Many local organizations are trying hard to engage their publics — whether to become more relevant, to improve a project, or to listen better and so improve overall operations. My good friend and colleague Dave Moore, has written a piece that outlines his “Six steps to Community Engagement and Action.” It’s a great list.

As I read it, I could not help but think that it also applies as a good Web and social media strategy too. Take a look at Dave’s points (I’ve abridged his explanations slightly), with my italicized bits after each:

1. Go where people are.

   

   Stop holding meetings and hoping people will come. . . .

   • Me: The web version of this is just building a website and sitting back, waiting for traffic that never comes. This is a classic misstep. People need to be invited, and you need to go where people are interacting (local blogs, issue-based mailing lists, etc.).
2. Ask different questions. How you start a conversation makes all the difference. For example, don’t start conversations about schools with a question about schools. Ask first what people want for their community before turning to schools. . . .
   • Me: How a conversation is opened can make all the difference. How your web presence comes across can also make a huge difference. Does it seem humble, approachable? Or is it bureaucratic?
3. Listen. Just be quiet, ask probing follow-up questions, document and listen.
   • Me: So important. Make sure you have listening tools in place to hear what is being said in social media. What are people saying about that new school site? How about that zoning issue? (Whatever you are focusing on.)
4. Respond not with programs, but with engagement. Too often our first instinct is to create programs and responses to what we heard. . . .
   • Me: Try responding to complaints and disagreements (on your blog posts, in social media, etc.) with dialogue instead of going to battle. Ask for more information, thank the writer for
5. Exercise leadership. As we learn and engage opportunities abound for leaders to find new pathways to educate, shape ideas and create energy for change. Good leaders emerge, grow, thrive in an environment where deep engagement emerges.
   • Me: You may learn something from your readers that spurs you to change direction or take some other action you hadn’t anticipated. You’ve got to have the leadership and courage to make such moves.
6. Keep asking questions and listening. Engagement can’t be a one time thing. We have to keep up the conversation. We need habits, norms, structures and new mechanisms to keep the discussions going.
   • Me: You don’t just “do” a blog and it’s done. You need to stick with these strategies over time, for the long haul. They pay off as habits, not as isolated projects.

Dave, thanks so much for these great points.