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Managing Phony Issues & Conflict on Social Media

Managing Phony Issues & Conflict on Social Media

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consentbuildin

by consentbuildin | Sep 13, 2017 | 0 comments

During Clinic #96 on "Protect Your Work from Citizen Anger (and Politics!)", we outlined how to prevent being end-run by your projects' opponents.

More importantly, how to see end-runs as a symptom of a problem -- rather than the problem itself.

If minimizing pseudo-input is key, what can professionals do about the massive amounts of phony issues being slung all over Social Media?

This is worth a whole webinar of its own! (In fact, it will be the crux of the Clinic #99.)

There is SO much mis-information on the Internet, much of which your public cannot decipher from facts related to your work --  don't think you're going to combat that volume of content.

But you can get pretty close!

What you can do, is take note. A lot of notes actually.

Keep a running list of what pseudo-issues are being shared on Social Media.

Use Social Media as a listening device -- even if most of what you're hearing is garbage.

Try to identify who is generating and perpetuating these issues. (Not publicly, but for your own understanding of what communication lapses your team isn't already aware of.)

If fake issues circulating (about your project) are getting ANY traction on the web, you need to know it!

You can't possibly address these phony issues, and help the public see them as "pseudo-input" if you aren't even aware of them.

Use Social Media, to deepen your understanding of the whole ecosystem of phony issues, mis-information, or misunderstandings and the people who promote them.

Even though these issues are misleading for stakeholders, and qualify as "pseudo-input", you have to publicly identify each issue as such before soliciting for real input.

If an online user says "No, don't do it!" -- that isn't input unless you:

  • - Didn't anticipate that reaction from anyone.
  • - Expected to hear that from other stakeholders, but not THAT stakeholder.
  • - Had no idea this person, group, or sister agency saw themselves affected by your project.

If that's the case, then that's a symptom that you also need to have a better handle on who your PAIs (Potentially Affected Interests) are, and how they see your organization and Mission (Clinic #95)... As well as what pseudo-issues they are conflating with bona fide issues.

Granted, scanning Social Media and online outlets for phony issues isn't exactly fun, nor where your expertise is...

However, once you demonstrate that you have a complete handle on nearly all the pseudo-input out there, have adequate responses to each, you'll help clarify what is real input, and what is pseudo-input, for the rest of the public.

Do that, and you'll have made some serious progress!

 

Learn more about:

  • - preventing pseudo-input,
  • - dealing with stakeholder emotions, and of course
  • - how to keep politics from interfering with your effectiveness

by selecting from nearly 100 topics in our Clinic Library.

Managing Phony Issues & Conflict on Social Media

Why Opponents’ Dirty Tactics are so Effective for Decision Makers

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Why Opponents’ Dirty Tactics are so Effective for Decision Makers

Hard problems are hard to solve.

As subject matter experts, most of your solutions will have serious drawbacks.

Do NOT expect negatively impacted stakeholders to like your proposal!

Some will even resort to "playing dirty", attack you personally, or dispense mis-information to get you to stop.

A listener to our monthly webinar asked:

What can I do when their use of misinformation to lobby decision-makers is successful?

How can I correct the misinformation in a way decision-makers might be able to consider if they are somewhat swayed by the tactics of opponents?

It's true, you need to be concerned when a policymaker is swayed by the tactics (especially dirty tactics) of an opponent.

You must be careful not to attack the person directly, only his position and possibly behavior.

But take a deeper look at what's causing this situation.

The reason these tactics work (regardless of how legitimate the opponent's tactics are) is because there's some doubt as to how...

  • - Fair
  • - Caring
  • - Responsive, and/or
  • - Responsible to the Mission your team was in relation to this opponent.

If there's ANY doubt that you played fair, that you listened, that you actually cared about the negative impacts your work will have on an opponent -- you can expect policymakers to be swayed by their argument.

Even when based on mis-information!

Even if only 1% of what they say is true!

