In this issue of Career Compass, Dr. Benest gives us a blueprint to talk like TED.

Local governments have an especially important role to play in collecting, maintaining and managing data on their communities. At the 2013 ICMA Annual Conference, Tuesday’s keynote address and several education sessions will help managers get a handle on what they need to know and what questions they should be asking to stay informed.

Civic engagement can build trust, value, and better government.

Examples of how localities are successfully stretching beyond traditional means to tackle challenging problems, build community and foster a civic culture.

The examples in this article demonstrate the impact and importance of utilizing technology to successfully stretch beyond traditional means to tackle challenging problems, build community and foster a civic culture.

This article details a series of problems with public hearings, and then culminates with an explanation of how online public comment forums complement public hearings in ways that (1) address their deficiencies, (2) enhance the perspectives and deliberations of government decision makers – and ultimately, (3) increase public trust in government.