Ten traps for facilitators
Quoting the Top Ten Tools Open Source Tools for eActivism led to some interesting Trackbacks and set me thinking about non-electronic tools for engagement, and common issues that arise with online and offline processes. Here's some traps I have observed and fallen into myself. Comments, additions or contradictions welcome.
1 Believing one medium is enough. Online, print, face-to-face have different reach and roles. See also 4.
2 Using tools in isolation. They're important - but are only as good as the content, and the conviction or credibility of those involved. See 5 and also...
3 Thinking one event will do it. A workshop, online conference, alert, is seldom enough because people need time to reflect, bring in others, work things through. See 6.
4 Treating everyone the same. There are phone people and email people, face-to-face and (maybe still) letter people. Personality type, level of skill and confidence are (only some) other factors.
5 Under-estimating the importance of trust and reputation. People believe people, and who is saying it (or selling it) is often as important as what is said or offered.
6 Expecting quick results. See 3 - and also reckon to spend as much time on preparation as engagement. Then there's the follow through.
7 Forgetting WIIFM - the five principles of business (and engagement): what's-in-it-for-me. May be personal gain, fun, learning, altruism - sometimes. You can't know unless you ask.
8 Controlling too much. People's involvement usually stems from being able to contribute in their own way, and commitment come from a sense of ownership.
9 Controlling too little, and letting those with greatest facility in the medium dominate. Electronic loadmouths can be as bad as public meeting ranters.
10 Just pushing your brand. It's tempting to re-use what worked last time, or rely on a particular technique ... but people and circumstances vary, and it should be horses for courses.
Pretty obvious stuff perhaps, but I'm struck that too few face-to-face facilitators understand the potential of the Net, and that online community managers aren't always familiar with hard-won experience pre-Net. Yet the challenges they face are often the same because they are rooted in the way people think, feel and behave, and the nature of processes and systems. The Net changes some things - but not everything.
On the Trackback front, thanks to Jack Ricchiuto for emailing me about Smart Meeting Design.
They market Smart Meetings as those "supported by the dynamic and seamless use of sametime and anytime media that fosters collaboration, creativity, communication, and coordination".
"Sametime media include high-touch interactions (conversations) that happen at the same time: Face meetings, phone conversations, phone/video conferencing, chat room, instant messaging.
"Anytime media include high-tech interactions (posting/viewing) that can happen any time: Email, bulletin boards, post-it notes, weblogs, as well as web-enabled/shared contact lists, meeting agendas, calendars, polls, document creation/archiving, project management tools, email invites and newsletters."
Their site is particularly interesting (for me anyway) because, firstly, it integrates a Wiki, and secondly that this hosts a useful and evolving set of articles about Smart Work Spaces. I started reading, but stopped until I had posted this because I knew that otherwise I'll start revising my list, adding bits and it'll never get done.
Ahhh - that's trap 11. Trying to get it perfect.
Other resources
Nick Wates offer an excellent list of engagement methods as part of his Community Planning Website, with suggestions on how these may be used in a wide range of scenarios. I have written a (pre-Net) Guide to Effective Participation available online. My colleague Terry Grunwald is famed for her lists, and you can read her (post-Net) on Involving the Community - 5 reasons why, 10 guidelines, 15 ideas. Will Allen manages a host of resources at NRN Changelinks.
John Moore alerts us to collection of 63 tools for citizen engagement by way of Chris Corrigan.
John Abbe comments below with another list from the Co-intelligence Institute. Interestingly.
A comment (see below) alerted me to Colin Morley's Empowerment Illustrated blog that looks like a 'must read more'.
Try these out too:
http://www.coastal.crc.org.au/toolbox/alpha-list.asp
http://www.co-intelligence.org/CI_compilations.html
Posted by: John Abbe | January 20, 2004 at 08:35 AM