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?
                            ELECTED OFFICIALS     • Broad public policy
                                                  • Fairness
                                                  • Stewardship of public
                                                  facilities
   CUSTOMER               STAFF
                                                  • Get re-elected


                                                • Conformance with legal
                                                constraints
• What does it do for me?                       • Efficient operations
• What will it cost me?                         • Staffing
• What guarantees do I have?                    • Fulfillment of mission
• Get what you want                             • Get some respect
       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
         Community Relations
    Public Expectations
•   May conflict
•   May be unrealistic
•   May be charged with emotion
•   May see ‘us’ as ‘them’
     Community Relations
Communicate Effectively
 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.
     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
Community Relations
 Enable Citizens
• 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
     Community Relations
Deliver Service
• Involve staff in customer
  relations
• Fair, equitable,
  consistent policies
• Clear standards
• Get credit for work
• Get feedback
          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