You're facing pushback from marginalized community members. How can you address their feedback effectively?

You really can’t address the issue without gaining an understanding of why they feel marginalized. So certainly active listening, along with questioning to obtain answers for clarification of the concerns, is extremely important before taking any further action. Including questions regarding what they feel would resolve their concerns.

To address feedback from marginalized community members effectively, start by actively listening and validating their concerns, ensuring they feel heard and respected. Acknowledge their experiences and apologize if necessary, followed by transparent communication about the steps you will take to address the issues. Implement concrete changes and maintain ongoing engagement through regular updates and follow-up meetings. Additionally, invest in diversity and inclusion training for your team to foster better understanding and support. Continuous dialogue and a genuine commitment to improvement are key to building trust and creating a more inclusive environment.

Listening with an open mind, ready to effectively understand the root cause of the pushback from the marginalised community will help one draft articulated solutions with the very marginalised community.

I come from a marginalized background myself and have advocated for myself by submitting complaints with systems where I experienced obstructive of justice obstacles as well as inequity and discrimination in the workforce. What is concerning to me was how many people were able to “listen” but unable to respond effectively from a systematic and practical lens of implementation to make effective change. Finding people willing to step out of their own comfort zone and brave the waters of being the opposite of a bystander is a crucially complex endeavor that requires courage and conviction. Listening can help and yet action will carry the torch of trail blazing forward even further.

Para abordar de manera efectiva los comentarios de los miembros marginados de la comunidad, para mí es fundamental adoptar un enfoque basado en la empatía, la inclusión y el empoderamiento.

Listening intently is key but it’s also important to do so strategically. It’s easy for talks to become contentious if it’s not done with intentionality. From my experience, it’s first important to talk to constituents one-on-one. Building strong ally ship before the formal talks begin. Understand what the underlying issues so you can better prepare for the more structured talks. I would ask for no more than 2-3 representatives that will be the leaders for the marginalized group — have an honest period of listening. If the concerns are valid, take responsibility. If you’ve done some true listening in the one-on-one preps, bring up some solutions to the team leaders. Come back to the broader group and recognize the great work of the leads.

Without humility, true empathy is unattainable. It requires the ability to see others as equals, acknowledging our shared human dignity. This mindset helps mitigate personal biases, though it cannot completely eliminate them. Ultimately, people can discern whether we are genuinely concerned with their needs and feelings or if we are merely pursuing our own agenda. Empathy demands a sincere commitment to understanding and valuing others' experiences.

Do not try to understand marginalized groups through the eyes of someone who is not one of them. They may impose their biases on your perspective and make access seem impossible to drive their own interests.

Consider what is meant by 'pushback' first and foremost. Does it indicate that needs are not being met / voices not being heard? How inclusive have the connections been to delivering services on behalf of the community? When people / we feel heard and acknowledged for our concerns / opinions / what matters to us, we are more able to collaborate / engage with what is offerded.

Along with all of the points offered guiding this topic accept a few things. Effective feedback is more than an action or set of actions, it is your commitment to a process. So it will take time & patience on your part. It will include what are deemed by you at times as possible setbacks & frustrating behavior demonstrated by community members. Endure all of this. The perfect verbal response is never the quick fix one would hope for. Being tested by people and circumstances builds a true relationship. Keep your word. If you're not in for the long haul or have a very limited capabilities - admit this, and let people decide for themselves if they will engage you and how. You will be more respected for your honesty than you realize. Good Luck!

Es importante, tener un buen mapa de stakeholders, que permita entender, el porqué de su marginación o el porque se sienten marginados, sólo se está manera, podremos adaptar la estrategia de relacionamiento y aplicar los maneras o métodos, que se describen en los puntos anteriores.