There are a lot of ways to invite people. Sit now and think of all the things you have been invited to join. You did not say yes to them all. Which stood out for you as ones you knew instantly you were attracted to? Was it just the appeal of the job? Was there something about the way you were asked that made it appealing? Or was it the person who asked?

Let's consider many of the options. If time permits, we might put out feelers during a casual lunchtime conversation. If time is tight, we might send an e-mail. We could craft a letter, a card, a leaflet, or some other kind of written invitation. We can use a phone call or a personal visit. We can invite people during meetings and presentations. Each form of invitation has its strengths and weaknesses.

Face-to-Face. This is the most powerful medium for persuasion. You are showing that you have clearly made an investment to spend time with the people you are inviting. You will be able to see how people are responding, which can help you tailor your message appropriately. You can deal with objections straight away.

We worked on a project in Liverpool where the planning team made the effort to go out personally to many community groups and invite them directly. Needless to say, going to see people face-to-face takes a lot of time. Even if you go around and see them in groups, it could take a while to get things moving.

Another version of face-to-face is the video conference call. This cuts out the travel of a personal meeting. It might not be ideal for a first invitation, but may be used to issue a broader invitation once a project has started.

Phone. The personal nature of a phone invitation can be persuasive. The phone allows for a conversation, which also gives us the opportunity to answer questions. We might think it more difficult to use the phone for large projects with a number of people making the calls. We have seen teams plan a phone message carefully so that they can all be as compelling. This was not in the form of a rigid script but simply a basic format of points to mention. In a business context, we've found it can be very powerful when a senior manager makes the call. If your company CEO phoned to invite you to join a project, wouldn't you be eager to agree?

Of course, the biggest problem with the phone is calling the people you don't know. Just the thought of it can make us go cold. The trick is to think of it like a meeting. Once you have introduced yourself, form some kind of connection. You could mention the person who suggested you call them. Talk with them about the issues in the work, listen, and note their ideas. Invite them to begin to share ideas about what is possible and plan with them some things that you could do. As you do this, you will draw them in and asking them will be easy.

Letters, Cards, and Leaflets. Printed documents are a good choice when your invitation list includes a number of people you do not know. They offer a lot of scope for creativity. We've seen stunning leaflets that use unusual typestyles, shapes, colors, graphics, and paper choices to create a powerful impact. You can use themes and wacky titles. A well-crafted personal letter can also be extremely effective.

The trouble with these kinds of written invites is that they can seem very formal. They also have to compete with all the other things people get in the mail.

E-mail. This is an increasingly common method of issuing invitations, although it has serious drawbacks. Most people today have electronic in-boxes filled with messages, and separating the important messages from the spam is a time-consuming and annoying chore. Still, e-mail offers unsurpassed speed and efficiency.

When you know your audience well, and especially when they are expecting a message from you (and therefore are unlikely to overlook it), e-mail can be effective.

You might want to consider ways to make your e-mail work better as a way of inviting people. We like to see color and web links. We are drawn to simple short messages and the sense that people have taken the time to think about us in writing the e-mail (not just lumped us in with a general distribution). These days using jazzy titles for e-mail can be risky; we have deleted at least one invitation thinking it was spam.

Posters and Advertisements. When the list of people includes people you are not sure how to reach, consider using well-placed posters to catch people's attention. If you can, tap the talents of an experienced artist or designer to create your posters; they need to be bright, easy to read, and eye-catching. You can also use the press as a conduit for your message; for example, we have been successful in recruiting people to public conferences using a combination of press releases and advertisements.

The serious downside of posters and ads is that some people (including the people you want to reach) may not see them. Worse still, the people you had rather not see them do! Posters and ads can be undiscriminating. You have to be sure you want all comers.

When you are focusing on using the right media, be prepared to consider all options. If necessary, use a combination of two or three media.