Key Takeaways from Our Popular APA #NPC26 Session
Apparently telling planners at the National Planning Conference “Nobody Cares About Your Plan” is a sure fire way to pack a room. 
That was the title of my session at APA’s #NPC26 in Detroit last weekend that drew a standing room only crowd of about 150 people. Looking out at the packed space, I got quite a laugh with the opener “wow, that’s a lot of plans nobody cares about.”
But it hit on a pain point that most planners and local government staff share: the same people show up again and again, and it’s a struggle to reach beyond the choir.
Here are some of the high notes from my session. We've also woven these core concepts into our new ActionReady™ program that you can learn more about here.
While it’s clear that most of us didn’t take Marketing 101, we need to know a basic tenet: if you’re marketing to everyone, you’re reaching no one.
Of course, in local government you really do have to engage everyone. The trick is not doing it all at the same time and in the same way. You can’t squash everyone together in a single workshop, especially if you’re trying to build trust and relationships with a new-to-you group. 
Once you know who you’re trying to reach, you need to grab their attention and really speak to them before you ask them to take action. Start by identifying their problem (one that they already feel is a problem), let them know you understand the problem and then – and only then – should you introduce how your plan can help solve that problem.
Your charge might be to address the “housing affordability crisis” in your city, but your audience is just thinking “why do my utility bills keep going up?” You’ve got a hook, but you have to approach it from their lens and use their words. I pull a lot from StoryBrand for this, and I recommend that resource.
We also desperately need to stop expecting people to come to a multi-hour visioning session on a Saturday in July (or the equivalent). Break them up into smaller asks and diversified ways to engage.
You might know the right audience, but be trying to reach them the wrong way. I talked about this in a recent "Earth Day is Not Your Climate Strategy" post where I note that your community members aren't taking action on Earth Day or some other arbitrary day you choose for a workshop. Find the decision points, the moments at which they will be most receptive.
And of course round it out with simple language – the cognitive load is a real thing – and consistency. Keep that conversation going, keep showing up.
Note that a guiding principle through every interaction should be choosing inclusive language. The tool I recommend for this is the Dignity Index which I also wrote a recent blog post about.
To wrap the session, I asked everyone to sit down on Monday morning and try this: pick one outcome your plan needs to deliver. Then work backwards. Who specifically needs to act for that outcome to happen? Do they already feel a problem your plan can help solve? If so, what is one small ask you can put in front of that group to start building a foundation for two-way communication?
This works whether you're currently designing your plan, in the middle of engagement, or already implementing. It's not about rewriting one action item. It's about identifying one key outcome and connecting it to the people who need to move.
And a note: this isn't just for plans that are in the writing phase. Whether you're knee-deep in a comp plan update, launching engagement for a new initiative, or trying to breathe life into a plan that's already been adopted, this framework applies. It is never too late to connect your plan's outcomes to the people who need to care about them.
We've built a free tool to walk you through this, step by step: the Build Your Story Framework. Six quick prompts, about five minutes, and you walk out with a one-paragraph story you can actually use.
Thank you to everyone who showed up to this session. We feel your pain: you've poured time and energy into a positive vision for your community, only to hear crickets from the very people you're trying to reach. This is not a 'Field of Dreams' moment. But with a more intentional approach, people WILL care about your plan.
