Trust networks part three

Inspector Eric Berry, Community Safety Officer for the Blue Mountains, brings us the final instalment of a three-part series posted over three weeks, looking at how we can use trust networks in community engagement.

Previously in this series we have discussed what a network is, how people receive information and how we might build a trust network. This final entry talks about how to use your trust network to get the results you are looking for.




The benefit of a trust network is that when you speak to them (verbally or, more likely these days, electronically) you will be listened to and your words are more likely to be acted upon. This can have great potential to produce awareness, preparation and result in safer decision-making by your community.

There’s also another benefit, almost as a by-product, that you might not have foreseen. Those you communicate with, who include you in their trust network, will then share your advice with their other trust networks and social networks, often with the suggestion that those receiving the message should take it seriously because it has come from a trusted source. In this way you’re increasing your clout, enhancing your social capital and strengthening your brand as a result of being recommended by a trusted source.

Remember the term “word of mouth advertising”? It’s the same principle.

But it takes you to make the first move. You have to start somewhere, put in a lot of heavy lifting to get things moving, and maintain your achievements at every step of the way.

Let me give you a recent example.

On Thursday 5 January 2011 we had a severe thunderstorm warning issued for our weather area. At the time, the storm cells were quite a distance away and posed no threat to our area. Later in the evening that situation changed and just after 6pm we used our email and social networks to publicise the approaching storm cell:

Friends,

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is current for the Central Tablelands area. A Number of storm cells are moving through the area.

An intense cell, currently out near Trunkey, is moving north-east towards the mid and upper Blue Mountains, including Katoomba, Hazelbrook and adjoining villages, later moving down the Mountains. Heavy rain, hail and even some flash flooding are possible, along with lightning & thunder.

For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the NSW SES on 132 500. For life-threatening emergencies, ring '000' immediately!

Stay safe, stay calm,

Eric

That was the message. Nothing panicky, nothing too formal – indeed you could say it was quite an informal message. An hour later the visitation of Thor was upon us, as the length and breadth of the mountains were impacted by a heavy storm cell. The following morning, we received some feedback from our community:

Hi Eric,
Just thought you'd like some feedback on your Thunderstorm Warning last night.

I was sitting at my computer when your email arrived with a "bing" - so I checked it out and immediately went to the BOM radar to look at the loop and found it was indeed heading our way (Wentworth Falls).

As soon as the distant thunder started getting a bit louder, I shut down. So glad I did as the lightning and thunder was some of the most intense we've experienced in nearly 16 years of living here.

Just wanted you to know there are people out there who value the service you provide.

Best regards, John

This is just one of a number of similar emails.

Why do I point this out? Because it is an example of what happens in real life. As you can see, John received our message, decided that it was important, and then went on to validate it with another “trust” source (the Weather Bureau), which is a fair call since storm warnings aren’t our main business most of the time. This is a start – people are taking notice and taking action. Now to keep building and waiting for an opportunity to test it further under bushfire conditions.

Oh and there’s another benefit too. When it comes time to involve your community in planning and preparation activities, you’ll be able to get some leverage with your existing trust networks and, if you’re doing it right, you’ll find a ready-and-willing core of people who will be prepared to get involved, even if only peripherally.

If you haven’t started yet then you should get going! You are not going to build your network overnight. Get your name and face known, start giving to your community and you too can start to build your very own trust network.

So get yourself out there!

Trust networks part two

Inspector Eric Berry, Community Safety Officer for the Blue Mountains, brings us the second instalment of a three-part series posted over three weeks, looking at how we can use trust networks in community engagement.

Part one of this blog explained networks and how people receive information. Now we discuss how to build and maintain a trust network.



To get people to act before disaster threatens, we need to become part of their “trust network”.

We often hear talk of building “community networks”, or of networking with our communities, but all too often this is either lip-service, being used to inform the community of an action we already plan to take, or it is seen as being a one-way path to get our message out to as many people as possible. We might develop information channels and processes, but if we only use them during “time of war” then they will be viewed as being yet another media release or piece of propaganda.

A true network is based on trust and, in order to do this, we must show ourselves to be worthy of that trust and truly make it a reciprocal relationship. We have to build these networks well in advance of any disaster, make sure they are robust, and most of all ensure that we are committed to using them at all times as part of our core response to any and all events.

Accept that you will never create a trust network that will get your message to all of the community, all of the time. Even “blanket” systems such as Reverse-911 or NEWS will still miss some of your target audience. Instead you need to build a diverse network that will get most of the people, most of the time.

There are many scholarly and practical guides around to help you design and implement your networks, so they don’t need repeating here. The advent of social media has provided additional opportunities for fire services (and all other emergency agencies) to connect with their communities and start building networks. Once the process has started, it must be nurtured, promoted and supported at all levels of the organisation. The best intentions will amount to nought if your networks are only used occasionally, haphazardly or as an afterthought once everything else has been done. 

What does need to be highlighted is how to connect to your community to create these networks. Your community must learn to trust you and your organisation – if you like, your “brand”.



Warragamba Dam Fest 2011

The most important thing you can do is be yourself. People like to identify with an individual within an agency, so someone must be the public face, voice and fingers. This person (or indeed persons), identified either by choice or by circumstance, has to be given the freedom to build on the other steps required to build the trust relationship.

