Larry Schooler's guest appearances

Larry Schooler

Water In Real Life

The Gifters: Your Story is a Gift to the World

Elon Musk

Bill Gates

Craig Owens

Scott Huesing

Jen Ruiz

Yvonne Maffei

Ellie Perlman

Jonathan Keyser

Jason Treu

Sean Adams

Pete Buttigieg

Diana Nyad

Ralph Lauren

John Ruhlin

Diana Graber

OwlTail

After an award-winning career as a journalist across the globe, Larry Schooler became a mediator, facilitator, public engagement consultant, and educator. He works with agencies around the world to resolve disputes, build consensus and involve the public and stakeholders in decisions that will affect them. He also specializes in land use mediation, strategic planning, and visioning. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larryschooler/

After an award-winning career as a journalist across the globe, Larry Schooler became a mediator, facilitator, public engagement consultant, and educator. He works with agencies around the world to resolve disputes, build consensus and involve the public and stakeholders in decisions that will affect them. He also specializes in land use mediation, strategic planning, and visioning. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/larryschooler/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/larryschooler/</a>

Ep. 804: Larry Schooler

Be sure to check out part one of our conversation with Dr. Schooler in EP051 first. Dr. Larry Schooler is the father of two and husband of one. He is also a mediator, facilitator, consensus builder, and public engagement consultant. He spent eight years developing and overseeing the public engagement division for the City of Austin, one of the first of its kind in the country. He is now director of consensus building and community engagement at CD&amp;P, a Texas-based consulting firm. He’s also a senior fellow at the National Civic League and the Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas, and a subject matter advisor for 100 Resilient Cities. He divides his time between Texas and Florida and enjoys long walks on the beach, long runs on marathon courses, playing the piano, and rooting for Houston sports teams. His first book, on public engagement in truth and reconciliation and how the public can help resolve big conflicts, is due out later this year. Top Takeaways:  The nuts and bolts of public meetings–  What are some things to come prepared with? What are some things to keep in mind? What are some things you need to have in mind to keep your head right if you are facilitating meetings?   Empathy is at the core of effective communication. Communication isn’t a person with a megaphone, it’s a dialogue. Both parties in the conversation may not agree, but the conversation is necessary. Ultimately, that’s how change is made. People don’t always agree with every decision made that affects them, but they are more likely to be supportive or have trust in you and your organization if they were given an opportunity to have their voice heard and if their input was taken into consideration during the process.  Show notes: [3:20] Stephanie’s worst-first-date analogy. Is only talking about ourselves and only about the negative things creating the mob killing the messenger vibe? [4:23] The agencies spending the time meeting with people when the temperature is average or low find public engagement to be a lot easier to handle than the agencies who only show up during a crisis. Relationships matter.  [5:00] When people say “build trust” what they’re really saying is (a) show that you know what you are talking about and (b) demonstrate an effort to building a relationship–don’t remain a generic, faceless entity. [5:29] Meet people where they are. People are bringing their own perspectives to public meetings. Empathize with them. Talk about their feelings regarding the issue at hand.  Share perspectives.  [6:55] “I’m not there to convince them they are mistaken. I simply need to share what this looks like from our vantage point and why it’s important to us, which hopefully leads you to hear it in a different way.” Larry, on his role as a facilitator. [7:17] Keep in mind that the natural reflex is defensiveness. Saying things like “no decision has been made,” even if it’s true, automatically makes people think a decision has been made. Understand this and be prepared. [8:26] The more an agency can anticipate and prepare responses, the better. Anticipate answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Come prepared to lead with empathy.  [10:12] Ways to manage a “difficult” room. [13:19] Anecdotal story about handling heated conflict in the moment. [14:41] How do we get more people to show up at public meetings?  [15:16] Make it simple for your attendees. Larry gives us things to keep in mind when planning your meeting. [21:59] Larry explains how he develops facilitators. Yes, YOU can do this. *BONUS–Check out Larry’s facilitator pop quiz–Dr. Larry Schooler’s Facilitator’s Quiz [28:48] Responding to participants that think you don’t get it.   [31:47] Larry’s take on staying neutral and objective as a facilitator and what entities working with facilitators need to keep in mind. [34:23 ] Dr. Larry Schooler tells us more about the book he’s working on focused on how the public can resolve big conflicts. Resources: Book: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai TedxToronto: The antidote to apathy by Dave Meslin Dr. Larry Schooler’s Facilitator’s Quiz Core Value Awards Sponsor: WaterNow Alliance believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other.  Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit waternow.org/join or email info@waternow.org.  Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes. Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast  If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page. Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Be sure to check out part one of our conversation with Dr. Schooler in <a href="http://www.theh2duo.com/51/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">EP051</a> first. Dr. Larry Schooler is the father of two and husband of one. He is also a mediator, facilitator, consensus builder, and public engagement consultant. He spent eight years developing and overseeing the public engagement division for the City of Austin, one of the first of its kind in the country. He is now director of consensus building and community engagement at CD&amp;P, a Texas-based consulting firm. He’s also a senior fellow at the National Civic League and the Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas, and a subject matter advisor for 100 Resilient Cities. He divides his time between Texas and Florida and enjoys long walks on the beach, long runs on marathon courses, playing the piano, and rooting for Houston sports teams. His first book, on public engagement in truth and reconciliation and how the public can help resolve big conflicts, is due out later this year. Top Takeaways: <ul> <li>The nuts and bolts of public meetings– <ul> <li>What are some things to come prepared with?</li> <li>What are some things to keep in mind?</li> <li>What are some things you need to have in mind to keep your head right if you are facilitating meetings?</li> </ul> </li> <li>Empathy is at the core of effective communication. Communication isn’t a person with a megaphone, it’s a dialogue. Both parties in the conversation may not agree, but the conversation is necessary. Ultimately, that’s how change is made.</li> <li>People don’t always agree with every decision made that affects them, but they are more likely to be supportive or have trust in you and your organization if they were given an opportunity to have their voice heard and if their input was taken into consideration during the process.</li> </ul> Show notes: [3:20] Stephanie’s worst-first-date analogy. Is only talking about ourselves and only about the negative things creating the mob killing the messenger vibe? [4:23] The agencies spending the time meeting with people when the temperature is average or low find public engagement to be a lot easier to handle than the agencies who only show up during a crisis. Relationships matter. [5:00] When people say “build trust” what they’re really saying is (a) show that you know what you are talking about and (b) demonstrate an effort to building a relationship–don’t remain a generic, faceless entity. [5:29] Meet people where they are. People are bringing their own perspectives to public meetings. Empathize with them. Talk about their feelings regarding the issue at hand.  Share perspectives. [6:55] “I’m not there to convince them they are mistaken. I simply need to share what this looks like from our vantage point and why it’s important to us, which hopefully leads you to hear it in a different way.” Larry, on his role as a facilitator. [7:17] Keep in mind that the natural reflex is defensiveness. Saying things like “no decision has been made,” even if it’s true, automatically makes people think a decision has been made. Understand this and be prepared. [8:26] The more an agency can anticipate and prepare responses, the better. Anticipate answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Come prepared to lead with empathy. [10:12] Ways to manage a “difficult” room. [13:19] Anecdotal story about handling heated conflict in the moment. [14:41] How do we get more people to show up at public meetings?  [15:16] Make it simple for your attendees. Larry gives us things to keep in mind when planning your meeting. [21:59] Larry explains how he develops facilitators. Yes, YOU can do this. *BONUS–Check out Larry’s facilitator pop quiz–<a href="https://www.theh2duo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Facilitators-Quiz-1.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Larry Schooler’s Facilitator’s Quiz</a> [28:48] Responding to participants that think you don’t get it.   [31:47] Larry’s take on staying neutral and objective as a facilitator and what entities working with facilitators need to keep in mind. [34:23 ] Dr. Larry Schooler tells us more about the book he’s working on focused on how the public can resolve big conflicts. Resources: Book: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai TedxToronto: <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/dave_meslin_the_antidote_to_apathy/transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The antidote to apathy by Dave Meslin</a> <a href="https://www.theh2duo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Facilitators-Quiz-1.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Larry Schooler’s Facilitator’s Quiz</a> <a href="https://www.iap2.org/news/423926/IAP2-Announces-Core-Values-Awards-Winners-24-October-2018.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Core Value Awards</a> Sponsor: <a href="https://www.theh2duo.com/waternow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WaterNow Alliance</a> believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other. Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit <a href="http://waternow.org/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">waternow.org/join</a> or email <a href="mailto:info@waternow.org">info@waternow.org</a>.  Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes. Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us <a href="https://twitter.com/the_h2duo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@THE_H2duO</a> or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page. Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

052: The Water Nerd’s Guide to Rocking Public Meetings, Part 2, with Dr. Larry Schooler

