Communicating with Citizens

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Communicating with Citizens

• How to bring the message across effectively
• Pascal Hildebert Marcello Mereu
• European Commission, 16 March 2006

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Agenda

• Introduction and general objectives
• The challenges of communication
• What is communication?
• Styles and techniques to enhance our
  communication
• a few little pieces of advice

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Exercises

• Illusion of evidence
• Storytelling

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Illusion of evidence exercise

• A volunteer describes a picture to the other
  participants, while hiding behind a flipchart.
  She/He cannot answer any questions or make any
  gestures (or of course show the picture!) Do
  they all look the same?

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Storytelling exercise

• 3 people go out of the room. The remainder of
  the participants read a slide, telling a story.
  The slide is hidden after everyone has finished
  reading (a few seconds). One person is let in the
  room and a volunteer tell her/him the story
  she/he has read. The listener will have to tell
  the story to the second person who will be let in
  the room and the latter will tell the story to
  the third one Any differences in the story?

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Storytelling

• Its 7.15pm and Martha has decided to celebrate
  her 32nd birthday. Unfortunately, shes just
  realised she hasnt got enough drinks and snacks
  in her home, so she decides to go out for a
  little shopping. Outside its raining, so she
  decides to take her car, but she remembers that
  the tank is nearly empty. All of a sudden, the
  phone rings its her friend Margaret Martha
  hasnt spoken to her in months. After talking for
  half an hour, Martha realises that the petrol
  station is now closed (it closes at 7.30pm) and
  that shell have to go shopping on foot. She goes
  out, but outside its still raining. 20 minutes
  later, walking under the rain, Martha slips,
  falls and hurts her ankle.

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The challenges of communication

• Filtering information and the process of Scotoma
  (reticular activating system).
• Differences in perception.
• What seems evident and obvious to us is not
  necessarily so for our listeners, the recipients
  of the information. We need to be precise in the
  information we give.

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What is communication?

• To organise and manage information, to express
  and convey concepts efficiently and clearly, to
  understand feedback, adapting the language
  (verbal and non verbal).
• Communication means being able to express,
  receive and exchange ideas in an effective manner
  

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Communication styles techniques

• How to investigate perceptions
• Active listening/Rephrasing
• (Avoid misunderstandings!)
• Open questions/Never Assume Always Ask
• (Let people talk!)

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Communication styles techniques

• Body Language/Mirroring
• Presentation skills (eye contact, things to
  avoid)