Join us for part three of this series on trust networks to find out how to use trust networks to achieve action.

Trust networks

Inspector Eric Berry, Community Safety Officer for the Blue Mountains, brings us the first instalment of a three-part series posted over three weeks, looking at how we can use trust networks in community engagement.

Part One: Networks and how people receive information
Part Two: How to create and maintain a trust network
Part Three: Achieving action through your trust network 

How trusted are you?

We all trust people. Some of us trust more than others and some of us are more selective on who we trust. Often this is based on the relationship we have with that person, their history of reliability and how disposed we are to their beliefs, thoughts and opinions. We are also automatically distrustful of some groups. This might be because of their history, their position or role in our community, or because their opinions are at odds with our own.

When we hear some important news, we will usually seek out the opinions of those we trust – our “trust networks”. We’re seeking to validate the external information, check with our peers to see how they rate it, and then use that rating to inform and prioritise any further belief, reaction or lack thereof. In a nutshell, if our “trust network” validate the information, we are far more likely to act on it, with the reverse being true if they place little or no stock in it.

What is a network?

In this context we are discussing social networks rather than IT networks, although for those of you with a tech fetish you will see that there are some similarities. For our purpose, we use the definition of a network as:

“…individuals or organisations which are tied together by friendship, common interest or beliefs, family or societal links etc…”[1].

A Trust Network is a social evolution of this, extending the definition to:

A group of connected people who rely on each other to identify or validate information, news, actions or opinions, regardless of whether their information or opinion is reliable.

The density of these networks and social relationships indicate a society’s resilience and ability to collectively resist external threats[2], especially those that are unexpected.

Let me give you a couple of hypothetical examples.

We usually trust our family. We’ve known them for a long time, they’ve (usually) been truthful with us and have our best interests in mind. Generally we might also share some of the same beliefs and opinions on things that we believe are important, such as religion or politics.

We usually trust our best friends – after all they wouldn’t be our best friends if we didn’t trust them. Once again we have a long-term relationship with them, share common thoughts and interests, and know we can turn to each other both for advice and in times of crisis (indeed this is often when you find out just how good a friend someone is).

We usually don’t trust politicians. In our community we see them as remote, because we generally don’t have a relationship with them, and we expect that all politicians will at some time tell a fib, or go back on their word. Statistically speaking, we also distrust journalists, car salesmen, and telemarketers.

These same statistics tell us that we do trust paramedics, firefighters, nurses and those in other professions who may help us when there is trouble[3].

Here is where we have a double-edged sword for emergency services and, especially, fire agencies.

How people receive information

Whilst our message is good, great, or even of life-and-death importance, we are seen through a filter of mistrusting the messenger.

We rely on journalists to relay our information to the public. Once the information leaves the Rural Fire Service we have little control on how it is used, or if it is used at all.

A broadcast warning through traditional media channels, even when backed up by the reporting of its origin being with the fire services, may create awareness but may not result in informed, life-saving decisions and action.

Language is also important. Messages need to be, timely, interesting, with adequate detail,  and easy to understand.



Our communities will hear our message, but may not act on it until they have validated it within their trust networks. Often we will hear afterwards that, upon hearing a warning message, people will contact others within their trust network, such as a neighbour or family member, to discuss the warning and what, if anything, they should do about it. They might do this up to four times before acting, even if the message conveys an urgent warning.



Telephone tree: http://www.artfulcare.com/communication/telephone-tree



Additionally, they might also “look for themselves” to gain the desired level of validation. This can include activities as varied as looking out a window (if I can’t see smoke the fire isn’t going to trouble me) or contacting a local fire station or fire service website. This is advantageous, as they can still see the fire services as a trusted party, however if this takes time, or is unavailable, then precious time can be lost before action is taken or indeed none taken at all (due to lack of validation).

Thus when we ‘go to war’, our message loses a lot of its impact.

Join us next week for part two of this blog about trust networks, and find out how to build and maintain a trust network.

References:

[1] Berry, 2011.
[2] The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia by Jim Scott
[3] Australia's Most Trusted Professions 2010 (Readers Digest) http://www.readersdigest.com.au/most-trusted-professions-2010-press/

Go on, show off!

Have you thought about submitting an abstract for the 2012 Australian Community Engagement & Fire Awareness Conference? Last year’s attendees told us they especially liked hearing other volunteers speak.

Abstract submissions are expressions of interest to present one of our workshop streams (which run for approximately 45 minutes) or you may like to submit a poster or short video. All submissions will be reviewed by a Working Party of volunteers who will help us shape the conference program.

Why don’t you share your successes? What have been the biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? Any programs that are working well?

If public speaking gives you the horrors, why don’t you share the duties with another volunteer? This site has some great public speaking tips - http://bit.ly/9qgLbY.

Get cracking as the deadline is 24 February. For more information and the abstract paperwork go to http://bit.ly/hdXIs8.

Online registrations (to attend the conference) will take place soon. Standby for more information. Once the form is posted we’ll let you know.

Kind regards,



Nicole Miller

Community Engagement Coordinator

NSW Rural Fire Service

Community.engagement@rfs.nsw.gov.au