• Community engagement in context
  • Community engagement - an overview
  • Community engagement in a representative democracy
  • Key challenges for the public sector
  • Implications for public sector managers
  • The context for engagement
  • Clues to good community engagement
• Planning CE
  • Community engagement and the policy/planning cycle
  • Project goals
  • When is engagement necessary?
  • Community engagement objectives
  • Community research
    • Media research
    • Community profiling
    • Community segmentation
    • Community and issues analysis
  • Key communication messages
  • Selection of engagement techniques
  • Managing risk
  • Evaluation planning
  • Planning transition and exit strategies
• Implementing CE
  • Working with communities
  • Organisational culture
  • Resourcing
  • Structures and processes
  • Continuity and follow up
  • Representation and control
  • Coordination
  • Other issues
  • Embedding good practice
• Methods
  • Overview of methods
  • Methods of information-sharing
  • Methods for consultation and deliberation
  • Methods for active participation
  • Advanced participative methodologies
  • Choosing an engagement method
• Event management
  • Event engagement processes
  • Choosing a facilitator
  • Structuring the event
• Evaluating CE
  • Introduction to evaluation
  • Principles of evaluation
  • Identifying outputs and outcomes
  • Purpose and approach to evaluation
  • Evaluation criteria and indicators
  • Methods of measuring community engagement
  • Steps in evaluating community engagement
• Risk management
  • Identifying risks
  • Assessing risk
  • Managing external risks
  • Managing internal risks
  • Risk assessment and management plan
• Skills
  • Community engagement skills profile
  • Options for skills development
  • Building the skills of your team

Choosing an engagement method

Different methods of engagement require different levels of skill and resources to implement them.

You may be particularly attracted to one methodology, but should consider all methods to ensure that you meet the needs of the community and achieve the results you are seeking to achieve. In particular, your selection should be based on an awareness of the issue being dealt with and the level of risk inherent in the issue.

Most engagement processes will include a range of techniques to ensure that a wide range of people are engaged at various stages of the process. For example, an agency might use a brochure to provide information, a focus group to seek feedback on how to structure participatory processes and an open space technology workshop to generate community priorities and motivation for action.

Considerations

Consider the following in choosing an engagement method. You can score these considerations to help with selection.

• The method will help us to achieve our community engagement objectives.
• There is community acceptance of the potential method, or an expectation that an innovative tool would be accepted once it has been carefully explained.
• Support is available from senior managers for this approach.
• The method takes account of:
  • the history of engagement with the community
  • the culture of the community
  • the demographic, social and economic landscape of the community
  • literacy levels
  • community implications.
• The skills required to deliver this method are available.
• There is an adequate budget in place to support the engagement method.
• There is support from communities for this method.
• There is enough time to deliver a good result with this method.
• Resources are available to write up the results of the process (if applicable).
• Transition and exit strategies can be put in place (as identified in the Planning section).
• An assessment of the techniques required to support this method has been undertaken.
• Evaluation strategies can identify the results from this method.