Delaney and Associates Inc.
  • Home
  • Story
    • Our Story
    • Meet the Team
    • Careers
  • Services
    • Engagement
      • Online Engagement
    • Facilitation
    • Communications
    • Training
  • Specialties
    • Health
    • Federal Government
    • Local and Provincial Government
    • Renewable Energy and Environment
  • Training
    • Overview
    • Schedule At A Glance
    • Introducing the Promise of Engagement
    • Foundations for Authentic Engagement
    • Facilitating Engagement Plans
    • Producing Virtual Meetings
    • Communicating for Engagement
    • Evaluating Engagement
    • Designing Engagement Surveys
    • IAP2 Training
    • Register for IAP2 Courses
    • Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement
    • Designing P2 and Engagement
    • Applying Methods
    • Custom Training
    • Online Courses
    • Meet Your Trainers
  • Courses
    • IAP2 Techniques for Effective Public Participation
    • IAP2 Planning for Effective Public Participation
  • Blog + Newsletter
    • Blog
    • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Day 11: Build Relationships Through Authentic Engagement

December 22, 2016/in Engagement Planning/by Jessica Delaney

Imagine this: We sometimes tell clients not to engage. Why? Because if you cannot engage authentically, then it’s better not to do it all. It’s that important.

Read on for some challenging questions to ask yourself when considering engagement.

What does it mean?

Authentic engagement is about bringing those impacted by a decision, or a potentially changed state, into the process of deciding. It’s like saying: “You might be impacted by what we are deciding, and I’m willing to consider your perspectives.”

Building relationships with internal and external stakeholders happens over time, and by demonstrating a consistent commitment to include them in decisions that might impact them.

People, I believe, are becoming increasingly skeptical of decisions makers – whether it’s their boss, the Board, a government Ministry, or other authority figure. This means as a community of stakeholders we are getting increasingly skilled at sniffing out a check-box engagement. This engagement is not authentic.

Authentic engagement is when there is a real opportunity for those who are engaged in the process to influence the decision.

If there is no opportunity for influence, or if there are no alternatives, or opinions, then just communicate what has been decided.

What does it look like?

Authentic engagement that builds relationships over time comes from a true willingness to consider other perspectives in a decision-making process. Some of the questions to ask yourself to determine how authentic your engagement is going to be, include:

  1.  Are there viable alternatives the decision-maker may be open to?
  2.  Is our organization able to make changes or accommodate a different approach to the project at this time?
  3.  Are we willing/able to ensure the process meets the needs of our stakeholders?
  4.  Have we asked stakeholders how they want to be engaged?
  5.  As an organization, do we have established and effective “listening” tools? i.e. – can we receive input in a variety of ways?

If you answer NO to any of these questions, then the engagement may not be authentic and would do little to build meaningful relationships. Engagement is a two-way street, just like relationships.

This is part of an ongoing series exploring Delaney + Associates’ Company Creed. Check out the introduction piece here.

Tags: authentic, authentic engagement, communications, community, decision-making, engagement techniques, planning, public engagement, relationships, stakeholders
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Vk
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.rmdelaney.com/wp-content/uploads/build-teaser-image.jpg 459 515 Jessica Delaney https://www.rmdelaney.com/wp-content/uploads/FullLogo2.png Jessica Delaney2016-12-22 11:12:422017-10-20 10:32:11Day 11: Build Relationships Through Authentic Engagement
You might also like
Three Big Themes We’re Seeing Right Now
Day 2 of Training
#CPRS2015
Want to Join Delaney + Associates Team? We Are Hiring!
Jennifer Miller Joins Delaney + Associates Team
Are You Really Listening?

Search Blog Posts

Followon TwitterSubscribeto RSS Feed

Latest posts

  • Communicating for EngagementMarch 24, 2023 - 8:57 am
  • The Luck of the Engaging IrishMarch 17, 2023 - 8:56 am
  • March Break and Government Fiscal: Competing Forces for Our AttentionMarch 13, 2023 - 8:40 am

Categories

  • 20th Anniversary
  • 25th Anniversary
  • Careers
  • City Conversations
  • Community
  • D+A News
  • Engagement Planning
  • Engagement Techniques
  • Facilitation
  • Forecast
  • General
  • Training

Archives

27 Years of Engagement Excellence… Helping governments, business and NGOs build relationships with their say help build relationships with their communities since 1996.

Latest News

  • Communicating for EngagementMarch 24, 2023 - 8:57 am
  • The Luck of the Engaging IrishMarch 17, 2023 - 8:56 am
  • March Break and Government Fiscal: Competing Forces for Our AttentionMarch 13, 2023 - 8:40 am
  • Designing Engagement SurveysMarch 7, 2023 - 8:12 am

IAP2 Training Schedule

  • Upcoming iap2 Courses

© 2023 DELANEY AND ASSOCIATES INC. All rights reserved
Day 10: Shared Values Yield Compromise for ConsensusOn the 12th Day… Christmas Wishes from D+A
Scroll to top