Think about it...

Opponents are MORE effective when they play dirty!

By calling your level of concern, compassion, or fairness into question -- they are sure to grab decision-makers' attention.

These (dirty) tactics are useful information themselves.

Critical information for you.

Dirty tactics are an indication that a stakeholder feels justified in suspending his own need to be fair... His own values.

Opponents who use mis-information and dis-information are sending you a deeper signal: that they don't trust YOU.

Even more important than revealing these tactics to decision-makers, you need to understand WHY an opponent feels justified in using these tactics.

If you don't understand why a stakeholder is spreading mis-information, or using unfair tactics, you won't plug the well from which these ploys spring.

 

Prevent dirty tactics from having their intended impact, and stay on track to fulfilling your Mission by streaming access anytime to our Consent-Building Library.

The Key Differences Between Private & Public Sector Work

The Key Differences Between Private & Public Sector Work

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The Key Differences Between Private & Public Sector Work

There are so many aspects that make your public service work different from private-sector work. Some differences are obvious. While the most significant are not.

Even if you've had experience in both the public and the private-sector, chances are you haven't fully wrapped your head around THE fundamental difference between the two.

But the differences are crucial to understand.

Why is this important?

 

  1. Without a thorough awareness of what separates the two types of work, you'll lack the ability to articulate WHY your organization is the best entity to do the work you do.
  2. When there's so much talk about turning everything over to the private-sector, you need to understand when this does and does NOT make sense.
  3. More importantly, you need to get the public you serve -- as well as political appointees -- to come to that same conclusion.

Otherwise, 5-10 years from now, they'll just reinvent you all over again... Meanwhile, your work and its solutions sit on a shelf, gathering dust

Get Off On The Right Foot

This year, we're making sure your year is off to a good start, by taking a close look at the critical differences between your public-sector work and the exact same technical work in the private-sector.

  1. Two differences have to do with accountability and choices.

When you're working for a corporation, stockholders can sell their shares if they conclude you're management methods don't align with their values and perceptions.

Not so in the public-sector.There, the public is stuck with you!To add salt to the wound, the funding comes from taxpayers' dollars.  So not only can't they sell their share of the "company," they are forced to keep paying for your work.

  1. Public professionals don't have it easy either! 

The edge isn't just felt by the public, particularly when it comes to accountability...

Because in the private-sector, you only need to please the owner, or the board.Whereas you have the difficult task of pleasing a diverse and diametrically different public, that is almost guaranteed NOT to agree.

And while these are fundamental to the differences between public and private work, there is a difference even bigger than these...!

Any guess what it is?!?

Here's where you can find out. Click to get access to our Consent-Building Library.

Managing Phony Issues & Conflict on Social Media

How You React to a Decision Making Mistake is the Real Mistake

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You know stuff happens. 

Even when your team does all it can to avoid screw-ups and mistakes.

The thing is — mistakes aren’t what will land you (and your credibility) in trouble with your public… It’s the knee-jerk reaction we all have to them that will actually make matters worse. 

Here are 3 tips to help your team handle inevitable mistakes.

1. It’s human nature to try to justify (even to ourselves) why the mistake happened, whose fault it is, why it wasn’t that big of a mistake (if one at all)…

How You React to a Mistake <br>is the Real Mistake

This is the real mistake.

Of course you’ve got to be careful in how you go public with acknowledging any screw-up, miscalculation, poor analysis, or serious error.  But giving in to the reflex to be overly-protective or defensive is guaranteed to make matters worse. 

So, rather than being “careful” in how you go public with a mistake, the better advice is to be “thoughtful” and not cave to human nature when you deal with your team’s mistakes.

We wish we could prevent you from dealing with any mistakes, but that simply isn’t possible, nor is it necessary. 

However, we’ll help you prevent those mistakes from damaging the public’s trust in you — and help you shape them into opportunities to deepen your credibility, even with the most cynical public.

