Connecting people in the system

You and your team are lucky. Through your work on this project, you’ve gotten to scan the landscape surrounding [the process in scope], and develop a robust lay of the land including all key players. Do you know how many city staff have the birds eye view that you and your team now have? From our experience, not many. Your task then, is to pay that incredibly valuable insight forward to others. The approach to engagement we’re proposing to you in this guide is one based on conversations. Conversations that fuel meaningful connections. Here we describe a couple different ways you can help connect people in the system:

• Making introductions on an ongoing basis

• Making introductions at project reviews and public share-outs

Making introductions on an ongoing basis

Because you listened closely and captured all sorts of valuable intel during project planning, introduction, and stakeholder conversations, you know about the “Taj Mahal” needs of a diverse array of project stakeholders. How amazing! You are in a position to look for connections.

What does one person need that another person has? Consider: someone in Department A mentions something that you think someone else in Department B could help them with. Offer to make an introduction. Always find ways to add value for all staff with “tentacles” touching the project, not just the organization with whom you’re partnered. You are building broad buy-in and support, as well as identifying “sneezers” and additional city groups to partner with on future projects.

Making introductions at project reviews and public share-outs

Considerations

• Hold open houses to showcase project work and request feedback. Though going to staff is always good, you also want to balance that with inviting them to you. The tone you’re aiming for is: “You’ve invited us into your world, now we’d like to welcome you into ours.”

• When inviting staff to you, think about it as hosting them in your home:

• Provide refreshments.

• Serve guests when you can.

• Introduce two people who have likely never needed to interact before.

• Engage the quietest people in the room, and find them a conversation partner.