Building understanding and support for a major change, large project, or shift in policy usually requires more than communication. For the best possible outcome, agencies need to engage with their stakeholders and offer opportunities to provide information and receive input. The public meeting, done town-hall-style is rarely successful or an effective way to enable honest discourse or receive useful input. There are several more effective ways that provide agencies quality input they can consider and potentially act on, and provide stakeholders truly meaningful opportunities to be heard.

Using guidance and teachings from the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), workshop participants will learn will explore (1) When and why to engage your stakeholders and (2) How to engage your stakeholders in a variety of ways that ensure broad and diverse participation from your community and meaningful input. Learning objectives include:

• How to identify the triggers for moving from communication to engagement
• How to determine how much engagement and the techniques for your audiences
• How to ensure you receive participation from your whole community, including traditionally underserved or overlooked segments of the population
• How to decide when to use digital engagement, when to use in person, or a combination of both
• Best practices for engagement techniques
• How to effectively close the feedback loop by reporting back to your community

This workshop is structured with equal parts direct instruction and individual as well as group activities.

Target Audience

Local government and utility staff responsible for large projects, policy changes, or rate/fee increases: City or County Managers, Department leads, PIOs, Community Relations and Communications Specialists, and Program Managers.

CEUs

0.6 CEUs

You may be awarded CEUs/PDHs for RPA training programs by your licensing or credentialing organization. RPA grants Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for this course at a rate of 1 CEU for 10 contact hours. It is the individual’s responsibility to contact the appropriate licensing or credentialing organization before registering for any continuing education credit program.

Create your own Strategic Communications mini boot camp!

Choose three or more Strategic Communications courses offered in the same week and receive a discount. For more information about this opportunity, contact Jennifer Teal at jteal@raftelis.com

• September 18: Assessing Your Communications and Outreach Program
• September 19: Building a Strategic Communications Plan from Scratch
• September 20: Media Training
• September 21: Crisis and Risk Communication Training
• September 22: Community Engagement