Three Strategies to Increase Participation

Three strategies to increase participation, in order of difficulty:

1. Lower the barrier to entry. Make the first step as small as possible. A like. A response to one question. A five-minute contribution. The easier the first step, the more people take it.

2. Make participation visible. People participate more when they can see others participating. Social proof is powerful. Show the comments. Show the contributions. Show who’s involved.

3. Create identity through participation. The deepest participation happens when being involved says something about who you are. When participating is a form of identity expression, not just an activity.

Most organisations only do the first. The second and third are where the real leverage is.