The final step in your community interviews is to hold community conversations with groups of people (“citizens”) from the area/topic to test with them what the newsroom is learning and to gain additional insights. It is important to engage people who are not, at any level, part of the leadership for the area/topic. For instance, look for residents of a neighborhood or “rank-and-file members” of a group.
Who to Interview
Recruit between 10 and 12 people to spend two or three hours. Make sure the group is a good cross-section of people; do not include any official or civic leaders because they often dominate the conversations. Conduct more than a single group conversation.
See below for more information on who to recruit and how to set up and conduct the community conversation.
Community Conversation Ground Rules
Here are ground rules for the community conversations. You can post these in the room or pass out a copy of this page to the participants. Make sure to go over them before the start of each community conversation.
>> Have a “kitchen table” conversation.
Everyone participates; no one dominates.
>> There are no “right” answers.
Draw on your own experiences, views and beliefs – you do not need to be an expert.
>> It’s okay to disagree.
Everyone has a right to his/her own views.
>> Keep an open mind.
Listen carefully and try hard to understand the views of those who disagree with you.
>> Help keep the discussions on track.
Stick to the questions. Try not to ramble.
>> Focus on constructive ideas and solutions.
Don’t complain or place blame.
>> Have fun!
You Need to Find Out
Here are sample questions to use in your community conversations. Think of these as a gateway for engaging people.
1. When you think of this area/topic, what do you call it?
- How has it changed over the years?
- How is it similar to other area/topics? Different?
- How do you feel about these changes, similarities, differences?
2. What are people talking about right now when it comes to this area/topic?
- What do they seem to hold most valuable – what is most important to them in their connection to the area/topic?
- What seem to be their main concerns, challenges and issues?
- How about people’s aspirations for the area/topic?
- How do people talk about (all) these?
3. What do you think is going on with these concerns, challenges and issues? People’s aspirations?
4. Where do you hear conversations about these things in your area/topic?
- What are these places like; how would you describe them?
- Who is in these conversations?
- What do the conversations sound like?
- How do people interact with each other?
5. If you couldn’t read a newspaper or watch TV, how would you find out what is going in this area/topic?
6. If one wanted to know what people in this area/ topic were thinking about, how would they do that?
- Where should they turn?
- Who should they talk with?
- Who do you trust most to give you the straight story in this area/topic? Why?
7. If someone wanted to know who the leaders are in this area/topic, how could they find out?
- Who do you see as the leaders?
- What do you hear these leaders talking about?
- How does what they are talking about fit with what you have said in this conversation?
8. What do you think journalists can learn from the people and places you mentioned earlier?
- How do you think people would react if a journalist came into these different places?
- Under what conditions do you think it would be okay for a journalist to talk with people and enter these places?
- How else might a journalist understand people in this area/topic?
9. What do you think about how we cover this area/topic?
- How do you think we could improve coverage?
A GUIDE FOR SETTING UP COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
Participants
Recruiting for small-group community conversations is straightforward. There is no need to get a “scientific” cross-section of people.
Most important is to get a good mix of people based on demographics that are particularly relevant to the specific area you are mapping – such as age, gender, ethnicity, education and/or income. Other recruiting criteria will depend upon what you are mapping.
The total number of participants needed is 10 to 12. More than 12 becomes unwieldy, so recruit at least 15 to make sure enough people will show up.
Recruiting Participants
Here are two options for recruiting participants, the first is the “easiest” in terms of the time you will need to spend; the second option is more time consuming but less expensive.
Option 1: Pay a market research company or focus group house to recruit participants for you.
To work with a market research company, or so-called focus group house, you will need to tell the company the makeup of the group you want to recruit. Every company has its own way of doing things, but in general you’ll need to tell them:
- The purpose of the conversation.
- Size of the group (10-12).
- Target demographics (e.g., race, age, income, etc.).
- Date, time, location of the conversation.
The company will keep a record of everyone’s name, address, phone number and other information for you and they will make sure people show up. Give the company about 10 days to two weeks lead time.
Option 2: Ask others to help you recruit citizens.
You can recruit a diverse group of people by tapping into informal networks that already exist in the community. Follow these steps:
1. Identify several leaders of community organizations and catalysts (people who are respected and involved informally in community life) from the area.
There may be community catalysts in your newsroom or your building. Or you may have connections to catalysts through news sources or your activities.
