Community engagement is a way of developing a working relationship between public bodies and the wider community. Good community engagement will mean that both groups can understand and act on the needs or issues of community experiences, helping to achieve positive change.

At its heart, community engagement seeks to better engage the community to achieve long-term and sustainable outcomes and decision making.

It is based on principles that respect the right of all community members to be informed, consulted, involved and empowered. Community engagement employs and range of tools and strategies to ensure success. It also places a premium on fostering and enhancing trust as a critical element in long-term, sustainable engagement and effective governance.

The word 'community' is also a broad term used to define groups of people, whether they are stakeholders, interest groups, or citizen groups.

Working with public sector clients, or those funded by government money, means it’s important to ensure that you are working with the public and ensuring their buy-in to the long term future of the project you’re working on.

Here’s the five basic guidelines for working in the field of community engagement.

Inform

Purpose: To provide the public with information to assist their understanding of an issue

Promise: We will keep you informed

Ways you can do this:

Fact Sheets
Websites
Street stalls/ displays
Newsletters
Shop Fronts

Consult

Purpose: To collect information from the public about attitudes and opinions

Promise: We will keep you informed, listen to and provide feedback on how public input has informed the decision

Ways you can do this:

Surveys
Public Meetings
Web based consultation Citizens Panels
Consultation documents

Involve

Purpose: To work with the public throughout all stages of the process to ensure their concerns and aspirations are understood and considered.

Promise: We will work with you to ensure that your concerns and aspirations shape the process and influence the decision.

Ways you can do this:

Workshops
Community Events

Collaborate

Purpose: To partner with the public in each aspect of the decision, agree sharing of resources and decision making.

Promise: We will look to you for advice and help in developing solutions and incorporate your advice and feedback

Ways you can do this:

Citizen Advisory Committees Participatory decision making
Open Space Events

Empower

Purpose: To place final decision making in the hands of the public.

Promise: We will implement what you decide

Ways you can do this:

Citizens Juries
Ballots
Delegated Decision

Other areas you might want to think about are:

Be clear on your goals

It is vital to be clear from the outset about the extent of the community engagement, and what you’re hoping to achieve from the relationship. What can the public expect to achieve from their input into your project? How much can they influence outcomes and what level of participation are you hoping for?

Consider barriers to engagement

When planning an engagement process you need to recognise diversity, identify any potential barriers and design the process to minimise barriers where possible. These potential barriers could include:

‘Hard to reach groups’ such as young people, older people, minority groups or socially excluded groups
Levels of community infrastructure
Contested or divided communities
Rural isolation
Gaps in information
Literacy and numeracy levels and dominance of oral culture

There’s many more things you can consider as part of any community engagement planning and strategy. It’s a nuanced and delicate area, and the plans you put into place will depend on the nature of your project, your timeline, budget and the audiences you’re hoping to work with. This post gives just a taster of things you may want to consider.

If you’d like to continue the conversation and discuss a community engagement project, and the associated marketing and communications, please get in touch. You can email lauren@talktoroscoe.com or complete the Contact form on the website.

Guidelines for effective community engagement