- There is an illogical fear of online engagement

- Online engagement, policy discussions, and parental engagement are different to newspaper chat boards, Reddit, twitter, etc.

- All risks associated with listening to your community online can be managed with careful planning and execution

- The riskiest thing you can do, Is to do nothing at all and vacate the space

- if you don’t attract a crowd, you are providing another space for the STP / Vocal Minority

- The more people you have, the more moderate views emerge

- The crowd will self-regulate to a point

- It’s hard to take over a busy engagement

- Diverse perspectives are important

- Not all engagement tools carry equal risk

- Surveys, polls, and Q&A are great for high-octane issues
- Storytelling is both safe and engaging when framed correctly

- Difficult to troll an ideas board

- Discussion boards expose people to opposing views

- Use blended/hybrid strategies

- Use Registration Wisley & Remove Barriers when possible

- Clear moderation rules and impartial round-the-clock moderation will help you sleep

- NEVER edit a contribution but you can certainly hide it and request a personal conversation

- Set context

- Trolls can be tamed

- Consider facilitation

- Limit time for feedback

- Measuring is listening

- Focus on opportunity

- Ask what perfection looks like

- Direct discussion to solving – not identifying

- Gather ideas, pictures stories, suggestions

- Keep it Short and Sweet
- Always Close the Loop & SHOW YOUR WORK
- Be mindful of time and barriers
- Be Authentic in your communications
- Say Thank you