Avoid common community engagement potholes and pitfalls

For most people, snow and ice melting off streets means spring has begun. But Minnesotans also know this is the first sign of another annual shift: the start of pothole and construction season. And just as drivers learn to swerve around a minefield of pavement pitfalls this time of year, we’ve learned through our extensive experience with transportation projects across the state that the road to meaningful community engagement can be riddled with similar hazards. If you aren’t careful, you might face strong public opposition, misinformation spreading or failure to bring people along. To help keep your efforts running smoothly, here are some common community engagement potholes — and how to avoid them.

Pothole 1: Not communicating early or often enough
People want to feel included and informed about projects, especially if it will impact their day-to-day lives. Connect with impacted communities at the earliest stages of the project and maintain a steady cadence of updates throughout. This is key to fostering successful relationships with community members and helps generate buy-in and investment.

Pothole 2: Forgetting the “human” element
For nearby residents, businesses and commuters, your project means more than a lane change or new sidewalks. It might mean they can’t get to their doctor’s office easily, an added 10 minutes to their daily commute, or a dip in sales because parking is impacted. Approach conversations with empathy, understanding that people’s daily lives will likely be affected by temporary changes. Be honest, clear and timely about anticipated impacts and how the public can access support throughout the project.

Pothole 3: Expecting people to come to you
Hosting a public hearing or open house is a great way to reach people, but it shouldn’t be the only community engagement tool in your belt. Meet people where they are — literally! Tabling at the local grocery store, hosting community office hours at an area coffee shop or posting one-pagers on bulletin boards at nearby schools can be even more effective at keeping communities informed and engaged.

Pothole 4: Relying on a one-size-fits-all strategy
Community engagement doesn’t look like one specific thing. Successful engagement requires research, understanding local characteristics and developing strategies that make sense to the community you’re trying to reach. Do you need materials translated into other languages? Is there a highly attended local event you can table at? Is a virtual meeting option necessary to reach certain groups of people? Coming up with creative and accessible methods of engagement is crucial to connecting successfully and ensuring everyone is on the same page around your project.

Pothole 5: Expecting people to engage without a “good” reason
No one wakes up thinking about traffic flow models. People care about commute times, easy and safe access to everyday spaces, and neighborhood aesthetics. It is your job to explain the “why” and real-life benefits behind your project. Communicate clearly about expected improvements and show community members how much impact they can have on tangible things like safety.

Pothole 6: Sharing hard-to-understand materials without plain language
Engineering documents are essential tools, but they aren’t always accessible to the average community member. One of the most valuable roles you can play is that of translator. Take time to explain what people are looking at, provide context, use clear and easy-to-understand language in your communications, and provide multiple opportunities for answering basic questions before diving into feedback. When you meet people where they are with clear, jargon-free information, everyone benefits.

Pothole 7: Not being clear about what you can and can’t do
Be upfront early about your project scope. If there are limits, name them early to manage expectations. If community members want to pursue something outside your organization’s lane, point them in the right direction so they can advocate for it themselves.

While these examples lean on our deep experience with transportation projects — including this recent construction project in Saint Paul where our team’s engagement efforts directly helped shape project design and share construction details with nearby residents and businesses — these tried-and-true strategies apply to any public engagement effort. If you have a project that requires steering a successful community engagement campaign and want to ensure a smooth road ahead, we’re always here to help.