As one of Canada’s top facilitators, Dave Hardy RPP has directly experienced what goes right and wrong when difficult public decisions need to be made by politicians, governments, agencies and corporations. He’s learned a lot about how to successfully engage the public, how to foster dialogue and how to manage situations when members of the public are angry. He’s also seen the political and financial costs of public engagement being done poorly.
His new book, “Who are These People and Why are They Yelling at Me? The art and science of managing large angry public meetings” is a must read for anyone who must engage the public. The book provides advice and practical lessons for politicians, civil servants, corporate CEO’s and public affairs staff who need to involve the public in decision making, particularly where decisions are unpopular but necessary. Dave Hardy shares his unique insights learned from facilitating over 1,500 meetings and provides lessons for engaging the public in a meaningful manner. He gives essential tips for preparing for potential angry meetings and takes you step by step through the dynamics of how to help the group achieve dialogue. Essential facilitation tools and techniques are presented to support ‘extreme facilitator training’.
Through humor, academic insight, and career experience, Hardy teaches facilitation techniques and answers several questions, including:
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What are the techniques facilitators use to avoid an angry public meeting?
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How do they manage these meetings when they know many people will be angry?
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What are some of the unique situations that arise and how should you address them?
As an extreme facilitator, Hardy is often asked, why would anyone in their right mind choose a profession that constantly places you in the middle of a potential riot? Yet, his clients need to make tough decisions or defend actions that have upset large numbers of the public. The clients need someone with deep experience to engage people in a constructive manner. The residents attending want to make sure they are heard.
Before he became a Registered Professional Planner and starting his own firm, he cut his teeth as a community organizer. So, he has deep empathy for communities and stakeholders he works with. When you see huge numbers of angry people showing up at meetings, banks of television cameras and nervous presenters, you’ll also see Hardy in the middle helping to lead the process in a direction that meets everyone’s needs.
ISBN: 978-1-525556-26-5
Item no. 0097
