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Whether you're sharing good news or bad news, facts & figures, or seeking feedback; being empathetic, gaining trust, and doing it quickly are all important. Event reporting by Aditi Sharma Kalra.
- Have you communicated enough?
- Did the message get across to the person?
- Did the person digest it and see your point of view?
These are the questions we must be asking ourselves when communicating with our stakeholders, as shared by Patrick Tay, Member of Parliament for Pioneer SMC, and Assistant Secretary-General of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), at the debut Community Engagement Asia 2023 organised by Lighthouse Independent Media.
"There is no shortcut, there is no barometer - you need to do lots of engagement, feedback gathering, sensing - to see if your communication has achieved the desired outcome. It very important to close the feedback loop.
"People don't just want accurate and contemporaneous information, but equally they want it with speed," he affirmed at the opening keynote to an audience of more than 100 community engagement practitioners.
Speaking on the topic 'Unlocking the power of collaborative partnerships: Elevating stakeholder engagement in public, private, and community sectors', MP Tay went on to share the 6Cs of community engagement, which we at HRO believe are equally applicable to the labour community in addressing their stakeholders, such as line managers, employees, management, and potential candidates.
Listed below are the 6Cs of community engagement for all communications stakeholders to note:
1. Collaboration - It will be painful to do things alone, as you'll be going against the grain - try not to go at it alone, e.g., when rolling out a new initiative, bring everyone together. Every single project should involve a lot of collaboration with your partners.
2. Communication - If you don't communicate, social media will communicate for you! If you don't communicate, those who get information ahead of you will do it - whether factual or not. How fast you get information on the ground matters. There is no such thing as under communication in today's age.
3. Cultivate - Cultivate advocates and influencers, opinion makers and thinkers. They are very important to getting your information across. It is not just about having the information to do it, but you need multipliers to accelerate the communication forward.
4. Care - People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. When your communication is sincere, and you show that you care about people and your surroundings, everything will be more palatable and acceptable.
5. Connect - Different strokes for different folks. Use different platforms to connect to different audience. The profile in Singapore is changing rapidly, so be mindful of the different segments of community - from lower-income groups to high-net-worth individuals.
6. Create - Create a win-win situation by getting alignment on ideas and goals. Citing an example of the labour movement's tripartite approach, ASG Tay cited a win-win-win philosophy, which even helps push through even some difficult policies and legislative changes.
"Whether you're communicating good news, bad news, no news, facts & figures, persuading people to buy something, or asking for their feedback, refer to these 6Cs," ASG Tay advised.
When asked about the best practices for communicating bad news, our keynote speaker shared: "It is situational. Whether you are talking about layoffs and retrenchments, or communicating bad news in the healthcare sector, being empathetic is very important.
"Equally important is situational assessment - what and who is the community you are engaging? Who all is being impacted? Gain people's trust. Be honest and frank."
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Photo / Community Engagement Asia
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