We're changing the way we talk with people.
- ELY
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
The Problem with "Engagement" Today
Throughout our five years of running ELY Public Affairs, one truth has become impossible to ignore: the way we engage stakeholders to build community is broken. And it’s not just inefficient, it’s actively damaging trust. Far too often, planning and engineering professionals step into these conversations bracing for battle rather than arriving with curiosity, frequently full of promise and without context.
This mindset turns what could be meaningful dialogue into a performance. And people feel it. They know when they’re being handled instead of heard. One participant told us before, ‘It felt like they came with their minds made up. I was just another name on their checklist.’ That comment stuck with us. It was painfully familiar and painfully true because we’ve all been that person.
The problem isn’t just with individuals; it’s with a system that treats engagement as risk management rather than relationship-building. If we want different results—stronger plans, fairer processes, better projects—we need a different approach.
Not one built on defensiveness and data-gathering, but on deep listening, reflection, and mutual respect. Because in reality, these individuals and groups are the ones who can speak up and support a project when the sponsor isn’t present. It's these stakeholders that can confront misinformation more aggressively and in credible and authentic ways.
So, we stopped asking, ‘How can we check this box?’ and started asking, ‘How can we co-create this solution?’ Engagement shouldn’t feel like a legal requirement; it should feel like an invitation.
At ELY Public Affairs, we believe communities aren’t barriers to overcome; they’re partners and advocates in building what comes next. That’s why we’ve reimagined stakeholder interviews as more than a listening session. They’re a tool for uncovering shared goals, bridging gaps, and translating lived experience into more grounded strategy.
Why we're flipping the script
We created it because we saw a pattern, a bad one. The tokenism. The one-and-done approaches. The lack of actionability. The equity missteps can occur even from well-meaning professionals.
These weren’t just isolated frustrations; they were systemic flaws that our clients recognized too, often voicing the same concerns with a sense of resignation.
However, over time and in project after project, the discomfort became a call to action. We started asking harder questions, listening more deeply, and challenging the norms we had once accepted. And even challenging the interviewees. We found allies, including planners, educators, and organizers, who were also hungry for a better way.
What began as quiet observations turned into a clear mission: to rebuild stakeholder interviewing into something more honest, more useful, and more equitable.
That journey led us to create Chatterbox.
What Chatterbox Does and Why It Matters Now
Chatterbox is our systematic process of listening to and extracting insights from community-based stakeholders, which helps clients hear more than just what’s said—it helps them understand what’s at stake.
Built for planners, communicators, and decision-makers, Chatterbox reveals the pain points, motivations, and hidden patterns that traditional engagement efforts overlook.
It translates raw conversations into sharp, strategic insights that inform project decisions effectively.
Whether you’re navigating public infrastructure, workforce development, or community engagement, Chatterbox turns input into influence, shaping smarter strategies, revealing equity gaps, and driving better outcomes that resonate with the people they’re meant to serve.
It is more important now because communities are demanding more transparency, more equity, and more accountability in how decisions are made. It matters now because they are no longer satisfied with being talked at.
As infrastructure investments increase (especially on the state and local levels), and as climate, workforce, and equity challenges become more complex, leaders can’t afford to rely on outdated engagement methods that go through the motions but fail to build trust. We need tools that not only gather input but also make sense of it. Chatterbox meets this moment by helping organizations move beyond compliance-driven outreach and into purpose-driven action.
When we listen better, we lead better and our future depends on both.
We’re proud of where ELY has been, and even more excited about where we are headed.
Drop us a note to discover how Chatterbox can transform conversations into clarity and enable you to lead with insight.
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