2. Public Official? Don’t Act Like a Private Firm. Except When…

Even when you try you HARDEST to avoid mistakes…Embarrassing things still manage to happen. Even to the best teams.

Mistakes don’t discriminate, do they? They happen in public-sector, as well as private-sector organizations.

The question for you is:

How should folks like you, in the public-sector, handle mistakes?  Especially BIG ones… that your team caused?

When businesses mess up big-time, they hire a big name Public Relations firm.
These firms specialize in salvaging the company’s name, or saving the brand in face of the screw-up.

But what can you do when you work in the public-sector?
One of the few areas where our advice to public officials is similar to that of private-sector “crisis-communications PR experts”: Get the information out!
Don’t sit on it… Don’t DRIBBLE it out. Your team has to get the word out about your mistake immediately.

Since so little is shared between the private and public domains, we felt it was worth sharing this particular piece of parallel advice with you.

3. Hiring a PR Firm Can Backfire for Public Organizations

How You React to a Mistake <br>is the Real Mistake

You know what happens when a big corporation messes up. They hire one of the few Madison-Avenue PR firms with a reputation for knowing how to help clients who have been caught with their pants down.

Public agencies can’t really do that!

The trouble is, while the public doesn’t protest when a private-sector organization hires a spin-doctor (with the clear and obvious intention of “spinning” the public, saving face, and their image)…

That same public will NOT put up with a public agency doing the same thing.

No fair!

Double standard alert!

Even so, we have to admit that even we, as a citizens, don’t really want our government to spend our tax money to hire a “spin-doctor” to “spin” us.

Do you?

Yet mistakes happen, and your team needs to deal with them.

So how can you save your credibility with your public, when hiring a PR firm will only create more animosity and cynicism?

Is it a crazy “Catch-22” situation? What’s the best way to deal with it?

We explain the double-standard in more detail, including what you can do about your team’s mistakes in this month’s webinar.

Mishandle Human Conflict and Your Technical Consent Building Work Goes Down the Drain!

Mishandle Human Conflict and Your Technical Consent Building Work Goes Down the Drain!

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As a Subject Matter Expert, you’re prepared to deal with all sorts of technical problems. But are you equipped to deal with the human conflict integral to public-sector work?

Let’s take a look and dig a little deeper by focusing on four key points.

1. Even if your role was said to be of a purely technical nature….

The truth is your work surfaces deep divisions among the public.

That’s because group decision-making is complicated by the various values people hold. The more your projects provoke people’s values, the more conflict you’ll encounter.

If you don’t handle that conflict well — even your best technical work will go down the drain!

2. The most precise data, and stringent science cannot survive human conflict….

Mishandle Human Conflict and Your Technical Work Goes Down the Drain!

 

…Unless it is put into the context of values.

You see, we all have different values — including likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, fears, etc…

As we know from holiday get-togethers and reunions, even members of a close-knit family differ.

So how are you supposed to make a proposal, that elicits deep divisions among the public, survive the decision-making process?

You find common ground in people’s Higher Values.

3. Many public professionals mistakenly water-down their technical work so that it’s more palatable to the general public — and doesn’t ignite conflict.

The problem is — watered down technical work makes matters worse.

Because now the technical work is less rigorous, less responsible, and less effective — while the conflict has been masked at best.

4. Your work is meant to solve specific problems.

Don’t make the mistake of watering-down those solutions! And don’t shrink from inherent conflict!

You can be both responsible to the mission you were given — to solve significant problems, and take advantage of important opportunities — AND be responsive to that diverse, diametrically opposed public.

It is possible!

Through the Systematic Development of Informed Consent, you CAN be technically rigorous, and resolve conflict by appealing to people’s Higher Values.

That means, you have to go deeper than the surface issues.

You have to get to the heart of your mission and your role in the public sector.

Learn How to Get your Opponents’ Informed Consent in one of our few In-Person Courses