H.E.A.R.T- The 5 Keys for Engagement

It has been awhile since I last published an article. I have been focused on other projects and my engagement with my writing has dwindled for the past few months. Nowadays as I am feeling pensive, disregulated and at times anxious, I turn to writing and creating as a means to perk me up and keep me tuning in to what is flowing. This got me to pick up on this Slider Model which a lot of people resonated with.

So here it is, version 2.0 wherein I expand more on the different keys that motivates engagement.

First things first, engagement is relational. It is distinct to the relationships that we have with ourselves, with others, with the projects/tasks at hand, with the community, team or organization.

" As we are complex individuals, designing for engagement needs to attend to these complexities. There is no one right way to engage in a community. We need to offer differentiated opportunities to meet people where they are at."

The?ENGAGEMENT SLIDER MODEL?is a tool to take into consideration the multi-dimensional factors that influence engagement. Engagement is a relational process and asking members to be highly engaged has a pitfall. It carries with it an expectation that there is one right way where members are expected to participate, a specific tempo or energy that people need to bring in to the community or organization.

Engagement means empowering people to connect, contribute, activate, support and respond in ways that are regenerative. This means it take into account H.E.A.R.T. - the 5 keys for engagement: Health, Energy, Attention, Resources and Time. These make it possible for an individual to tune in, reflect and and engage base on what best suits them at any given moment.

In version 1.0 of the Engagement Slider, I referred to RATE as the key motivators, I have now expanded it to these 5 crucial keys. Here are short descriptions and possible questions for each key:

Health- overall wellbeing and wellness

• Do I feel safe to engage?
• Are my needs (physical, social, emotional, relational, financial, professional or spiritual)??being met?
• Can I trust the leaders and members of the community?
• Am I emotionally regulated to connect?
• Do I feel I belong?

Energy- strength, vitality and capacity

• How much energy will this take?
• What is within my capacity?
• In what ways can this replenish my energy?
• How much energy will this give back?
• How can I own the energy I bring in the community?

Attention- sustained, selective, divided, and alternating attention

• What do I need to focus on?
• How much intensity and vigilance is needed?
• What distractors do I need to pay attention??to and ignore?
• What needs shifting?
• What requires ease in effort? due diligence?

Resources-??support, supply or reserves

• Who can support me?
• Who can I support?
• What mental, physical, social, financial resources will this entail?
• What can I contribute or add on to?
• What can be replenished by engaging?

Time- duration, rhythm, and cycles

• What is the length of commitment?
• What cadence/rhythm will this take - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly?
• How much time do I need to allocate on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly basis?
• How does engagement change over time?
• What are the cycles?

Interested to use the Engagement Slider for your team, organization or community? Download here for FREE the complete Engagement Slider Model Facilitator's Guide. Like my other tools, this model is a work in progress. Feel free to reach out to share your experiences in working with the model or how the different framings resonated with you and your lived experiences.

I would like to also invite you to check out other tools and upcoming events.