Productive engagement worksheets

5-Point conflict checklist

1. Do you fully understand the conflict or criticism?

If yes, continue assessing the situation to make a plan of action.

If not, share the comment or question with a team member to try to understand further before taking any action. Make sure you know the facts and the wider context of who the person is, what their motive might be, and how this conflict fits within the wider project comms plan.

2. Does engaging with this conflict come with additional reputation or security risk for the institution?

If yes, ensure that you have internal stakeholder and line management buy-in before taking any action.

If not, continue assessing the situation.

3. Is the point of contention widely discussed?

If yes, consider why this point has gained traction. Is there a clear instigator or motive behind the criticism? Allow that to inform your response.

If not, consider not responding.

4. Can the question be answered within our comms plan or key messages?

If yes, ensure that engaging is the right response and share a key message.

If not, ensure that engaging is the right response and utilise bridging techniques to get to a key message.

5. Does the person instigating the conflict hold power or influence over others?

If yes, assess the situation and consider engaging/bridging the conversation in order to pacify it. Be aware if this person/group has a history of provoking organisations into conflict. Wade in carefully.

If not, consider not responding.

Building a shared impact narrative

Communicating your decolonisation practice is about more than outlining a project. It’s about showing your work, being accountable for its policy implications, and welcoming new and challenging conversations about your institution and collections. When you’re building your key messages, try exploring your project’s impact using the framework below:

Institutional, collective, cultural, structural

Institutional — a focus on the direct impact of this work

What do we value as an institution? What does this project mean for us as an institution? How is this work a confirmation of our values and ethos? Does this project openly conflict with past or present work? Have we acknowledged that?

Collective — working together with our peers

What does the museum sector value? What conversations are we having within the sector that could bolster our project’s messaging? Have you consulted with any relevant communities of origin and agreed communications? How can we leverage the museum community to support this project?

Cultural — finding common ground with wider audiences

What is valued in culture right now? How does it relate to our project? Have we been transparent and explicit about who benefits from this work? Have you consulted with any relevant communities of origin and agreed communications? How does this project reflect the future the institution wants?

Structural — shining a spotlight on the tangible impact

Where are the opportunities for meaningful change? How are our values reflected in our processes? What impact could this project have on our communities? What policies could change to reflect this work?

Putting this guidance into practice

Every project will have different comms demands. This isn’t a fixed process but the ideas and principles outlined in this guidance should make it easier to develop and communicate your key messages to a range of audiences.

We hope that this document will help improve your confidence in advocating for decolonisation, both within your institution and across the sector.

To decolonise is to open up our spaces and collections to a broader historical perspective that engages a wider audience. Museums and heritage sites contain tangible evidence of our colonial past and therefore are perfectly placed to explore the legacies of those histories.

Through this work new narratives of how we think of ourselves as a society can emerge – stories that stress that everyone has a right to a voice, to express their agency, and to understand their historical location. Nothing is being taken away, but rather decolonisation work adds depth, richness and a greater understanding to our collective cultural heritage.