Engage Unusual Voices

Every issue or challenge has explicit elements, things you can see, as well as implicit parts, those that are invisible to you that still impact the situation. Part of your job is to surface the hidden elements so that you are working on the whole problem, not just the parts that you can see. Engaging unusual voices will help you uncover and learn what you don’t know and don’t see or experience.

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Who are the usual voices you typically engage?
• Who are the voices connected to your issue but not currently engaged in problem solving?
• How will you build relationships and trust with the people who are typically not asked to voice their perspective?
• What is the best approach for engaging unusual voices so that you learn and understand their perspective?
• What can you do to prepare yourself and your group’s usual voices to be challenged by perspectives not often heard or at the table?