Consistently engaging with your organization and community over time will supercharge your engagement strategy. But, as leaders begin to develop a Thoughtexchange engagement strategy, the next question to ask isn't always obvious.

Here are nine things to explore as you plan your next exchange,

1. Look at your demographic breakdown.

• Did you hear from who you needed to or are certain groups under-represented? Running an exchange and targeting a specific group is a great way to let them know their voice is valued.

2. Explore the Top Thoughts tab in your Discover Dashboard.

• Look at the overall list and read thoughts with an eye to the why behind the thought: What consistent values are you seeing? Are there areas of inconsistency? What could you learn by exploring either of these areas more? 
• Sort by your demographic groups: Do you see a dramatic difference in the top thoughts list? Does it fit your local context or point to an interesting topic for future exchanges?

3. Navigate to the Differences tab and look at the Interesting thoughts for a few different groups.

• Do you see a pattern to the content of the thoughts? Can you explore the underlying interest and use the division to bring your community together? (If the topic is particularly loaded or contentious, this is a great time to reach out to your CSM for support in designing the next exchange.)

4. Refer to your Themed results and read through some of the larger topics.

• Are there topics that have a mixed sentiment or concern your community? What questions could you ask to surface the underlying interest so you can generate new and innovative solutions?

5. Consider the leadership assumptions you are making after reviewing the results.

• Can you go back out to the community to confirm that you understood the community perspective and are on the right track? 

6. Reflect on any perceived gaps in the data.

• Does the data gap reflect information you were expecting to see or information you would like to see? In either case, running another exchange with a more specific question is a great way to let the community know you are digging into the results and wanting to learn from them. 

7. Consider the questions you still have after reviewing the results.

• What areas do you want to learn more about? (This kind of exchange is a wonderful way to let your community know what you learned from them.)

8. Send out a summary report and ask your community if they have any thoughts or questions.

• This kind of follow-up exchange builds on what you previously learned and gives your community an opportunity to get clarification. 

9. Take action and check in.

• This both markets the actions you are taking and allows you to course correct if needed!

Start using these places to inspire your next question and soon you will find that new questions arise organically as you explore the results.

If you are still stuck and need support planning your engagement strategy, reach out to your Client Success Manager for even more inspiration.