The folks at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, a local coalition of safe street community groups, have seen first hand how policy-speak can risk hiding the most important messages: why solutions matter and the people who should care.
At countless public meetings and in hundreds of community conversations, they’ve seen how the wrong message can confuse, put off, or even backfire, pitting otherwise friendly stakeholders against one another.
They set out to find a better way. With years of road testing, they’ve learned what words and messages bring communities together and engage people’s interest, values, and emotions.
Try it for yourself. Use this crib sheet during your next conversation about a street project.
