Embarking on public projects with a spectrum of stakeholders can feel like navigating a maze. The journey from inception to realization is often no walk in the park; it can be riddled with challenges and diverse, ever-changing stakeholder interests.
Las iniciativas públicas exigen algo más que planos y logística. Se trata de reunir a un grupo diverso de partidarios. El elenco de personajes puede ser tan variado como el propio proyecto: desde organismos gubernamentales a promotores comunitarios, pasando por entidades empresariales y defensores del medio ambiente. El éxito de estas iniciativas depende de algo más que de la visión y la estrategia.
Para recabar apoyos y fomentar la colaboración en iniciativas públicas, es esencial identificar e implicar a partes interesadas con opiniones, perspectivas, intereses y oposiciones diferentes. Para superar los obstáculos hay que implicar a los escépticos, equilibrar los intereses contrapuestos y comunicar eficazmente los beneficios del proyecto.
Enter the art of coalition-building, a cornerstone in public project advancement.
Building project support requires innovative strategies, resonant messaging grounded in effective research, and sustained stakeholder engagement. Navigating this complex landscape necessitates insightful and adaptable methodologies and a keen understanding of stakeholder dynamics.
Siga leyendo para explorar el intrincado mundo de la creación de coaliciones de terceros. Obtenga asesoramiento experto de Jessica Luternauer, Vicepresidenta Senior y Socia de Southwest Strategiesque arroja luz sobre la creación eficaz de coaliciones en el sector público.
Jessica LuternauerVicepresidenta primera y socia de Southwest Strategies
Jessica Luternauer es una profesional experimentada en relaciones públicas y asuntos públicos. Cuenta con un notable historial en la obtención de aprobaciones normativas para proyectos controvertidos, como la finalización de la línea de transmisión Sunrise Powerlink de San Diego Gas & Electric y la renovación por Protea Properties del centro comercial Flower Hill Promenade, ambas merecedoras del reconocimiento de la Public Relations Society of America.
Currently serving as Senior Vice President, Luternauer collaborates with clients in the energy and retail sectors, such as SDG&E, Cogentrix Energy, and Westfield Corporation. Her role involves developing and overseeing strategic plans for daily implementation to achieve specific public affairs goals.
Setting the stage for a successful coalition starts with meticulous planning and strategic groundwork. According to Jessica Luternauer, a coalition planning expert, this process has two critical parts:
Identificar a los simpatizantes potenciales y elaborar mensajes que conecten realmente con ellos exige flexibilidad en las metodologías de investigación.
"Public opinion polling offers quantitative data that helps you to see which messages are most effective and how they rank in comparison to each other," Jessica adds.
Qualitative research: While quantitative data from public opinion polling offers broad insights, qualitative research delves deeper into nuances that align messages precisely with diverse stakeholder needs.
"Public opinion polling isn't always an option due to timing or costs. Tailoring messages through a multi-dimensional research approach enables precise alignment with your stakeholders' diverse needs and perspectives," Jessica says.
Los métodos cualitativos, como las entrevistas a las partes interesadas o los debates facilitados, pueden ayudar a los profesionales a refinar los mensajes para adaptarlos a las prioridades y preocupaciones de los distintos grupos de interesados.
"Whether you need to engage agricultural stakeholders, residential areas, or businesses, tailoring your messages to each audience's specific concerns is important," Jessica advises.
El perfeccionamiento de los mensajes mediante este enfoque de investigación multidimensional permite a los creadores de coaliciones adaptar mejor sus estrategias de comunicación a las diversas necesidades y perspectivas de sus interlocutores.
Messaging: Creating compelling messaging for supporters and potential opposition is a cornerstone of coalition-building efforts. The initial step involves defining the project's purpose, benefits, and broader implications.
"Start by explaining the purpose of and the need for the project, and then clearly communicate the benefits of it to your stakeholders," Jessica asserts.
Topic identification: Providing this baseline level of clarity with your messages will enable you to create tailored narratives that resonate with various stakeholders. Consider tapping into topics that may be important to them, like reliability or renewable resources for energy projects.
"It is crucial to identify topics that resonate and examine which people feel most engaged and eager to support," Jessica emphasizes.
Una vez identificados los mensajes principales, la investigación es crucial para calibrar la participación del público. La investigación debe servirle de guía para determinar qué mensajes resuenan con más fuerza entre las partes interesadas, y le ayudará a priorizar y adaptar eficazmente sus estrategias de comunicación.
Collaboration: Explaining the economic benefits of a project, for example, may necessitate collaboration with partners.
"If economic benefits test high, then you could work with a local university or another partner to commission an economic study, which could be beneficial to explaining the project's merits," Jessica recommends.
Leadership: Moving beyond message creation, the coalition's leadership structure is pivotal. Jessica emphasizes the importance of a leadership structure encouraging active participation and balancing workload and responsibility distribution among its leaders.
"Leaders are often third parties who are volunteering their time, so having enough people involved with the coalition's leadership is essential," Jessica says.
Sugiere un enfoque de liderazgo equilibrado, abogando por un grupo de personas diverso pero manejable. Garantizar la representación de distintas zonas geográficas y culturas en el equipo de liderazgo fomenta la inclusión y se ajusta a los objetivos generales del proyecto.
Coalitions can effectively engage stakeholders and navigate potential opposition by aligning messaging strategies with the project's benefits and creating a balanced leadership structure.