Dr. Larry Schooler is the father of two and husband of one. He is also a mediator, facilitator, consensus builder, and public engagement consultant. He spent eight years developing and overseeing the public engagement division for the City of Austin, one of the first of its kind in the country. He is now director of consensus building and community engagement at CD&amp;P, a Texas-based consulting firm. He’s also a senior fellow at the National Civic League and the Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas, and a subject matter advisor for 100 Resilient Cities. He divides his time between Texas and Florida and enjoys long walks on the beach, long runs on marathon courses, playing the piano, and rooting for Houston sports teams. His first book, on public engagement in truth and reconciliation and how the public can help resolve big conflicts, is due out later this year. Top Takeaways:  How important your mindset is when developing your public engagement strategy–a little open-mindedness goes a long way. Ways Larry gets people over common hurdles of the fear of public engagement. His tip on how to diffuse a situation at a public meeting where you feel a little uncomfortable Larry reminds us not to assume everything is fine just because no one shows up to your public meeting. Plus is your communication a preventative care visit or is it a trip to the emergency room?  Show notes: [7:07] Why do water utilities need to participate in public engagement? “People who are affected by a decision ought to be able to affect that decision.” [8:05] If you’re going to ask me to do something to change my habits or pay more for something or going to change the terms of the relationships we have as citizen or government, I think the outcomes are a lot better when the folks being affected are giving a chance to have a voice in it. [8:44] Going to a primary care vs. emergency room. There may not be a ton of urgency or motive to go to the primary care doctor but it’s a much more cost-effective way to handle your health than waiting to have to go to the emergency room that is usually extremely time consuming, expensive, and can be traumatic.  [12:33] It’s about the abstract concept of trust building and the more concrete concept of relationship building.  [13:30] Core Values Awards by IAP2. A lot of the best practices are coming from Australia and Canada.   [15:13] “I’m willing to support this because the process was fair.” A member of the public spoke at council and said that even though they didn’t agree 100% with the recommendations the utility was given to council, they were willing to support it because they could tell that the process had been fair, people had been given the opportunity to give input, and all the sides were taken into consideration.   [17:20] Go in with an open mind. Don’t begin a process with decisions made that you’re then going to ask the public to give an opinion on. That doesn’t mean that no decisions can be made because there will be areas that concern public health, public safety or finances that you can’t bend on completely. Only ask about the things that you would be influenced by what they told you. Make sure you then close the feedback loop and demonstrate what you did, based on the feedback you received. [20:09] Most of the time when cities or public utilities are looking for feedback, people are presented with technical information that isn’t easy for everyone to respond to. Keep it simple and basic so you don’t create a barrier for someone to give feedback.  [23:21] Don’t assume just because no one shows up to your public meeting it means that everything is cool. [25:52] When agencies have gotten it wrong. Project delays and cancellations cost the city 15 million dollars. If you hire out help, make sure you take the time to bring them up to speed on the culture of your community. This is why these things take time and you can’t wing them well. People see straight through that.  [30:48] Any way you engage, whether it’s a public workshop, a face to face meeting, a public hearing, someone online or text message is going to have limitations. The more you study and prepare ahead of time the better it will be. Let’s role play a post that’s supercharged and see how we would respond to it. We need to know what we’re getting ourselves into no matter what that medium will be. The timing of the message and timing of the involvement of the public.  [40:05] You don’t have to change your professional opinion or water down your expertise. Just keep an open mind and if there are decisions that haven’t been made or you have time to make, take pause to make a judgment until you’ve heard what the public has to say. [40:32] Take the raw public data and the opinion of experts and give both to decision makers unedited.  [42:40] Hiring a public engagement professional can help you by providing coaching to deal with stressful situations and/or by creating a space for constructive dialogue to occur. [43:03] Interject when you’re feeling uncomfortable. “I want to address your questions, but I’m feeling uncomfortable.” [47:23] Public notices.. use the language you have to but example what you mean below in plain English.  Resource: TedxToronto: The antidote to apathy by Dave Meslin Core Value Awards Sponsor: WaterNow Alliance believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other.  Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit waternow.org/join or email info@waternow.org.  Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes. Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast  If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page. Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Dr. Larry Schooler is the father of two and husband of one. He is also a mediator, facilitator, consensus builder, and public engagement consultant. He spent eight years developing and overseeing the public engagement division for the City of Austin, one of the first of its kind in the country. He is now director of consensus building and community engagement at CD&amp;P, a Texas-based consulting firm. He’s also a senior fellow at the National Civic League and the Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas, and a subject matter advisor for 100 Resilient Cities. He divides his time between Texas and Florida and enjoys long walks on the beach, long runs on marathon courses, playing the piano, and rooting for Houston sports teams. His first book, on public engagement in truth and reconciliation and how the public can help resolve big conflicts, is due out later this year. Top Takeaways: <ul> <li>How important your mindset is when developing your public engagement strategy–a little open-mindedness goes a long way.</li> <li>Ways Larry gets people over common hurdles of the fear of public engagement.</li> <li>His tip on how to diffuse a situation at a public meeting where you feel a little uncomfortable</li> <li>Larry reminds us not to assume everything is fine just because no one shows up to your public meeting.</li> <li>Plus is your communication a preventative care visit or is it a trip to the emergency room?</li> </ul> Show notes: [7:07] Why do water utilities need to participate in public engagement? “People who are affected by a decision ought to be able to affect that decision.” [8:05] If you’re going to ask me to do something to change my habits or pay more for something or going to change the terms of the relationships we have as citizen or government, I think the outcomes are a lot better when the folks being affected are giving a chance to have a voice in it. [8:44] Going to a primary care vs. emergency room. There may not be a ton of urgency or motive to go to the primary care doctor but it’s a much more cost-effective way to handle your health than waiting to have to go to the emergency room that is usually extremely time consuming, expensive, and can be traumatic. [12:33] It’s about the abstract concept of trust building and the more concrete concept of relationship building. [13:30] <a href="https://www.theh2duo.com/72mc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Core Values Awards</a> by IAP2. A lot of the best practices are coming from Australia and Canada.   [15:13] “I’m willing to support this because the process was fair.” A member of the public spoke at council and said that even though they didn’t agree 100% with the recommendations the utility was given to council, they were willing to support it because they could tell that the process had been fair, people had been given the opportunity to give input, and all the sides were taken into consideration. [17:20] Go in with an open mind. Don’t begin a process with decisions made that you’re then going to ask the public to give an opinion on. That doesn’t mean that no decisions can be made because there will be areas that concern public health, public safety or finances that you can’t bend on completely. Only ask about the things that you would be influenced by what they told you. Make sure you then close the feedback loop and demonstrate what you did, based on the feedback you received. [20:09] Most of the time when cities or public utilities are looking for feedback, people are presented with technical information that isn’t easy for everyone to respond to. Keep it simple and basic so you don’t create a barrier for someone to give feedback. [23:21] Don’t assume just because no one shows up to your public meeting it means that everything is cool. [25:52] When agencies have gotten it wrong. Project delays and cancellations cost the city 15 million dollars. If you hire out help, make sure you take the time to bring them up to speed on the culture of your community. This is why these things take time and you can’t wing them well. People see straight through that. [30:48] Any way you engage, whether it’s a public workshop, a face to face meeting, a public hearing, someone online or text message is going to have limitations. The more you study and prepare ahead of time the better it will be. Let’s role play a post that’s supercharged and see how we would respond to it. We need to know what we’re getting ourselves into no matter what that medium will be. The timing of the message and timing of the involvement of the public. [40:05] You don’t have to change your professional opinion or water down your expertise. Just keep an open mind and if there are decisions that haven’t been made or you have time to make, take pause to make a judgment until you’ve heard what the public has to say. [40:32] Take the raw public data and the opinion of experts and give both to decision makers unedited. [42:40] Hiring a public engagement professional can help you by providing coaching to deal with stressful situations and/or by creating a space for constructive dialogue to occur. [43:03] Interject when you’re feeling uncomfortable. “I want to address your questions, but I’m feeling uncomfortable.” [47:23] Public notices.. use the language you have to but example what you mean below in plain English. Resource: TedxToronto: <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/dave_meslin_the_antidote_to_apathy/transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The antidote to apathy by Dave Meslin</a> <a href="https://www.iap2.org/news/423926/IAP2-Announces-Core-Values-Awards-Winners-24-October-2018.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Core Value Awards</a> Sponsor: <a href="https://www.theh2duo.com/waternow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WaterNow Alliance</a> believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other. Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit <a href="http://waternow.org/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">waternow.org/join</a> or email <a href="mailto:info@waternow.org">info@waternow.org</a>.  Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes. Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us <a href="https://twitter.com/the_h2duo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@THE_H2duO</a> or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page. Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”