Why should you attend?
Effective public consultations and citizen engagement require rigorous planning, efficient execution and excellent communications. The communications dimension of a public consultation or citizen engagement initiative is, in fact, crucial to its success. Understanding the linkages of communications and consultations or engagement, the benefits of a well thought out communications strategy as part of the overall consultation initiative, and the risks of not doing communications planning, is a must for anyone involved in planning and delivering public consultations or citizen engagement initiatives.
What will you learn?
- How to choose among different models and approaches to public consultations and citizen engagement
- How to position public consultations within your overall organizational strategy
- Understanding public consultations/citizen engagement as a communications activity
- Linkages between public consultations/citizen engagement and strategic communications
- How to develop a successful plan for the overall consultation initiative
- Identifying and managing communications challenges and opportunities
- The communications Do’s and Don’ts of designing public consultations
- The importance of understanding your audiences and stakeholders
- The importance of understanding the role of the media
- Communications principles and approaches during public consultations
- The essentials of effective messaging
- How to monitor and evaluate the overall consultation initiative
- The importance of follow-up after the public consultations/citizen engagement process
What will you take away?
- Workbook and checklists, how-to procedures/reminders and templates
- Exercise handouts
Professional competencies
- Engagement: Working effectively with people, organizations and partners
Sample Agenda
| Activity |
|---|
| Introductions and Workshop Overview |
| What Do We Mean by Public Consultations and Citizen Engagement? Why are Communications a Key? • Positioning public consultations within organizational strategy • Understanding and defining “horizontality” in public consultations • Internal and external dimensions • The broad range of models available, depending on the context • Key communications principles in public consultations • The essentials of horizontal communications Linkages between communications and the key objectives of the initiative • Examples of diverse public sector consultations initiatives Mini-exercise: Participants will identify key communications challenges and opportunities inherent in public sector consultations and citizen engagement initiatives. |
| BREAK |
| The Public Consultations Planning Framework • Key principles of the Framework • Linking the process with communications • Understanding the drivers and starting the planning process • Process issues – core questions, roles and responsibilities • Stakeholder involvement and risk factors – internal and external dimensions • Communications issues, challenges, opportunities and results • Resources and products |
| Case Study Exercise: In small groups, participants will analyze a public consultations scenario, identify the drivers behind the initiative and their implications for planning the consultations process and communications. |
| LUNCH |
| It’s all about Communications! • Planning and managing communications for public consultations – key internal and external communications dimensions • Identifying and managing communications challenges and opportunities • Phased-in communications: before, during and after the consultation • The importance of monitoring the communications effort |
| Case Study Exercise: Applying the framework for planning public consultations and citizen engagement. |
| BREAK |
| Developing a Plan for your Public Consultations/Citizen Engagement Project • Deciding on the model • Step-by-step approach and key considerations, pitfalls and challenges • Being strategic and understanding risk • Understanding and segmenting target audiences, clients and stakeholders • Linkage to communications |
| Mini-break |
| “On the Road Again”: Communications Do’s and Don’ts • Determining the role of the media • Understanding and managing “dissenters” and “disruptors” • Defining messaging imperatives • Spokespersons and facilitators • Implementing the communications strategy and action plan • Measuring the success of your overall initiative • After the consultations process – when does it all end? |
| Wrap-up and Evaluation Participants will complete a short evaluation. |
Several people made a point of telling me how well the presentation went, how useful it was to them and how well I did, leading the presentation. I frankly owe these kudos to you and an excellent training session. This was, in fact, the first time I have ever delivered a presentation in such formal circumstances. My ability to perform (without nerves!) in front of a high-powered group was entirely due to the learning I received from you at the “Effective Oral Briefings and Presentations to Senior Officials” session in March (2014). So thanks, Josef!