Here at Hearken we definitely believe it’s possible to create real community using digital tools (the key is collaborating rather than simply connecting). BUT we still think it’s valuable to spend some time building community in real life (IRL), because being out in the world is powerful stuff. Physically going out to gather questions is not only a nice change of scenery from a cubicle--it allows for those unexpected and amazing interactions to take place that spark great questions and lead to even better stories.

Live events like membership open houses are a great way to connect with and listen to the audience you already have. And heading out into the field to collect questions on the street is a smart way to expand to new audiences. Another benefit of collecting questions in person at events or on the street is that you can have a real conversation and help people clarify and solidify their question(s). These interactions help you spread the word of your organization and its work in a very direct and powerful way.

We recommend going out into your community into well-traveled places (E.g., a busy plaza, main street, festival, farmer's market, or shopping district) at least once a month, and asking people what questions they have that they'd like a reporter to cover. Depending on your needs, you can steer people to specific subject matter (e.g. a timely news event, or the subject of a series you’re doing). Collecting responses in the field can be incredibly fun and fulfilling, yet it takes some degree of extroversion and willingness to shrug off rejection. We've found that these few-hour field trips can result in anywhere from a handful to a few dozen questions. Remember: all that's required for a great story is one good question!

When approaching strangers, we recommend smiling and asking if they have a moment to help with a story. Depending on your personality and the culture of where you are, you can change up the approach and say things like "Are you ready for your 15 minutes of fame?" or "Got a moment to change journalism?" Feel free to be playful and experiment with how you approach people until you find an opening that works. You can also make signage along these lines to attract people to you.

Once you have a person game to interact for a moment, briefly introduce who you are, what organization you're with, and what you're doing. Some people will have a laundry list of questions on the tip of their tongue that they'd love a reporter to answer, others might take a minute to think. We recommend having a few good question examples specific to your location or to the subject matter you want questions about to get their juices flowing.

We recommend recording their questions with an audio recorder or camera. Some people can be intimidated by audio/video equipment, but these recordings can yield great material especially if your media organization is broadcast or does online audio / video. Sometimes it helps to talk to the person for a few minutes without equipment rolling so they can relax.

If you don't record the questions, bring a pen and clipboard to write people's questions down as well as the contact information you need to collect for entering into the Hearken system (i.e. their name and email address, along with whatever information you have opted to collect in your custom field on your form embed, which is typically zip code).

Here’s a template for an in-person question form you can use for inspiration, or customize and print out for collecting questions out in the world. These are great for collecting questions on the street or at events.

If a person you speak with doesn't have any questions that come to mind, we recommend handing them something with your site / contact info on it so when they do think of a great question (which may happen 2 minutes or 2 days later), they can jump online and enter it. You could hand them business cards with the site info, printed bookmarks, slips of paper, or fun things you want to print on and hand out (think about trade shows and how many nifty giveaways they have).

Wear clothing or carry equipment that has your media outlet's logos on it so people know you're "official." If they're a fan of your outlet, they'll then be more likely to engage. And if they don’t know your outlet, at least you look legit with your official gear.

Be sure to follow your media outlet's guidelines around gathering questions and contact information from minors (E.g., get signed releases), and be sure to communicate their question and name may be used by your media outlet. Curious citizens may opt to be anonymous, but just be sure you note that and mark their response as anonymous when entering it onto the Hearken platform.  

Live events can be a great forum to promote your public-powered project, engage people in your work, and collect audience responses. When you're just starting out, an effective way to gather questions is at events hosted by your own organization — like membership open houses, live news shows or even election night parties. People who are attending events sponsored by your outlet are already fans of who you are and what you do and they'll be more likely to engage in conversation and offer their questions. 

You could also consider co-sponsoring events with partner organizations to help you reach new communities and gather questions from people outside your core audience. And of course, show up to gather questions at public events around town. Think farmer’s markets, school fairs, neighborhood festivals, or local town hall meetings.

Here are some best practices that will help you get the most engagement out of newsroom and community events:

Set up a station to promote your public-powered project and collect questions. It's best if this station can be located up front at the sign-in or welcome table for the event. Your table could feature a laptop or tablet with the call-to-action open to collect audience questions. Or you can go old-school and just have slips of paper for people to write their questions on (with name and email). Below is a great example of this kind of public-powered station from our partners at KQED.

Don't just rely on foot traffic to come to your table. If possible, it's ideal to have someone circulating in the crowd, soliciting questions and sending folks over to the table to submit. A major appeal of Hearken for audience members is that it allows them to connect meaningfully with the people who report their news. With that in mind, it's particularly great if this person can be a host or reporter that your audience might know and be excited about. 

Having one-on-one conversations with the attendees at the event will help ensure more high-quality questions. Sometimes you need to tease out a question from an audience member. Try to give them examples of questions other people have asked, talk with them a little about what their questions are, and ask them why they care. That way people don’t feel like they’re talking to a computer. They’re actually getting the chance to engage with a reporter in real life and it will feel more meaningful. 

Have something tangible for people to refer to after they leave the event in case question inspiration strikes on the drive home. Maybe a postcard, business card, or even just a half-sheet of paper that has the prompt and the URL for where people can submit questions. It can also be a good idea to include how they can enjoy the stories you've already produced (link to landing page, podcast download, etc.). 

Consider giving your attendees fun incentives for submitting questions. For example, our partners at Chalkbeat threw a happy hour event where attendees had to submit a question in order to receive their second drink ticket. And when KQED set up their table at the Bay Area Science Fair, they offered people a chance to win a prize if they submitted a question. 

Our partners at Chalkbeat created a physical version of their voting round, using poster boards and star stickers. Attendees at their happy hour voted by sticking a star on the poster board of their preferred question:

This tip is only relevant if your organization is hosting this event or if you have some control over the event's content.

Take multiple opportunities throughout the event to invite folks to submit their questions or vote. Be sure to also explain what your public-powered project is and where people can get involved and find your stories. If there's a host or MC for this event, make sure they have all of the details so they can make announcements. If there's a slideshow or video being projected, make a few slides explaining more about your public-powered project. 

Be repetitive! We've found that good audience engagement comes from giving clear and repetitive instructions, so if something feels redundant to you, that probably means you're doing it right!
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You can also use your audience to help create the actual content of a story you’re working on. If you know you have an event coming up, pick a question that might be answered through crowdsourcing and then get your attendees involved. Here’s a good example of crowdsource-friendly question from KUOW:

What Are Seattle's Urban Legends (And Are They True?)

KUOW answered the first part of this question by posting on Facebook and asking their followers to comment with urban legends they had heard. If your organization was tackling this question, you could do the same kind of thing IRL at an event. You could ask your attendees to tell you about their urban legends and record their audio or take pictures and video. Even if you don’t end up needing all of that material for your final story, you’ve still created great content to share on social media.