« Back to the Main Stages of Collaboration
Start Conversations with Trusted Partners
Find preparation tips and suggested conversation topics to help you get ready to talk with some of your trusted partners about forming a collaborative.
After you’ve identified some of the key partners who might take part in a collaborative effort, initiate conversations with some of your most trusted partners to gauge their interest.
What to Bring
- Develop a clear understanding of the problem based on your perspective.
- Outline priority or specific geographical areas for improvement, as well as key drinking water threats. GIS maps and source water assessment data can help partners visualize potential for collaboration.
- Contact your state source water program to help with this data.
- Click here for a publicly-available mapping tool.
- Your vision of what the collaborative might do, and who should participate. (Don’t worry if you don’t have a well-developed plan – just be sure to present your initial ideas and questions for partners to consider.)
- Description of what you (or your organization) can contribute to the effort.
- Examples of other source water collaboratives.
- Proposed ideas for next planning steps. (Use this toolkit to review the planning steps outlined in Forming Stage.)
What to Discuss With Your Trusted Partners
- Consider potential multiple benefits from the partner’s perspective. Is there an opportunity for collaborative learning that might lead to a decision-making framework that includes impacts on drinking water sources?
- Invite your trusted partners’ feedback on the problem you’ve defined.
- Identify what ideas, leadership and support your partners might contribute.
- Discuss other perspectives that can inform this planning process and make a list of organizations to contact during this exploratory phase.
- Review any barriers you might expect to encounter when developing a collaborative.
- Discuss how a collaborative might help meet the needs of potential partners.
- Assess who has the means to help implement and sustain a collaborative effort.
- Discuss options for planning a kick-off meeting to gauge partner interest. This might be a small-scale introductory meeting or workshop to gauge partner interest in forming a collaborative. If partners respond with interest during your conversations, you may wish to schedule a kick-off meeting about forming a collaborative.
« Previous: Identify key partners Next: Get initial agreement »