What if research were your most effective community outreach tool?

Last fall, I spoke with some lovely humans in Iowa about the kind of listening we advocate for in MaP. During the Q&A, someone asked a question that I wish I had done a better job answering. I remember it being along the lines of:

How does this approach work when the people the museum wants to support don't trust the museum? What about frayed relationships? How does this help heal rifts with communities wary of developing a relationship with the museum?

My answer at the moment was basically, "Thank you. I'm not sure …"

My brain can operate at turtle speed, requiring at least one hour of reflection before answering someone who asks me my name.

If I could go back in time, I'd say:

Every part of this process demonstrates care. It's not about any one moment that magically heals the rift. Progress-space research is a process that communicates genuine respect and interest in the person you're listening to at every stage.

Notice I said person. When we listen to understand someone's goal, we aren't inviting a group of people to talk with us. We listen to one person at a time.

How different it must feel to have a museum invite you and you alone to talk about your goal compared to being called to a room full of people who are the same age as you or have the same skin color. Calling a group of those people together to hear how we can do better smells like checking a box. Inviting someone to talk privately about how they think about a goal that matters most to them demonstrates a level of interest that's hard to mistake.

Another example: A listening session can take whatever form the speaker prefers. Ask if they want to talk over the phone, via Zoom, in person, or via text message. When you ask someone how they want to speak with you — giving them the power to determine the character of the exchange — your actions show that they're the most important thing on your agenda. You're ceding control because their perspective is that valuable.

There are plenty of other examples of how this kind of research can help heal rifts. But it was difficult for me to find an answer at the moment because it's not one thing that can help — every part of the practice contributes.

If you're interested in learning about this approach — listening for interior cognition — we just announced a Live Practice session for Listening Deeply on February 29th at 7pm ET.

The session is open to everyone. Even if you're not yet enrolled in the Listening Deeply in Museums course, you can attend and observe how we practice. During breakouts, I'll talk with newcomers about Listening Deeply as a practical approach to building new relationships. But, if you've been thinking about registering for the course, I hope this email gives you enough time to register and complete a few of the lessons before our first practice session.