The power of verbatim in reporting

We’re big fans of using verbatim quotations as part of our engagement practice. Too often we’re told by stakeholders that they don’t feel heard or listened to. Organisations failing to act on what’s been agreed to is a big part of that. But another, and equally important part, is that stakeholders want to “hear” and “see” themselves in the decision that’s been made.

A really simple way to do this is to use verbatim in reporting, literally quoting what stakeholders have said during a workshop, a focus group, in an interview or survey. Using a stakeholder’s own words as evidence, as explanation and to deepen understanding of an issue, not only gives them a powerful voice in the consultation but it’s difficult for them to refute later.

We love verbatim because it allows a range of voices and perspectives to be heard. It adds colour and vibrancy to a text-heavy report as well as transparency. Verbatim quotes can support quantitative data to justify commentary and insights and help avoid accusations of inaccuracy.

Of course, this means selecting verbatim quotes that fairly reflect the issue or topic up for discussion and not “cherry-picking” quotes that best illustrate the organisation’s view. Verbatim also offers insights into the emotions and motivations that flavour stakeholder perceptions, allowing the stakeholder’s own words to show anger, frustration, cynicism, hope, appreciation, contempt, enthusiasm among so many others.

Publishing verbatim quotes also helps stakeholders buy-in to the decision being made. If they can see themselves reflected in the reporting, in the words used, the discussion, the arguments, then it’s far more likely they will feel they’ve been considered and included in the decision-making. It’s the difference between saying “80% of people in the community supported reducing the size of the bins” and instead attributing a quote to a 35-year-old female resident who said “I love the idea of a smaller bin. It will really help my family focus on doing what we can to reduce waste around the home and be more careful with recycling”.

Neither are wrong, but the latter tells us so much more about what reducing a bin size can do for a family. We learnt that reducing a bin size motivates them to divert waste, it tells us that they need help to be mindful about recycling, and their language tells us they’re passionate about wanting to do the right thing.

Now, while we love quotes, it is still important to apply some insights and commentary to tell the story. A report full of quotes may as well be a transcript and not everyone has time to read that. Just like in journalism, quotes should be golden and used sparingly. The same rule applies to verbatim quoting in consultation reporting. They need to be used with purpose and to provide a deeper level of understanding to help inform decision-making.