When companies are presented with situations of outrage in particular, it is crucial they recognise the situation for what it is and engage with stakeholders in the appropriate way.
Global outrage engagement expert Peter Sandman describes outrage as when members of the public are highly “outraged” by an event/proposed action when there is no hazard present.
For example, if a company proposes to develop a landfill in their neighbourhood – there is no immediate hazard and yet residents are outraged by the idea.
In most situations involving outrage there are likely to be a small number of very vocal community members who are opposed to the project or development. Many companies spend a significant amount of time engaging with these community members.
It may seem right at the time, to spend hours on the phone with an outraged community member in order to pacify their concerns, but in fact this is unlikely to be the best form of engagement.
What companies need to recognise is that there is little chance of them being able to convince an opposing member of the public that the proposal or project is a good idea. What they can do is listen to their concerns in order to make that community member feel valued and respected.
Instead, what many companies fail to realise is that there is a much larger segment of the community crucial to its success or failure.
It is this segment of the community companies should focus on. Victorian-based outrage management expert Maryanne Martin describes this as the “attentive” audience; this audience is paying close attention to how the company deals with the most vocal in the community and is looking for information to make up their own minds.
Once a company recognises who its attentive audience is its stakeholder engagement process should shift focus in order to cater to these community members.
See more about stakeholder engagement here.
Footnote: Platform Communications Director Kirsty Danby facilitated the Liquid Learning Stakeholder Communication and Community Engagement Conference 2015 in June which featured Maryanne Martin.