2. Tell the leaders what you want to do. Get them excited about the fact that the newspaper wants to listen to people in the community.
Reassure people that this is a relaxed conversation about their views and thoughts – no special expertise is needed. You may want to make the conversation off-the-record.
3. Ask the leaders to invite two to three folks they know who live in the area or can speak to the topic and who can commit to the date and time. Ask them to get you names, addresses, phone numbers and demographic information on the people who confirm.
4. Monitor the people who confirm. Make sure the group is balanced in terms of age, gender, race, etc.
5. Send a letter (they should receive it several days before the conversation) on your letterhead to people on the list, thanking them for agreeing to participate and restating the date, time and location.
6. Call the list of participants the night before the conversation to confirm time and location.
7. Keep a record of everyone’s name, address, phone number and demographic information. If you’re missing any information, make sure to get it at the conversation (discreetly).
8. Send a thank-you note to each participant. Remember, many may now become sources or leads to other sources; they should become part of your map.
Choosing a Location
You should find a site and reserve the date as soon as possible.
When looking for a good place to hold conversations, ask yourself this question: Where do citizens usually get together to talk? Here are factors to consider in deciding where to hold the sessions:
- A place they are familiar with and use frequently.
- A place they consider to be a part of the community – and that’s usually not a government or “official” place.
- A place that offers a comfortable environment.
- A place that is safe and easily accessible to all participants. It should be accessible by public transportation, accommodate those with disabilities and have plenty of parking.
Here are some tips on places to choose:
Good Places:
- Schools
- Public libraries
- Community centers
- Places of worship
- Community organizations (YMCA, United Way, etc.)
- Community colleges
Less Desirable Places:
- Fancy hotels
- Private clubs
- Office buildings – especially after business hours
Reserve the space for a total of three hours – one-half hour before the start time and one-half hour after the conversation is completed.
Setting Up the Room
- Choose a room where everyone can see and hear each other. If you must use a large room, “shrink” the space by setting up at only one end of the room.
- Arrive at least one-half hour before the conversation starts to make sure everything is set up right.
- Consider putting up signs directing people from the site’s main entrance to the meeting room so that participants can easily find the room.
- Make sure the room has tables. Tables give the impression that real “work” is going to be done. Push tables together to form one large square or circle so that participants are all facing each other.
- Consider video or audio taping the sessions to review later. If you use a recorder, check your equipment before each conversation. Make sure you have adequate batteries and tapes.
(If you do this, make sure the participants know how you plan to use the tape before the conversation begins; if it is “on the record,” the participants need to know that when they are first being invited to attend).
- Provide blank name tent cards and name tags for people to write in their names – that way participants can be comfortable talking to one another. You want participants to call one another by their first names. Remember to fill out a name tag for yourself.
- Provide refreshments – coffee, soft drinks, snacks. People get ornery when they’re hungry or thirsty. Put the refreshments off to the side, out of the way of the conversation.
- Set a few chairs around the periphery for observers. (Caution: not too many.)
Starting the Conversation
- Greet participants at the door and welcome them.
- Once sitting around the table, explain why you are holding the conversations and let participants know whether the conversation is on or off the record. (You should have also told them this when they were recruited.)
- Ask the participants to hold their questions about the news organization until the end of the community conversation. Otherwise, you will end up in a discussion about such things as newspaper delivery or why an anchor wears certain clothing.
- Go around the table and have everyone introduce themselves – giving their name and something they like to do in their free time.
- Go over the “ground rules.” These help people have a good, give-and-take conversation and also create a “safe place” for them to talk. See Ground Rules above.
- Explain that the role of the conversation leader is to:
- Ask questions and get a good conversation going. Not to participate or answer questions.
- Ask you to say more about something you said, so that we can better understand what you mean.
- Ask two or more people who see things differently to talk about why.
- Use the Conversation Questions above.
- Make sure you have everyone’s name, phone number and address so that you can send them a thank-you letter and contact them again.
Frank Scandale at The Denver Post discovered, by talking with folks (in a community conversation) in a northeast Denver neighborhood, that a fight was brewing in the Latino community to oust the one Latina on the school board and replace her with another Latina, an ex-nun. “I found out through talking to people that there was a movement afoot to have [the ex-nun] run and she won.”
That led Scandale and his colleagues to launch some new coverage. “We the started this feature, called Monday Profile, about a member of the community who’s really not on the radar screen, who is below the guy who gets a lot of ink.”