Early and Frequent Communication Is Key To Developing Public/Private Partnerships

Posted by Retail Attractions Blog on June 27, 2018 in Blog | No Comments

If you’re going to get a public-private partnership off to a good start, communication is essential. The more you can open up and use communication channels between each partner the more successful your partnership will be. Good communication lays the groundwork for a successful partnership, and building effective communication habits will also help keep the partnership on-track in the future.

Communication Between Partners

Public-private partnerships are complex things which often involve large groups of people. Without a plan for achieving effective communication within this partnership, the partnership can crumble. Because of this, communication is key to getting both parties working as a team.

Internal communications should include shared partnership objectives. Partners should discuss their goals and find common ground that will help them develop and agree on ways to reach those goals. Good communication allows the exchange of ideas, information, and needs that is required to support effective decision making within the partnership.

Communication Outside The Partnership

Both public and private partners should also prepare for communicating about the partnership to those outside it. Good communication within the partnership is an essential first-step for this. You don’t want different parties disagreeing with each other publicly. Make sure you’re keeping all spokespersons for the partnership up-to-date on what’s going on so they can deliver a consistent message.

External communication with stakeholders, investors, public officials, the local community, and the media isn’t something you can afford to overlook. When your partnership cultivates a transparent, honest approach through community outreach and communication, you’re taking a big step toward ensuring continued support for the project. Just don’t make the mistake of over-communicating. For example, if you announce a plan to purchase land before the deal is finalized it could drive-up land prices in that area.

Get Help With Your Communications

Because good communication is so important to the success of public-private partnerships, it’s not something you want to leave to chance. A trusted third-party consultant like Retail Attractions can help. We have extensive experience working with both public and private parties. And we know how to foster good communication within a public-private partnership.

A Retail Consultant helps you navigate the confusing world of retail development effectively. We can help with strategic planning, site selection, demographics analysis, and so much more. And since we’ll be sharing the same information with both the public and private partner, that’ll help with communication.

If you need to work with public-private partnerships, you’ll probably like my book, City on a Hill. It’s full of helpful information for everyone working on retail development in a community.