NORTHFIELD, MN (6/14/2011) Voices of people from all walks of life help shape social movements or policy changes. Think for a minute about a public forum or meeting you have attended. Who is there? Active participants are often called the ‘usual suspects.’ Who is missing? The unusual suspects.
When planning a public event have you ever heard these questions?
Public meeting on national parks by jondoing@flickr
- Who is most likely to come and who do we need to urge to come?
- How do you get the ‘right mix of people’ in a meeting?
- How do you get more voices to chime in?
I was reminded of a meeting I attended a few years ago.
It was a planning meeting hosted by a foundation beginning a methamphetamine reduction initiative. Sitting on one side of me was a man who had been through drug treatment five times, and was now clean. On the other side was a parent of a child now using. Others included foundation, medical, educational, and law enforcement staff.
Those with firsthand experience with meth were valued for their perspectives on how to solve the problem. They were not brought in as voices of ‘the problem. ’
One way to get more people to show up and speak out is to ask them to help.
Notice of public meeting; photo by joelwashing@flickr
“We not only need these voices to understand their world view, but we also must ask them what solutions would work for them. We must listen, honoring what they say, and asking them what they would like for their lives.
Listening to those voices forces us-as a society-to confront the inadequate ways in which we organizationally, intellectually, and professionally deal with social class differences and face up to the shortcomings of our systems in serving all people honorably and equitably.
Only when effort is made to include the disenfranchised can we begin to better understand what is motivating them and truly develop responsive organizations." Beegle, D (2006).
Who may be an unusual suspect?
Characteristics of people who may need to be urged to speak up on public matters may include:
- lower socioeconomic status
- lower educational status
- institutional residents – jail/prison, halfway house, special needs care homes, treatment centers, assisted living and/or nursing homes
Characteristics of people who seem to frequently speak up on public matters may include:
- professional roles (such as teachers and lawyers)
- college-educated
- higher socioeconomic status
- property owners
How do 'mattering and marginality' hold the key to participation by unusual suspects?
People tend to participate if they are treated as if they matter. This is especially true if they have experienced marginality in any aspect of their life.
Marginality
“Are we part of things; do we belong; are we central or marginal? Do we make a difference; do others care about us and make us feel we matter?”
People may be marginalized by race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic background, sexual preference, language, or other factors. Nancy Schlossberg (1989) asserted that marginality can describe a personality type, a permanent condition, or a temporary condition during a transition.
Most people have experienced a degree of these feelings at some point in their lives – whether upon beginning college, moving to a new city, or adjusting to a new role in their profession. In groups, if members do not see that they belong, matter, or perceive that others care, they will likely exit the group.
Mattering
Mattering is the alternative feeling to marginality. It is defined as “Our belief, right or wrong, that we matter to someone else.” “Am I important?” or “Do I belong here?” “The feeling that others depend on us, are interested in us, are concerned with our fate.” Rosenberg and McCullough (1981)
Mattering is a feeling that is “in the eye of the beholder.” Here are five clues to watch.
- Attention-commanding “the interest or notice of another person”
- Importance-the belief that someone else “cares about what we want, think and do, or is concerned with our fate”
- Ego-extension - the sense that “other people will be proud of our accomplishments or saddened by our failures”
- Dependence- the sense that other people rely on us. “That our behavior is influenced by our dependence on other people is easily understood. What is more mysterious is why our actions are equally governed by their dependence on us.”
- Appreciation- refers to the feeling that one’s efforts are recognized and valued by others. “I am appreciated.”
In the meth reduction meeting, the unusual suspects were given attention, shown appreciation, and asked to return next time. In other words, treated as if they matter to the initiative and group.
You can also use these five factors to help unusual participants continue to attend public events. How you treat them will matter.
Please Comment: How do you encourage participation ‘beyond the usual suspects?”
Read more from Donna Rae Scheffert on the Washington Times Communities and at Online-Leadership-Tools. She can also be found on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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