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  • About

    About

    • What We Do
    • Heritage Update
    • Plans and Reports
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Sponsors
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
  • Events & Activities

    Events & Activities

    • Conference Archive
    • BC Heritage Awards
    • Heritage Week
    • Canada Historic Places Day
    • Dates to Know
  • Learning Centre

    Learning Centre

    • A Guide to Making a Case for Heritage
    • Heritage Conservation Tools: Resource Guides
    • Upcoming Webinars: Winter 2021
    • Webinars On-Demand
    • Heritage BC Workshops
    • Other Heritage Education Programs
  • Cultural Maps

    Cultural Maps

    • Submerged Heritage Resources
    • Columbia Basin Region Heritage Places
    • Francophone Historic Places Map
    • Chinese Canadian Historic Places Map
    • Japanese Canadian Historic Places
    • South Asian Canadian Map
    • War Monuments and Memorials Map
  • Resources

    Resources

    • Accessibility for Historic Places
    • Conservation in BC Reports
    • Definitions and Heritage FAQs
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Heritage Real Estate
    • State of Heritage: Provincial Roundtables
    • Indigenous Cultural Heritage
    • Local Government: Library of Source Documents
    • Racism: Do Not Let the Forgetting Prevail
    • Taking Action: diversity and inclusion
    • Heritage Quick Studies
    • Other Tools, Publications, Guides
  • Heritage Legacy Fund

    Heritage Legacy Fund

    • Who Benefits?
    • Past Grant Recipients
  • News
  • Contact
  • A Guide to Making a Case for Heritage
  • Heritage Conservation Tools: Resource Guides
  • Upcoming Webinars: Winter 2021
  • Webinars On-Demand
  • Heritage BC Workshops
  • Other Heritage Education Programs
  • Learning Centre
  • A Guide to Making a Case for Heritage

Making a Case for Heritage: Communicating Your Message

Once you have developed your case, it is time to share your message.

It is important to craft your messages according to the medium of communication and for the recipient. You will want a more formal style when writing to the mayor, but a casual tone when preparing a Facebook post.

Here are some ideas on sharing your information. Not all of these may seem necessary or appropriate for your situation, but keep in mind: the more people who hear your message, the greater your support. Acting on several fronts allows you to be more visible to your decision makers.

  • Send a letter to the mayor and council. Every local government website provides either a joint email address or separate contacts. Your communication will become part of the public record.
  • Meet with your mayor and councillors; one-on-one meetings can be particularly effective as it gives you the opportunity to customize your message to each person. More importantly, you have an opportunity to learn about their interests and priorities, as well as their gaps in knowledge, so that you can continue to strengthen your case.
  • Write to and meet with your local MLA and MP or their senior staff.
  • Deliver your message at Annual General Meetings and other public forums.
  • Organize town hall meetings and other types of information sharing meetings and celebrations.
  • Hand out flyers at fairs and other public events.
  • Consider live streaming with services such as Facebook Live.
  • Deliver your information through electronic newsletters; you can get greater mileage out of your information by spreading it out over several newsletters.
  • Send a letter to the editor and radio station.
  • Prepare an opinion piece for the local press.
  • Prepare a series of bite-sized information statements for social media posts.
  • Put your message on your website.

Tips for a Successful Communication Strategy:

  • Do not assume people understand your situation. Help them to understand by offering relevant facts.
  • To develop a community of advocates, provide resources that can be distributed as handouts or by email.
  • Make your activities accessible by reducing barriers to participation.
  • Deliver a clear message by using accessible language, avoiding jargon and acronyms.
  • Always be open and responsive to any questions, suggestions, criticism, or comments.
  • Craft your message for your audience and for the medium of communication.
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As an organization of provincial scope, Heritage BC recognizes that its members, and the local history and heritage they seek to preserve, occupy the lands and territories of B.C.’s Indigenous peoples. Heritage BC asks its members to reflect on the places where they reside and work, and to respect the diversity of cultures and experiences that form the richness of our provincial heritage.