Community Engagement

Effective community engagement requires a planned approach that identified the key stakeholders, their needs and the benefits to them from participating in the process.

As a member of the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2)  I’m serious about meaningful community engagement processes. Open and transparent processes are paramount. I have been involved in the coordination of a range of consultation-based projects over several years. These include:

• Stakeholder engagement planning and implementation as part of the preparation of the WA Forestry Industry Development Plan (Forest Products Commission)
• Community forums to provide input into the development of an integrated management plan for local waterways. (City of Busselton)
• Stakeholder workshop to provide input into the East Kimberley Strategic Community Plan. (Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley)
• Citizens Jury on Nuclear Waste. Member of facilitation team throughout the six day deliberation process of 350 jurors to provide recommendations to the South Australian government re the storage and disposal of nuclear waste. (Democracy Co)
• Facilitator of the Stakeholder Reference Group to review Alcoa Australia’s Long Term Residue Management Strategy at their Pinjarra refinery. (Alcoa)

Innovation in stakeholder engagement

Recent innovations in consultation reporting by the team include:

• The use of web based software such as GroupMap and Google Docs at selected times during workshops to enable participants to use supplied (or their own) tablets, iPads or laptops to input their responses to focus questions and see real time results (no more butchers paper!)
• The opportunity for stakeholders to participate remotely online through platforms such as Zoom and Group Map
• A concise workshop summary in infographic format for more ‘real time’ community dissemination and reflection of the key themes from the workshops (See the example here from the ‘Smart Cities’ workshop)

These innovations will deliver greater involvement and a sense of cutting edge, which will address the possibility of ‘consultation fatigue’ and ‘butchers paper syndrome’ amongst key stakeholders.

Check out this short video on how to design a simple community engagement process

Planning your engagement process

You may need an independent person to help with the development of stakeholder engagement plan. This should include:

• The purpose and outcomes of the engagement process
• The scope of the plan – the issues around which engagement will occur
• Stakeholder identification and mapping
• Identification of the level of engagement – using the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation
• Engagement and consultation strategy
  • Scoping – identifying decision points, stakeholders and the negotiable issues
  • Planning – defining success for stakeholders and identifying risks
  • Implementation – outlining the engagement and communication activities
  • Evaluation – describing the monitoring and evaluation of the process.

Implementing your engagement process

Or you may be ready to actively engage your target audience. This may include:

• Key stakeholder workshops or information sessions
• Utilising your website or Youtube channel
• Development of video updates for the project
• A set of FAQ to provide responses to
• Development of a project information pack
• A tailored information package for media

Our experience in working with government and community stakeholders throughout Australia means we’re able to deliver a tailored product and process that provides ongoing value for you, your project and your stakeholders long after the engagement process has been completed.