Why Listening Should Come First: A Lesson from the CAPIO 2025 Conference

At this year’s California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) conference in Napa, I attended a powerful session titled “Listening to and engaging with residents, especially those who have been ignored in our community’s past.” Led by Dr. Ashley English and Dr. Jacqueline Lambiase from TCU’s College of Communications, the session was a timely reminder for all of us in public communication: before we design outreach strategies or launch campaigns, we need to listen—really listen.

Too often, communicators are trained to lead with messages. We operate on a 90/10 split—90% talking, 10% listening. We make statements. But as the presenters emphasized, true engagement begins when we flip that ratio. Listening isn’t just a nice gesture; it’s a strategy that can disrupt power imbalances and begin to rebuild trust in communities that have long been overlooked.

Here are some standout takeaways:

• Public participation is not the same as listening. Showing up only when we need something doesn’t build relationships.
• Attend community meetings just to be present. Go when you’re not asking for anything—go to learn and support.
• Trust is biological. As Simon Sinek puts it, we trust when we feel someone has our best interest at heart. Listening signals that.
• Make listening part of your ecosystem. Embed listening into your regular processes. Designate a “listener-in-chief” on your team.
• Use no-agenda listening and offer data-informed choices. This builds transparency, accessibility, and credibility.

This session challenged me to think of listening not as a checkbox, but as the foundation of every campaign, strategy, and communication plan. When we listen first, we move from public relations to public-interest communication—an approach rooted in research, collaboration, and equity.

As communicators, we have a responsibility to elevate voices, not just transmit messages. And that starts with showing up, being quiet, and listening with intention.