Almost every public project will require some sort of public outreach, usually a public forum of some sort where the public can ask questions and (too often) voice objections (I am convinced that there is an organization out there called the CONE, “Citizens Opposed to Nearly Everything”).  

But whether you conduct an open house or a formal public meeting, here are some tips to make your A/E/C firm's dealing with the public more effective:

1. Understand your audience and the area demographics: While equality  remains a fundamental of American life; the issues of a largely minority community are quite different than those of a high-end, wealthy community. You do need to know and understand the community issues.

2. Dress Appropriately: If your audience consists of farmers, ranchers, and miners don’t wear a three-piece suit with wingtip shoes. Try to dress just a notch higher than your audience; it shows respect but is not overwhelming.

3. Listen First: Listen to understand the issues. The more accurate knowledge that you have of the public’s reaction to the project, the better equipped you will be to answer their questions. What ever you do, do not interrupt a speaker.

4. Be Empathetic: Sometimes your project will have significant impacts on a community or a property owner that you simply cannot avoid. It’s OK for you to express that you understand what this does.

5. Don’t Mislead: Almost every project has an impact on the community at least during construction. Don’t downplay these impacts by suggesting that you have some magic way of making them go away.

6. Encourage Public Input: Express a sincerity and genuine concern over the public’s issues. Have an easy and convenient channel to accept and respond to public input. Perhaps a web site, Facebook page, Twitter account or simply an e-mail address, but respond to the input.

7. Remember, it’s about them: It is difficult for a citizen to go to a public meeting. They are usually at night - people have lives that don’t include going to a meeting. It is difficult for many to speak at a public forum. So thank them for coming and thank them for asking questions or commenting.

There is no question that dealing with the public can be difficult but the public has the ability to stop your project in its tracks. Remember you are building in their neighborhood or the paving project will disrupt access to their all ready low-margin business or you are about to designate their property as flood prone.

All have negative impacts; the public has a right to know and how you handle this interface will have long-term impacts on your firm and the agency.

About the Author: Michael Ellegood, P.E., has over 40 years of project delivery experience both as a private consultant and as a county engineer/public works director. He is a Senior Consultant with PSMJ Resources. He can be reached at mellegood@psmj.com.

PSMJ's Project Delivery Excellence For Public Agencies focuses on simple project management approaches that achieve better results than traditional, less-effective, more time-consuming methods. This program will provide you with the tools to more efficiently manage  multiple projects while controlling the schedule and budget and the changes that inevitably happen. Our project management protocols focus exclusively on the public works environment and issues that specifically hit the public sector on a daily basis.

You also might be interested in these related blog posts:

8 Must-Haves For Effective Project Leadership

Real Skills to Look for in a Public Works PM 

6 Ways to Avoid a Project Disaster

Project Change Management – How Other Industries Do It