“I would rather you not do public engagement, then do it and not use the information you gain from it.” That is a quote from our friend, Dr. Larry Schooler. In our chat, he was schooling with so many insights that we just couldn’t stop talking. So we’re breaking this one up into two episodes. In part one, we discuss how important your mindset is when developing your public engagement strategy. A little open-mindedness goes a LONG way. We also talk about ways Larry gets people over those hurdles of fear of public engagement plus his tip on how to defuse a situation. Dr. Schooler reminds us not to assume that just because no one shows up to a public meeting that everything is fine. Plus we loved his metaphor that when it comes to communication you should ask yourself if you’d rather have a preventative care visit or a trip to the emergency room.