Here’s my email to leaders in Reno County on engaging unusual voices today (7/1/13):
Today’s the final installment on “Engaging Unusual Voices.” You might remember where we’ve been as we’ve quickly surveyed the waters of this important topic: we’ve talked about why it’s important to engage them, why we don’t do it more often, and who are the usual vs. the unusual voices. Today, I hope you feel the urge to engage unusual voices in deeper ways, so we conclude very practically with some Steps on How to Engage Unusual Voices:
· Pinpoint who will be impacted by a cause or decision.
· Build a trustworthy process.
· Learn to listen differently: Come to conversations with empathy, not expertise.
· Don’t just engage unusual voices for input, engage them for decision making.
· Meet them where they are.
Again, I’m grateful for the Kansas Leadership Centerfor having this conference call last fall. And, I hope as we engage unusual voices, the effect will be a more engaged and connected community, making progress on issues we care about deeply.
With you to that end…