Spring 2024 FCIAAO Newsletter

Unlocking Unlocking Connections

The Evolving Role of Communication in the Assessment Industry by Andy Janecek, CFE Trust i s the foundat ion of any relat ionship, whether i t ' s a f r iendship, a romant ic par tnership, or the l ink between an assessment profess ional and the communi ty they serve. The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer , a global survey that measures publ ic t rust in bus iness , government , media, and NGOs ( including rel igious organi zat ions and non prof i ts) , repor ted a decl ine in government t rust across al l met r ics f rom 2021 to 2022 . In fact , 66 percent of global respondents bel ieve thei r count ry ’ s governments are purposely t rying to mi s lead people. The assessment indust ry in F lor ida has always pr ior i t i zed publ ic t ransparency , but the need for more ef fect i ve publ ic informat ion st rategies i s more ev ident than ever . An increas ing number of proper ty apprai ser ’ s of f ices across the state are now ut i l i z ing ful l - t ime and par t-t ime staf f dedicated to communi ty engagement , a move aimed at boost ing publ ic t rust in the assessment process . Thi s approach al igns wi th the Internat ional Associat ion of Assess ing Of f icers ’ ( IAAO) rev i sed Standard on Communicat ions and Out reach, former ly the Standard on Publ ic Relat ions ,

f lex ible suggest ions that can be adapted according to the unique capabi l i t ies of each of f ice. As a best pract ice, assessment of f ices should develop a comprehens i ve communicat ion plan that addresses the needs of var ious stakeholders , including proper ty owners , media, and government agencies . The plan should out l ine st rategies for us ing di f ferent communicat ion methods and media to di sseminate informat ion ef fect i vely . The adopt ion of modern technology and digi tal plat forms i s recommended to enhance communicat ion ef f iciency . Thi s includes maintaining a funct ional and informat i ve webs i te, ut i l i z ing social media and other onl ine tool s to reach a wider audience and faci l i tate eas ier access to assessment-related informat ion. (Cont inued next page)

The standard emphas i zes the impor tance of communicat ion of f ices . The updated and renamed standard was adopted as a technical standard nat ionwide in July 2023 . procedures , and the role of the assessment of f ice. I t highl ights that ef fect i ve communicat ion can lead to improved compl iance and cooperat ion f rom the publ ic. Recogni z ing that not every assessment of f ice has the resources to hi re a dedicated communicat ions employee, the standard of fers a range o In 2022 , the IAAO establ i shed a Publ ic Relat ions Task Force to rev i se the standard ini t ial ly adopted in 201 1 . Thi s update, essent ial to address ing cur rent communicat ion chal lenges , was spearheaded by Task Force members who are indust ry exper ts . Thei r mi ss ion was to create a modern standard that captures the best pract ices and guidel ines for ef fect i ve communicat ion and out reach by assessment in enhancing publ ic understanding of the assessment process ,

STAYING APPRA I SED

SPRING 2024

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