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