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Spring 2010 Newsletter

After years of crafting updates for others, we've got news for you. Welcome to Illuminations, where we'll put a little light on tips, tactics and just plain information we hope you'll find useful, sometimes even fun. We'll also highlight one can't-go-wrong with a right-thing-to-do in our community.   

We're planning a newsletter about once a quarter with occasional messages in between, when we have something to tell you that just can't wait. We'll keep things short – who's got time for long any more? (But if you do... read Pulitzer Prize winner James Carroll's House of War: a wonderfully written history of the Pentagon that explains America's military mindset since World War II and manages at the same time to be a pacifist son's loving homage to his career officer father. Without JMA's recent work at Army Headquarters in the Pentagon, I wouldn't have found this book; now I can't stop recommending it.) 

This issue it's glass recycling, suddenly so easy with Ripple Glass bins in 60 locations around the metroplex. You bet your glass you can make a difference for the environment when you go to your nearest Ripple bin. 

Please let us know what you think.


Ever on!
Jane

What's happening in logistics today that compares to the formation of Visa/Mastercard, The New York Stock Exchange or The International Standards Organization (ISO)? The newly launched Trade Data Exchange (TDE).

This organization is bringing together industry leaders from the global supply chain to solve their mutual challenges—to address border delays, unreliability of shipment data and miscommunication. TDE uses an information technology-enabled platform, Real Trade Data, to provide seamless reacting monitoring of shipments—tracking shipments throughout the supply chain from purchase order to delivery.

At its first Board meeting in March, members elected officers and officially launched this first-of-its-kind clearinghouse for supply chain data.

Want to know more? Visit TDE at http://www.tradedataexchange.com.

The founders of Boulevard Brewery, sick of seeing glass bottles headed to landfills, have introduced a solution: Ripple Glass. The new company recycles glass locally and sells the material to a local customer to make fiberglass insulation.

Together, Ripple Glass and JMA developed an outreach strategy to announce the metro-wide recycling bin launch at a press conference just prior to rollout. JMA assisted with grassroots outreach, traditional media planning and social media engagement.

The launch attracted major buzz, and the coverage kicked off a new movement toward glass recycling in the metro. All the area's major media covered the event, including the four television stations, The Kansas City Star, the Kansas City Business Journal, outlets online and a variety of community news channels. The effort generated more than 50 local and national stories (print, online, radio and television). See video from the press conference on YouTube.

Highlights:

• Kansas City Star front-page coverage, picked up by Business Week
  
• The Pitch named Ripple Glass "Best Green Business"
  
• KMBC aired a live remote
  
• About.com reported quick facts on recycling

If you would like to join the glass recycling effort, see where to recycle in www.rippleglasskc.com.

People usually don't think much about their water and wastewater service, but they ought to. For example, the US Conference of Mayors reports that aging infrastructure in many communities makes water main breaks a major concern, with 45 percent of cities experiencing more than 50 breaks annually. Sharing such information with the public and decision makers is a vital part of successful strategic asset management.

That's just one finding of the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF)'s Final Report, "Public Communication – Perception and Early Communications Tools," now available. JMA conducted research and reporting for the publication. It provides insights, case studies, checklists, materials, tools and messages that will aid communication among water experts, elected public officials and influencers of public opinion. The report was targeted to drinking and wastewater managers, but many of the concepts and tools could be used by any organization that wants to reach the public. Place your order at the WERF website, www.werf.org.

Leaders of the Partnership for Emergency Planning (PEP) discussed strategies and policies to mitigate disasters—online and off—at the Midwest Disasters 2.0 conference this winter.

JMA facilitated the "Strategic Planning and Social Media" session, a discussion on ways to manage risk. Contact us for a copy of the presentation.

1. Do NOT try to compete with "American Idol." Or "Dancing With the Stars" or any other must-see TV programming. Yes, people have DVR's, but then they miss out on the timely water cooler discussions the next day. Get your stakeholders home by 7 p.m. so they can enjoy their evenings.

2. Clearly communicate the value of participation and involvement. What input do you need from your stakeholders? How will their voices be part of the project? Treat them as project team members and be sensitive to their ideas and opinions, as well as their schedules.

3. Schedule informal "drop-in" sessions and organizational presentations in advance of your public meeting. Get the word to community decision-makers and let them help you promote the next meeting.

4. Don't just rely on the local newspaper and/or project website for meeting notifications. Place information about your meeting in trusted, familiar publications (e.g., chambers of commerce newsletters, home owners' association email blasts, church bulletins, etc.).

5. Four magic words: "Refreshments Will Be Provided." Feed them, and they will come. Extra credit points for home-baked goods.

Face-to-face meetings are the foundation of many traditional public involvement plans and still a useful engagement strategy. People are typically willing to talk if they believe they'll be heard; it's getting them to the table that's the hard part. Many state and local agencies are taking their communications processes “online” by utilizing social media networks (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) and providing electronic project information to cost-effectively reach the masses in real time. Many available and emerging channels offer instant feedback opportunities, but they aren't always fully utilized. 

So, what if your project communication goals are more than simply informing your publics? What if you actually want—and need—their input? JMA recently added JumpStart to its communication toolbox. JumpStart facilitates live, interactive webcasts in which stakeholders can see and hear presentations being made from a remote location and engage with presenters through a live chat tool. Presentations can be pre-recorded and posted to project or agency websites for stakeholders who are unable to view the live broadcast or when the client does not wish to record live. 

Still, even the newest and most dynamic engagement technology fails without an informed agenda, skilled presenters, the right mix and number of meeting participants and advance logistics and trouble-shooting (i.e. ensuring interested attendees don't have in-house firewalls or corporate policies restricting access). 

Effective public involvement has no “easy button.” It takes a mix of approaches to make meaningful connections. Although various publics may be increasingly willing to respond to your last “tweet” or “status update,” there's nothing wrong with asking someone for their thoughts over a cup of coffee—then really listening.

Jane Mobley Associates   116 West 3rd Street, Suite 102 in the Historic River Market   Kansas City, Missouri 64105   Phone: 816-472-1930   Email: info@janemobley.com