There’s no doubt that we are facing an unprecedented change to our daily lives, as coronavirus sweeps across the globe and puts many of us into isolation, either by force or by choice.

And whilst the UK Government has thus far adopted less stringent measures on social distancing, there’s no doubt that a ‘business as usual’ approach feels somewhat unsuitable when it comes to responsible communication.   

This is particularly relevant to how we support our clients in the built environment sector to engage with local communities, often through face-to-face meetings with local stakeholders, as well as public consultation events where residents traditionally congregate to view development proposals for their local area. Nevertheless, where we have used digital tools in tandem with this approach, the level of engagement has often skyrocketed from hundreds to thousands of people, who have been able to view, ask questions and provide feedback on such plans, at just the click of a button.

But it’s not just the quantity that matters. Often, when we take our consultation online, we find ourselves able to reach a wider cross section of the community. People who rely on social media to learn what’s going on in their local area. People who have childcare commitments and cannot get to a public event. People who are working hard to provide care to others round the clock.  

Yes, there is no doubt that we are in unchartered and unsettling waters. But here at Newington Communications, by working closely with our exemplary in-house digital team and exercising some ‘outside-of-the-box’ thinking, we are committed to the delivery of comprehensive community engagement – in times of crisis and beyond.

Ways we can help our clients to deliver consultation outside of traditional means include publishing consultation materials online, on platforms where virtual attendees can leave their comments and receive responses; using social media to disseminate information and drive engagement with a wide variety of audiences; opening telephone hotlines where we can field questions from stakeholders without needing to meet face to face, and even running tele-town halls where people can register to view proposals whilst directly communicating with members of the project team at the same time.

Adapting in such a way is vitally important in several ways. Firstly, it forms a crucial part of supporting our clients to deliver the consultation needed to fully shape and deliver their plans, without which we cannot address the other crisis we face – in housing delivery. Second, it could also facilitate more comprehensive engagement in future, leading to better development that reflects the wants and needs of a wider spectrum of the local community.

And, thirdly – and perhaps most importantly – if there was ever a time that we need to bring communities together, to keep them informed and engaged on the issues that matter to them, it is now.

Delivering new ways to communicate will help us to bridge the social distancing gap now, and might just help us to better engage in future.

To find out more about how you can keep engaging, whilst protecting yourself and others, please contact Phil Briscoe at [email protected]