Eight tips for hosting a successful, inclusive listening session

For the past several months, I have been working to help my child overcome selective mutism.

This condition is not very well known. It also has an awful name. Our therapists better describe it as a type of social communication anxiety. My child is talkative as ever when he is at home, but when he is at school or with people he does not know, he struggles to find his words. We have been working on techniques that will gradually give him the confidence to speak. In the meantime, we are learning methods to allow him to communicate his feelings without talking. It’s a work in progress, but we have already seen his confidence grow as he develops new ways of communicating.

I’ve noticed some parallels between helping my son find his voice and the API Inclusion Index community listening work I’ve been doing in Pittsburgh. More newsrooms are turning to community listening to develop much-needed rapport and relationships with the communities they serve. Many of the people I work with view their goal as increasing the number of people attending these events. However, to have successful listening conversations, those who attend must feel heard. This means hosting a successful community listening session includes hearing from those less inclined to speak — but who nonetheless have a great deal to say about their communities — and giving them methods to contribute.

Success can also depend upon the environment of your events. Selective mutism is rare — it only impacts about one percent of the population — but familiar environments can help it while unfamiliar or stressful ones trigger it. Likewise, many people struggle with expressing their thoughts and feelings in public settings. Ensuring your sessions are inclusive of their needs is more important than building a large audience for these events.

1. Choose a venue that is inclusive and easily accessible

Push back against your instinct to host your listening session at a venue you like, are familiar with, or that you think the community will enjoy. Instead, think about spaces that are centrally located, noncontroversial and accessible to everyone. This will double the impact by increasing your turnout and making audience members more comfortable.

Every decision is political. Want to have a session at a church? Some people may feel uncomfortable, particularly if the venue has developed a controversial reputation. Want to have it at a hip new brewery? Some people do not drink, or are uncomfortable around alcohol. And if the venue is part of a perceived wave of gentrification, some may skip the event for that reason.

Additionally, check to see if the venue fully complies with ADA standards. I made this mistake before, and yes, it cost me potential attendees. Making sure the event is convenient for travel is also essential. Look for a space with ample parking and that is close to public transportation.

What does this mean? In general, places like libraries, community centers, dedicated meeting rooms and coffee shops may be your best bet. Still struggling to think of venues? Consider this next tip.

2. Partner with a well-connected community member or organization

If you’re holding community listening sessions to better connect with underserved communities, chances are your newsroom isn’t in the best position to recruit community members to attend. You may be unaware of the potential issues that come with hosting at certain venues, which is why you should collaborate with a community influencer or organizer to help you recruit members and plan your event.

For our efforts in Pittsburgh, we worked with Amber Thompson, a longtime resident and community consultant who has worked with groups across the city. We also enlisted the help of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, which has developed a strong reputation among residents. Amber and PBMF helped us find venues typically used for community events. They were also able to find residents who would not only attend the events but would publicize them to their networks. This snowballing approach, probably more than any other method, is what helps generate attention for your events.

3. Bring aboard a translator when hosting ESOL speakers

If you want to connect with people in a community where English is often not the language of choice, you will need to have someone translate or even lead the session with your guidance. Your community liaison may be able to assist you. If you have someone on staff who can translate for you, that’s great but consider compensating them for the work, whether with overtime pay or time off. Translation is labor intensive.

4. Consider offering more than pizza and grocery store veggie plates.

Everything you do for a listening session leaves an impression, especially if you are attempting to regain and rebuild trust within a community. That is why the food you serve is important.

In my early work, I gave people a lot of pizza. And as a participant in such events, I have had a lot of pizza. It makes sense, especially if you are on a budget. What pizza will not typically do, however, is spark conversation among participants, or place them in a positive mood. It’s just  . . . pizza.

That is why the PBMF and our indispensable project coordinator, Amy Jo Brown, suggested we provide more than just pizza for our first listening session in December, which was with community organizers from across the city. Instead, we catered and treated the guests to delicious Italian cuisine. The food itself helped spark conversations among newsroom representatives and community members, which in turn helped set up a more positive mood for our session. This approach was more expensive, to be sure, so we used other local caterers at subsequent sessions, such as one that provided attendees with tasty samosas. In all, it was about the same price as pizza. And it, too, had the community members in a good mood.

You should always have a variety of options available, including vegan and gluten-free. If you have the time, you should ask registered patrons if they have dietary requirements or restrictions. But good food, in general, helps make a great first impression.

5. Don’t lament at small attendance, and carry on with the event.

You will have poor attendance occasionally. In Pittsburgh, our numbers ranged from 15 people to just one. Sometimes, things out of your control, such as the weather, an accident, or illnesses can impact attendance. However, low attendance does not mean you cannot have a successful event. Even one person can provide you with important information and context about their community. If that person is well connected, the one-on-one opportunity could yield connections with others in the community.

For example, at a listening session with only two people, one person was the president of a local community organization. They were impressed with our effort and later agreed to join our community advisory committee. That’s a win. Don’t worry about who is or isn’t there — worry about what they say, how you listen and the connection you can build together.

6. Give people opportunities to write or draw their answers.

Not everyone is comfortable speaking in front of people. This alone is a potential reason you may not get many people to your listening sessions, regardless of where you hold it or what food you serve. That is why it is imperative that you still provide opportunities for people who may be anxious about speaking to express themselves in different ways beyond verbal communication.

I typically begin each question by asking people to write something down or draw a picture on sticky notes and then place them on a board. Once the discussion starts, I ask the participants to turn to their notes or drawings when addressing the rest of the group. Let attendees know you will collect the notes and drawings afterward, so they can decide whether to write their name on them.

This method has two benefits. First, if people do not speak, you can still collect their thoughts or impressions. In many cases, I have found that drawings provide even stronger representations of a person’s feelings than verbal communication. Second, notes or drawings create an artifact for the speaker, which helps them recall their thoughts and leads to a more robust conversation than simply asking them to talk off the cuff. Writing and drawing also stimulates other parts of the brain, which helps with verbal communication.

7. Turn off your journalism instincts. Ask your question, and just listen.

This will probably be the most challenging task, but it’s also potentially the most impactful. If you plan a listening session that will last 60 to 90 minutes — I wouldn’t go beyond that — you should have four questions.

Once you ask a question, sit back and listen. Make sure you are engaged with the speaker. Take notes. Do not interrupt or pass judgments — verbally or nonverbally — as they are talking. Just listen.

This will not be easy. In some cases, you may hear people spreading misinformation. You may hear them say something about your newsroom that is not true. You will also hear them critique your work, often in unflattering ways. Just sit and take it all in. True or untrue, fair or unfair, what is being shared is the perception you are dealing with in the community. Learning about this is why you are there.

Developing strategies to combat these issues cannot be done in the moment. Trying to do so will take away speaking time from others. Listen, and then figure out why people have these beliefs later, possibly in follow-up conversations. And yes, you should absolutely schedule follow-up conversations. That’s another key step in building trust with participants.

8. Pay people for their time.

If you have the money, give people something for sharing their time with you. It is a recognition that you value them, which helps build trust and rapport. If possible, consider cash or a debit card that gives them access to most goods and services. A $25 Visa gift card can do far more for a person than a card limited to a specific vendor, and for a lot of people, even $25 can help through a tough spell.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it should help get you started on your journey to community listening. As long as you make an effort to ensure all voices are heard and appreciated, you are well on your way to having impactful conversations with your community.