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Emotional Audiences

Emotional Audiences. Today’s Session. Fearful Audiences Angry Audiences Preventing Angry Audiences. Format. Some Institute thoughts Your thoughts and experiences Videos What have you seen be effective? Resources. About ILG. 501(c)(3) research organization Program areas Funding

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Emotional Audiences

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  1. Emotional Audiences

  2. Today’s Session • Fearful Audiences • Angry Audiences • Preventing Angry Audiences

  3. Format • Some Institute thoughts • Your thoughts and experiences • Videos • What have you seen be effective? • Resources

  4. About ILG • 501(c)(3) research organization • Program areas • Funding • Key resource: www.ca-ilg.org

  5. Handouts • Public Hearings • White Paper • Powerpoint on Website

  6. Caveat: No Silver Bullets

  7. 1. Dealing with Fear, Emergencies or Tragedies

  8. Key Principles • Express empathy • Action steps • For agency • For audience/community • Transparency

  9. Empathy • Within first 30 seconds • Acknowledge what community is feeling (frightened, anxious, confused, grief-stricken)

  10. The Art of Empathy • Needs to be genuine— • What we are experiencing together • Not “I understand what you are experiencing” • Audience: “Do you ‘get it’?”

  11. Empathy Confirmed facts and action steps What you don’t know Process to get answers Commitment to update Source(s) for more information Message Points

  12. CDC Publication: Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications www.ca-ilg.org/leadership Resource

  13. Your Thoughts and Experiences

  14. 2. Dealing with Anger or Frustration

  15. WWJSD?(What Would Jimmy Stewart Do?)7 minutes [video clip omitted]

  16. Analysis • What didn’t work? • What did?

  17. Why Do People Get Angry? • Hurt /Betrayed • Threatened • Fundamental beliefs challenged

  18. Anger is Intensified When . . . • Weak or powerless • Treated unfairly, disrespectfully or dishonestly • Feel not heard • Key democratic principle: public opinion matters

  19. Three Key Strategies • Share Information • Listen • Learn

  20. 1. Share Information • All information • The good, bad and ugly • Goals: • Build long-term trust • Identify issues so they can be addressed

  21. Honesty is the Best Policy5 minutes [video clip omitted]

  22. Analysis • What didn’t work? • What did?

  23. Note: Keep Your Eye on the Prize • The media is not your audience • Don’t let them get under your skin • Do offer them opportunities to be more well-informed

  24. Share Information, continued • About decision-making process • How input will be used • Any technical aspects of the decision Resource: Public Hearing One-Pagers (www.ca-ilg.org/onepagers)

  25. 2. Listen • Shows: • Respect • Concern • Willingness to find solutions • Techniques: • Active listening: Reiterating what has been heard (p10) • Record input (flip charts, dot voting, show of hands)

  26. More about Listening • Use follow up questions • Probe underlying assumptions and concerns • Identify interests (instead of positions) • Shared values • Acknowledge depth of concern • Look past incivility/anger

  27. The Role of a Leader • “Knitting together” varying perspectives • Workable level of unity

  28. 3. Learn • Identify ways to bridge interests • What steps would address concerns? • Share own ideas • Seek reactions or refinements

  29. Results • Better decisions • Joint ownership of decision • Public trust and confidence

  30. Another Non-Audience • Gadflies • Don’t let them get under your skin • Do treat them fairly & courteously

  31. 3. Preventing Anger: Thinking Through Meeting Design

  32. Possible Meeting Goals • Public Information • Public Consultation • Public Deliberation

  33. Case Study: Meetings Mismatched with Format?2 minutes 30 seconds [video clip omitted]

  34. Analysis • What didn’t work? • What did?

  35. The Town Hall Meeting: History • Goal: Deliberation • Format: Exchange of ideas and decision

  36. Was There a Disconnect? • Did organizers want these to be informational meetings? • Did attendees understand that these were opportunities for them to share their views?

  37. Disconnect, continued • Did the disconnect intensify anger? • Does the tone of these meetings keep others away?

  38. Different Format/Different Result?10 minutes [video clip omitted]

  39. Analysis • What didn’t work? • What did?

  40. The Role of a Leader • Open communication channels • Each side has a say/listens • Reduce destructive forms of communication • Posturing and lies • Attacks

  41. Public Meetings: Key Task • Design processes that surface legitimate public concerns • Full spectrum of the community • Include ways to address those concerns

  42. Public Hearings • Goal? • Satisfy legal requirements • Gauge public sentiment (imperfect) • Format • Can be inherently adversarial • Speechmaking versus problem solving • Time limits rankle (especially selective ones)

  43. Types of Meeting Formats • Goal: Constructive Conversation • Discuss: Problems, Options and Trade-offs • Participants share interests, needs and concerns

  44. About Ground Rules • Effectiveness depends on the context • Best: Shared interest in civility

  45. Resources • www.ca-ilg.org/cgi • www.ca-ilg.org/leadership • Includes links to blog postings, etc. • www.thataway.org/ncddnet • Also a discussion group

  46. Question/Suggestions • What’s worked for you • Situations grappling with

  47. Note: Shaping the Tone of Public Discourse • Be the change . . . • Golden rule • Criticize the concept, not the person

  48. We are all faced with a series of great opportunities - brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.

  49. In Other Words . . . Emotional situations are an opportunity for leadership and to bring people together

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