1 / 9

Community Relations by Eric Jones

Community Relations by Eric Jones. Define your objectives--what are you trying to do? Your audiences Public expectations Communicate effectively Enable citizens Deliver service. Whose Objectives?. Broad public policy Fairness Stewardship of public facilities Get re-elected.

fthompson
Download Presentation

Community Relations by Eric Jones

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Community Relationsby Eric Jones Define your objectives--what are you trying to do? Your audiences Public expectations Communicate effectively Enable citizens Deliver service

  2. Whose Objectives? • Broad public policy • Fairness • Stewardship of public facilities • Get re-elected • Conformance with legal constraints • Efficient operations • Staffing • Fulfillment of mission • Get some respect • What does it do for me? • What will it cost me? • What guarantees do I have? • Get what you want

  3. Community Relations • Know Your Audience • Taxpayers and ratepayers • Primary service users • Small groups interested in a specific project • Large groups indirectly affected by projects • Voters • Opinion leaders (formal and informal) • Neighborhood and business leaders • Community activists • Organizations and service clubs

  4. Community Relations May conflict May be unrealistic May be charged with emotion May see ‘us’ as ‘them’ Public Expectations

  5. Community Relations Listen carefully Thank citizens for bringing up issues Acknowledge their right to an opinion Ask customers for their help in identifying problems and needs Involve them in the solution. Communicate Effectively

  6. Community Relations Communicating Effectively • Speak their language • Depersonalize the problem • Focus on facts, not positions • Agree to measurable criteria • Commit to a clear plan of action

  7. Community Relations Give them the tools and information they need Respect other points of view Your community is in the driver’s seat; if they don’t support it, don’t do it Embrace change Don’t make promises you can’t keep--bring value to the table Enable Citizens

  8. Community Relations Involve staff in customer relations Fair, equitable, consistent policies Clear standards Get credit for work Get feedback Deliver Service

  9. Community Relations The Rules of Disengagement Acknowledge customers’ feelings Give enough time for them to vent Offer to have someone else talk to them Know the bounds of propriety Don’t take their anger personally Document difficult conversations In face-to-face situations, use a brochure or business card

More Related