When humans face challenging circumstances, they either navigate or negotiate. We navigate when we have little to no control over the situation — we can't control the storm, so we just have to navigate the waters as best we can until it (hopefully) passes. We negotiate when we more control or agency in achieving different outcomes. The first order of business is to identify the degree to which a challenge can be negotiated and how much needs to be navigated — a familiar prayer.
But once we understand that a situation can to some degree be negotiated — that we do have some power in guiding results — then there are (at least) three levers that determine the character of the negotiation:
Data: How much data or insights we have about the choices at hand
Motivations: What others involved want and hope to achieve. (Assuming there are others — I'm using "negotiate" in the broadest possible sense. You can and do negotiate with yourself.)
Alternatives: The limitations and benefits of the options at hand in relation to what those involved want and hope to achieve. (This aspect is deeply dependent on the first two above but it is different — to honestly describe all the alternatives we have to understand not only the alternatives but also how those alternatives are more or less likely to support the various desired outcomes of everyone involved.)
I'll use one-word shorthand to refer to these three elements.
The Persuasion Trap
The less Data, Motivations, and Alternatives we have, the more likely we are to rely on persuasion to negotiate the challenge at hand.
In other words, in the absence of insight, a deep understanding of what everyone involved hopes to achieve, and how different choice sets can more or less support those goals, it's more likely that we will rely on one-dimensional rhetoric to achieve the outcome we view as best (which isn't always the best outcome).
A persuasive negotiation for a museum includes things like compelling stories, visitor numbers, and powerful anecdotes. There are many assumptions baked into a persuasive approach. A collection of compelling stories and visitor numbers, for example, often assumes that a funder wants to invest in or support a museum and not some more fundamental result that a museum helps others achieve because most museum stories and certainly visitor numbers are about the museum's success on traditional terms — the museum is at the center of the appeal.
The Facilitation Opportunity
The more Data, Motivation, and Alternatives we have, the more we're able to facilitate a decision.
In other words, when we have a deep understanding of what all involved are trying to achieve and the many ways they can achieve those outcomes (both supported by data) the less we need to convince anyone of anything.
A facilitative negotiation for a museum can include stories, numbers, and anecdotes, but the key difference is that the museum is not at the center — or is not alone in the center.
I understand this might seem like a distinction without a difference, but compare:
Persuasive: "We served over 20,000 school children last year through our award-winning educational programs, which align with curriculum standards and receive consistently positive teacher feedback. Our post-visit surveys show 92% satisfaction rates."
Facilitative: "We've listened to caregivers who want to cultivate children's interest in science. We've mapped their mental models as they try to achieve this goal, and you can see that many of them worry about how to support children's interests without relying on technology that may erode attention spans. We know you share our interest in supporting the social and intellectual well-being of children and families — You could donate to us or our friends over at The Nature Preserve. They're also doing some interesting things in supporting these kinds of outcomes."
The former is a persuasive pitch, the latter is an update from a trusted advisor and potential partner.
In the coming years, it will likely be more important than ever for cultural institutions to level up from persuasive to facilitative. And the shift can't only be theoretical — it will need to happen through strategic partnerships and practical tools. By combining forces with organizations that share complementary expertise, museums can access deeper insights and develop more effective approaches to supporting community goals.
For museums considering this shift, there are several practical steps worth considering:
Map your stakeholders' motivations beyond traditional museum objectives (The museum is a solution, not an end in itself — what does participation with the institution enable?)
Develop data collection practices that illuminate community goals, not just institutional metrics
Partnership in Action: MaP + Made By Us
In MaP, we're pursuing partnerships with other professional groups to achieve that goal, and our newest partner is Made By Us.
Since 2020, Caroline Klibanoff and her team at MBU have been bringing valuable insights to history museums that want to support young people's civic engagement and understanding. Made By Us embodies a facilitative approach to civic participation through its data-driven coalition model.
Through our new partnership, Made By Us coalition members receive preferred access to MaP³ assessment tools that reveal:
Which visitor well-being outcomes they deliver most effectively
How staff understanding aligns across departments
Where strategic opportunities exist that traditional metrics might miss
Most importantly, these insights directly connect to Made By Us's mission by illuminating how history organizations can leverage their unique strengths to support civic engagement goals, particularly among young people. Together, we're developing frameworks that build on existing expertise while revealing new pathways to impact.
If you're already a Made By Us coalition partner and you'd like to learn more about these benefits, reply to this email ("tell me more"). If you work at a history museum and you're not yet a coalition member, you can join here. Once you've registered, let us know and we'll invite you to participate in MaP³ as a new member with full benefits.
As museums face increasingly complex challenges, the ability to distinguish between what must be navigated and what can be negotiated becomes crucial. By developing deeper insights, understanding diverse motivations, and exploring alternative pathways to impact, museums can transform their relationship with communities and funders alike — moving from persuasive storytellers to trusted facilitators of meaningful progress.
This shift won't happen overnight, but it represents a promising direction for institutions seeking to negotiate rather than merely navigate a troubled advocacy landscape.