April 15, 2013
Reaching the "Authorizing Public"
When
thinking about public outreach, it is important to consider who you want to
reach and why. Often, who utilities reach is limited by who shows up at public
meetings or workshops, or who signs up to be part of an advisory group. It is
important to remember that these people are self-selecting, and they are
engaged for a variety of personal reasons or special interests. They do not
necessarily represent the general-public interest. Sometimes the only people
self-selecting are opponents or “squeaky wheels.”
Previous
Branding Updates have addressed the need for utilities to provide “cover” for
policy makers. This requires building relationships with those in a position to
influence policy decisions. Ideally, the utility needs to reach community
leaders who represent a broad cross section of interests. We have started referring
to this group of individuals as the “authorizing public.” Reaching these people
begins with knowing who they are, followed by proactively meeting and
communicating. Self-selectors are surely part of the authorizing public because
they are interested and engaged. But they are only a subset of this group, and
certainly should not be exercising undue influence or dictating policy. The
mission of the utility is to serve its entire community.