By Kara Trygestad

Working for a city provides opportunities to develop a variety of skills and manage an array of issues and projects.

For instance, as communications specialist for the City of Northfield, on any day I could be writing a press release, creating a flyer, updating the website, taking photos and videos at an event, posting on social media, getting quotes from a printer, creating an online form with a workflow, writing a speech, managing the brand, planning an event, or even all of the above. I don’t think I’m unique in my position, as staff in cities large and small often struggle with having enough hands-on-deck to get all the work done.

Effectively communicating the work of the city to residents, businesses, and visitors is an ongoing challenge. With our audiences getting information from so many sources today, maintaining a presence on all sources can feel like whack-amole as technology changes and new ways of disseminating information pop up all the time.

Spreading the message

I once encountered a woman at an event who asked us how we let people know about it; she hadn’t seen anything about the event. I started to list all the ways at our disposal on how we got the word out:

• The article in the paper? No, she doesn’t get the paper delivered.
• The radio? Doesn’t listen to it.
• Email blast? Not signed up.
• Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or the city website? Nope, doesn’t do that online stuff.
• Local TV, flyers posted at businesses around town, or a notice in the utility bill? Didn’t see them.
• Short of sending out smoke signals or going out and personally inviting every single person, I couldn’t think of how else I could have gotten the word out about this event.

We had exhausted all our reasonable avenues. But she showed up. So how did she hear about it? From a neighbor. Yes, word of mouth is a valid way of spreading messages. For small cities and some cultures, it may be the best way.

Don’t think because the information didn’t come directly from your organization that what you’re doing isn’t working. You’re putting in place an environment where people can take your message and share it. It might be because you’re reaching more engaged folks with your regular communications that they can then inform their less engaged neighbors.

Learning by doing

It’s impossible to be an expert at everything.

Before joining the City of Northfield, I worked in a similar position at a larger city in the metro area for 10 years. However, there were several tasks that I had never done before that would be required in my role with Northfield.

I had never written a press release. I had never produced a video. Within my first week, I was asked to be on air at the local radio station. In the five years since I started, I’ve worked on and sent out about 100 press releases every year, I’ve been on the radio multiple times, and I have produced several videos.

Writing and public speaking are not skills that I naturally possess, but with practice, online tutorials, and repetition it’s gotten easier. I’ve developed routines and built templates for design, writing, and processes that I can follow on a consistent basis; that I can repeat, reiterate, and build upon.

By learning the best practices for press releases — don’t bury the lead; get the who, what, when, where, and why in the first sentence; keep it short; end with the next steps or call to action — it’s become routine. I’ve also built templates for an event flyer; I can plug in the information and get it out quickly.

Turning to the experts

Working for a city allows you to work with people with unique skillsets. This includes people who are highly dedicated and experts in their field, but maybe don’t know how to communicate their expertise. Each department has their own lingo. As someone who handles communications for your city, don’t be afraid to ask questions. I’ve found most people like what they do, are open to explaining their work, and want to ensure we’re effectively getting the word out about it.

Reusing what’s worked

It’s helpful that a lot of communication efforts in local government are recurring. Street construction projects happen in the summer and snow plowing in the winter. You can think of a finished product as a draft for the following year.

As I continue to hone my skills, I’m building upon the work of previous cycles. I’m not perfect in our communications, but I do my best to get information that’s relevant and understandable out to the community. We are using the feedback we receive to reiterate our process and message so it’s more effective the next time.

Doing your best

Give yourself some grace. Nobody wants to make mistakes, but every typo someone points out is proof that they read it. Continue to do your best, learn new skills, and take on new professional challenges.

You may not have written a press release this year, but next year you might do 100. Expertise only comes from experience, and experience in communications comes from trial and error. Perfection won’t teach anything, so don’t make that your standard.

If you are doing the best work you can do with humility, most of the public will recognize it. You can always try reaching the rest of your audience in your next piece of communication — and the next, and the next, and the next.

Kara Trygestad is the communications specialist for the City of Northfield and is the recipient of the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators’ Communicator of the Year Award for 2024.