Reclutar una coalición diversa para un proyecto requiere planteamientos estratégicos, especialmente ante una posible oposición. La captación inicial implica una divulgación personalizada y el aprovechamiento de las relaciones existentes con las partes interesadas.
"Progress often comes down to one-on-one outreach and briefings, especially in the early stages," Jessica shares.
La creación de una base de apoyo sólida permite ampliar las estrategias de divulgación, avanzando hacia presentaciones atractivas dirigidas a diversas partes interesadas. Sin embargo, el objetivo inicial sigue siendo identificar y acercarse a las principales partes interesadas para garantizar una base amplia y de apoyo.
El lanzamiento de una coalición requiere un planteamiento estratégico para lograr el máximo impacto y un compromiso sostenido.
Jessica subraya la importancia de un acto de lanzamiento de gran impacto en el que participen los líderes de la coalición. Este acto de lanzamiento, a menudo una rueda de prensa o combinado con actividades atractivas, tiene como objetivo captar la atención de los medios de comunicación y establecer una sólida presencia inicial.
Los artículos de opinión redactados por los líderes de la coalición refuerzan aún más la cobertura mediática, manteniendo el interés y la visibilidad.
"Make a big splash with your coalition launch. And it's important to sustain that steady drumbeat of interest and coverage right from the beginning," Jessica advises.
Maintaining momentum and community engagement throughout the project's lifecycle is equally crucial. Jessica champions varied communication methods to reach communities, adhering to the principle of reaching people "seven times in seven different ways."
Cultivar relaciones significativas con las comunidades implica establecer un diálogo bidireccional, escuchar activamente las preocupaciones y disipar los mitos sobre el proyecto. Jessica destaca la importancia del diálogo respetuoso y mutuo con las comunidades.
"It's not just about pushing out information to communities. It's about talking with the community and listening to their concerns," Jessica explains.
Creating a mutual dialogue and respectfully addressing concerns is critical for building trust and sustaining community support throughout the project. Coalitions can cultivate lasting relationships with communities and stakeholders by employing diverse outreach methods, impactful launches, and fostering two-way communication.
Para movilizar eficazmente a las partes interesadas y hacer frente a los retos que plantea la formación de coaliciones se requiere adaptabilidad y una evaluación rigurosa.
La pandemia de COVID-19, por ejemplo, sirvió como fuerza transformadora para remodelar la divulgación pública y la creación de coaliciones, provocando un cambio significativo en las estrategias de compromiso.
Flexibility: Because of the importance of flexibility, coalition efforts now offer diverse engagement avenues, balancing in-person and virtual interactions to accommodate stakeholders' preferences to ensure sustained engagement.
"Recognize the importance of and need for flexibility, and make sure that you're giving people many different options in terms of how they can engage," Jessica suggests.
La adaptabilidad es fundamental para el éxito de las coaliciones, sobre todo en lo que respecta a la continuidad de los proyectos. A medida que se incorporan nuevos miembros o se marchan otros, es fundamental facilitar la transferencia de conocimientos.
Accessible information: Jessica highlights the necessity of streamlined presentations and readily accessible information to integrate new stakeholders swiftly.
"Public projects are long, and people come in and out of them, so having a streamlined presentation summarizing essential information that helps to reduce the amount of homework and study it will take a new coalition member to get up to speed is crucial," Jessica cautions.
El aprendizaje y la mejora continuos en el seno de las coaliciones dependen de una transferencia de conocimientos sin fisuras y de la formación permanente.
Proactive engagement: Preparing new representatives by addressing concerns, providing comprehensive project backgrounds, and ensuring their alignment with the project's goals maintains continuity and support within the coalition.
"Make sure that you anticipate concerns, share essential information, and you're prepared to answer questions, which will help to give new leaders the level of comfort they need to support the project," Jessica advises.
Tools like Jambo help streamline these efforts, ensuring that all essential information about projects and stakeholder engagement is centralized and readily accessible to coalition leaders as they learn about or act on the project's interests.
Jessica emphasizes the significance of total membership, social media engagement, and email response rates as monitoring metrics. However, the ultimate measure of success lies in the number of engaged advocates and project approvals.
By fostering adaptability, employing diverse assessment metrics, and ensuring seamless knowledge transfer, coalitions can effectively mobilize stakeholders and address challenges that may arise during project lifecycles.
Building successful coalitions for public projects hinges on a strategic blend of sound planning, effective messaging, open dialogue, and authentic, nurtured stakeholder relationships.
Involucrar a las partes interesadas mediante conversaciones transparentes y honestas fomenta la confianza, incluso en medio de la oposición. Valorar las distintas voces y generar confianza son fundamentales y exigen una mentalidad abierta y un compromiso genuino con un diálogo significativo.
Genuine engagement, transparency, and active dialogue are pivotal in the intricate landscape of coalition-building. These elements not only assist in garnering support but also help overcome challenges, navigate the complexities of collaboration, and steer projects toward successful outcomes.
Dar prioridad a la transparencia, abordar las preocupaciones y fomentar la credibilidad son los cimientos del éxito de los esfuerzos de creación de coaliciones, de las iniciativas de participación de las partes interesadas y del éxito de los proyectos.
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Katie Tierney (tierneymarketing.com) is a freelance writer and SaaS content strategist. Over the last 20 years, Katie has led content for renowned, fast-growing companies like Klaviyo (KVYO) and Virgin.