When thinking about how much emphasis to put on encouraging people to sign up for a session, consider questions such as these:
• Will potential participants require persuasion to sign up: for example, through special incentives or an appeal to the benefits of experiential learning or professional education?
• Will the leader of an organization require persuasion to send a number of representatives to a session during a particularly busy time of year?
• Will potentially cynical participants benefit from a constructive and positive approach to a mandatory issues analysis process?
If you are inviting organizational repre- sentatives to a think tank, for example, your invitation is likely to be focused most onper- suadingthem about the relevance of the session to their organizations and the larger profes- sional community, then on providing them with some basicinformationon logistics, and finally on providing an invitation toexplorethe topic ahead of time through key questions attached to the letter or e-mail.
Be clear about thebenefits of attending.For example, “Our agenda is clear:
we need to get our issues on the table and create ways to address them. And we need to do that in a mutually respectful and supportive environment.
We’re good at this—this is what our company is known for. The process is
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our best ever.” A focus on expected outcomes lets stakeholders appreciate how the implementation of session results could affect their work.
Urgency and commitment are often important elements in persuad- ing people to participate in a session. Here is a sample passage in a letter to employees from the executive director of a public art gallery who wants to convey urgency and commitment about accessibility for people with disabilities:
Our task in this session is to build a living legacy in arts and culture in our community. The way ahead is through fundamental policy changes that will enhance the accessibility of our programs and buildings to all community members. To do this we need some time away from day-to-day pressures where we can think in new ways about what works and what doesn’t in relation to access. . . . I want people to notice a substantial difference in how we do our business. This is not an opportunity to make small adjustments or tweak existing programs. This is an opportunity for large-scale change—for becoming more citizen-centered in how we function.
Be sure to announce any financial support clearly. Here is a sample paragraph announcing scholarships available for young investigators:
The future of research in this area lies in building our country’s research capacity. If you are a young investigator who fulfills the criteria listed below, please complete the attached scholarship application to attend this two-day international conference, with travel and accommodation expenses paid. Ten places have been reserved for young investigator scholarships; recipients will be selected by the conference planning committee.
Be strategic in the way you invite participants. Renowned participants and speakers often prefer to be approached initially in person or by phone (prior to receiving a written invitation), seeing this as an indication of the importance of their involvement and status in an area.
Create a credible first impression. Catch the respondent’s eye in both paper and electronic versions through your letterhead and logo and the importance of the letter writer. For example:
As District Attorney for our region, I am delighted to sponsor your participation in the upcoming workshop on the cost-benefit analysis of alternative justice systems.
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Use a transparent invitation process so people understand who is being invited and why, and the criteria, if any, for acceptance. Also think about staging your invitations or announcements. Do you want an advance invi- tation to a selected group of must-have participants followed by a slightly later invitation to a broader group? For example:
An initial invitation is being sent to 25 individuals selected by the Steering Committee based on their success in this area over the past year. Two weeks after this invitation is issued a general announce- ment will be made on the Web and registrations will be accepted, on a chronological basis, up to a maximum of 60 participants.
Part of the process management function is to draft letters on behalf of the planning group and client. The following example is an excerpt from an e-mail from a director of human resources to encourage full participation in a series of planning sessions:
On March 7–9 this year our corporate group will be having its sec- ond formal planning session. A landmark meeting of this group took place in Helsinki in February 2002, where the initial work was done on mission, vision, values, and goals. This served as the basis for the development of a formal set of bylaws, which were then approved under the Corporations Act and which led to the first formal meeting of the Board of Directors in Moscow, on November 28–29, 2002.
The purpose of this session is to continue with and build on this planning work. To be successful we need everyone in our divi- sion to participate wholeheartedly.
The next example is an excerpt from a letter from a responsible senior public official in a large Canadian government department to persuade employees to collaborate on addressing issues:
The Clerk of the Privy Council and his three Deputy Minister Com- mittees have recently reported on three key issues that must be addressed to build a highly skilled public service:
• Recruitment: replenishing the public service with the “best and the brightest”
• Retention: creating a workplace and a culture that will retain our new and existing workforce, and
• Learning: building the Federal Public Service into a learning organization.
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these suggestions into a master plan that creates a vibrant public service for the future. We need to do this together in the best spir- it of public service collaboration.