ARTICLES

GARNERING NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT FOR HOMEBUILDING
BDMag.com - June 2006

by Debra Stein

While persuasion may not be the only way to deal with citizen opposition to a project, getting neighbors to think the way you think and feel the way you feel is clearly the best way to win community approval.

Just the facts, please

In a perfect world, citizens would carefully evaluate your substantive arguments, weigh your evidence and reasoning, and then reach the logical conclusion that your project is a good idea.

Unfortunately, people are likely to take the time and effort to rationally evaluate your messages only under limited circumstances. You can, however, take steps to encourage this behavior.

Urging citizens to envision themselves enjoying the benefits of the completed project enhances the personal relevance and attractiveness of your proposal. An example of this would be to say, "Picture yourself eating an ice cream cone as you walk through the new town center."

Providing paper and pens at a community meeting makes it easier for citizens to take notes about the substantive issues you are addressing, and easy-to-understand graphics focus citizen attention on the facts and figures they need to know to make sound decisions.

Using logical-sounding language such as "It therefore makes sense to..." further reinforces the rational persuasiveness of your messages.

Context, not content

While some citizens will carefully, rationally evaluate your messages, most will focus on the context of the communication rather than the content of your statements. Thoughts about a speaker can be more persuasive than what the speaker is actually saying. For example, "if the speaker seems likable then his assertions must be believable," or "all lawyers lie" and "experts are always right."

Finally, how you say something can be even more important that what you say. For example, an expensive brochure could either convey the high quality of a project, or come across as a slick promotional piece certain to contain misleading statements.

Avoid gut reactions

Emotional appeals are intended to encourage gut-level responses that may or may not be relevant to the real issues at stake. Debates about land use proposals often involve emotional manipulation — appeals to fear, "Our kids will get run over trying to cross the street!"; guilt trips, "How could you do this to us?"; and personal attacks, "She's lying!" You'll often find opponents using emotional appeals when the facts are on your side and they need to take attention away from weak anti-project arguments.

However, emotional persuasion can also be a valuable tool for developers looking to build community support.

Encouraging citizens to think about themselves personally enjoying the benefits of the completed project, for instance, makes the proposal more emotionally meaningful and personally relevant.

Colorful examples can turn dry statistics into stories citizens can empathize with. Even graphics and color can trigger immediate emotional responses. For example, the color blue makes most viewers feel "secure" while orange makes them feel "distressed."

Emotions become particularly important to developers when they find themselves facing a hostile audience. There are several practical steps you can take to minimize nasty behavior even when emotions are running high:

• Encourage rational thinking. Using tools like paper and pens, graphics and rational-sounding words can encourage people to focus on the facts rather than their hostile feelings.
• Eliminate anonymity. People are more likely to behave aggressively if they think they are anonymous members of a mob, so use name tags and have people introduce themselves so they can be identified and held accountable for their conduct.
• Maintain eye contact. You can significantly increase the changes of being treated well by angry audience members if you can force them to engage in personal eye contact and interaction with you.

Three persuasive options

Sophisticated developers recognize that there are three distinct types of persuasion: rational, peripheral, and emotional. The successful outreach strategy utilizes all three approaches to maximize public support for your project.


Debra Stein is the president of the San Francisco-based public affairs firm, GCA Strategies. She is the author of several books on NIMBYism and her firm specializes in controversial land use projects across the nation. For more information, e-mail Stein, call her at 415-391-4100 or visit the GCA Strategies Web site at www.gcastrategies.com.