeling unheard, frustrated and more confused about a project.  

So, if you do have large number of stakeholders coming together, what should you consider?

Firstly, what’s the purpose of the meeting? A pretty obvious initial question but one regularly skipped. Is it to communicate a message to a hard-to-reach audience? Is it to gather responses to a proposal? Is it to respond to queries?

Your answer sets the expectations of those participating. Clearly stating the purpose of the engagement in the invitation will help with the mechanics of a meeting.

Once they’re there, consider how you want attendees to participate or better, how they might want to take part.  

Your choice of facilitator is critical to whether everyone feels they can play a part. A facilitator who listens and adapts, shows empathy, can advocate for all and keep proceedings focussed on the agenda creates a ‘safe’ and accessible space for all. 

When everyone has a chance to have their voice heard, free of obstruction and the judgement of others, then your original purpose should be realised.  

Of course, not everyone in the room has to agree for the meeting to be a success. But if you can be satisfied the views given are truly representative, you can be confident you have a firm foundation from which to move things forward.

Paul Jackson, Senior Communications and Engagement Consultant