Engaging Stakeholders

6 May 2015Work Plan SymposiumGeneva, Switzerland

Kathy FontaineIEEE

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• The Boards as structured can provide a cross-cutting look only at Target progress, not at the Work Plan holistically. GEO needs a holistic look at its activities. This is important for the Plenary to have the best possible advice upon which to act.

Who fills this role? Could almost be an internal evaluation; whatever it is, it should be a dedicated function.• It is not possible to truly assess progress toward a cross-cutting effort without looking in-depth at each

task in the Work Plan, and each Component.

Asking each work element (task, component, etc) to self report only gets you so far

What is being requested is a more analytical look at the Work Plan; what is being gathered is status. What is needed is a more evaluative approach from the start.• The role of community building played by the Committees does not transfer to the Tasks at ALL well.

Community building is a broad activity that includes both proactively going out to groups, in addition to having a structured role for all volunteers.

This is different from Capacity Building, and that goes beyond the current workshops, articles, and tasks.

It needs to be a dedicated function, planned into the year via special sessions at every single GEO meeting, a dedicated community-building organization, or some other focused solution. [note – doesn't need to be a Secretariat function]• The Communities of Practice lost a clear home in the reorg

The have a clear home with the SB Board, but the User task is in the ID Board

Who has the role of attracting new ones is not obvious

Observations and Lessons Learned

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▪ GEO needs to organize so that what it values is clear, and has the appropriate organizational visibility. Parts that are well-defined and clearly look like a project are great 'tasks;' parts that are more strategic, analytical, or holistic are not such great 'tasks.'

▪ Take a hard look at where and both why and how cross-cutting data gathering is performed, how the data are analyzed.

▪ If we value the user, capacity building, science and technology, and R&D funding/resource perspectives, they need to be embedded in all activities from the start, and be a condition of success (target achievement).

▪ Take more and better advantage of Regional Caucus connections to expand opportunities for user engagement and community building efforts.

Recommendations for Post 2015

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• Take a hard look at where and both why and how cross-cutting data gathering is performed, how the data are analyzed.

Understand what you want to analyze with respect to engagement.Some of it is qualitative, some quantitative

Design those elements into the management and reporting [as light a touch as possible]

• Make use of our membership to provide them with enough information to act effectively

• User Engagement, Outreach, Communication are all cross-cutting and specific – both of those sides have to be addressed, but coordinated.

• Not just one person's job to do, but one or two people's jobs to coordinate and guide while everyone does!!!!

Initial Thoughts

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• Maximize the convening power of GEO

Regularize sessions at GEO events on all cross-cutting efforts

Provide opportunities for all users to present and share to the Plenary and Ministerial attendees

(Community Activity Session; special exhibits; special videos; etc)• At the Programme Committee level – have expertise in User Engagement to

help define 'users' to as much detail as is necessary to do the job;

be the keeper of knowledge on engaging communities

provide guidance, advice, direction to individual elements on how to implement user engagement

help create a user culture• Go where they are!!!

Voluntary efforts have to constantly go to new communities to share information and gather new volunteers

Use the present GEO members

Make use of Regional groups such as AfriGEOSS and GEOSS in the Americas

Make it everyone's job to include GEO in each presentation• Use every avenue to reach out, OFTEN

Social media, Press, Web, Newsletters, Mailings, Workshops…….

Thoughts to Actions

Thank you!