Nicola Adams, Principal – Engagement and Social Impact, bd infrastructure, shares her ‘ah-ha’ moments from our recent IAP2 Session with I2S Co-Founders Sara Bice and Kirsty O’Connell.
So here’s a fun fact I learnt at the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia conference from the I2S Next Generation Engagement Program. (Note it’s likely only fun if you’re an engagement and social impact nerd).
91% of mega projects have another mega project within 250km. At a 5km radius it’s still a whopping 41%. And each of these projects require some level of community engagement.
The accumulated impact is real and undoubtedly leads to widespread consultation fatigue. As engagement and SIA professionals we don’t want to add to that fatigue by going out with even more comms. So we tend to hold back.
But, no. Communities tell us that even though they are fatigued, they still want access to all the relevant information. The key word being relevant. Communities want
– a clear understanding of negotiables
– to know their community is well represented in feedback
– how and when the project has progressed
– how their feedback was used to make decisions
So, don’t hold back on the level of engagement. Instead, make it targeted and relevant. Respect people’s time and only engage where there is opportunity for some level of influence or ability to shape project deliverables. Otherwise, keep people updated with clear, relevant facts. You can leave the self-promotion and marketing comms behind.
As Sara Bice said – it’s not consultation fatigue, it’s BAD engagement fatigue.