Key principles of stakeholder & community engagement

Dr. Joanne Tippett

School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester

Founder of Ketso

1. Start early and engage often Make sure people actually have a chance to influence decision making, don’t start to engage after decisions have already been made! Continue to engage throughout implementation & reviewing progress.

2. Start with the positive Look for existing networks & the engaged (then look for the people not yet engaged & ask what would help them engage, what would work for them?); in any workshop, start with ‘What works?’ ‘What do you like?’.

3. Communicate often & through multiple channels Put information out in different ways & ensure that you feed back ideas that emerge from engagement & what has been done!

Top 6 Hints

4. Link small wins to long term change Maintain interest and enthusiasm for long term change by looking for opportunities to achieve something in the short term, celebrate the small wins (& communicate about the longer term at the same time).

5. Link the local to the bigger picture Community members are more likely to engage with issues outside their back door. Look for ways to link planning at local & strategic levels of scale.

6. Look for ways to align your interest with other groups Look for ways to connect to other partners & sectors, asking ‘what would success look like for you?’ & see how to align your interests to achieve synergies for multiple parties.

Top 6 Hints

1. Ethics (it’s the right thing to do and increasingly, we have to do it)

2. Effectiveness (it helps us get things done & done better!)

3. Strengthens governance and democracy (transparency and communication are increased)

4. Opportunities for learning and change (& goodness knows we will need this to build resilience)

(From Warburton, referenced in Tippett, J. 2004. 'A participatory protocol for ecologically informed design within river catchments', Ph.D. University of Manchester: Chapter 4)

Value of Participation

• 1960’s US civil rights and war on poverty movement

• 1970’s and 80’s shifts in international development – putting the people first

• Sustainable development, Local Agenda 21 1990’s

• EU Water Framework Directive – 2000 ‘active involvement’ of citizens in river basin planning

Very, Very Short History of Participation

‘Just connect’

Connecting:

• People• Creativity and decisions• Across time• Existing assets and the future• Levels of scale• Sectors

Connecting: People

• Who is in the area? • Start with the already engaged and existing networks

Connecting: People

• Who is in the area? • Start with the already engaged and existing networks• Ask questions – What would success look like for

you? What do we need to do to make this work for you? (e.g. what time and venue suits your group, what else is going on that we can add value to?)

Why do people engage? (key themes from workshop with 58 Wigan Wetlands & Woodlands Custodians)

• Satisfaction from making a difference

Why do people engage? (key themes from workshop with 58 Wigan Wetlands & Woodlands Custodians)

Communicate what changes have happened & how decisions have been made

Where possible, show the full range of ideas developed as well as decisions

“Ketso is unique in its ability to not only surface new thoughts but also to provide a credible and traceable evidence base for recommendations that emerge from consultation.”

Joe Brady, Head of Integration Services Scottish Refugee Council

• Satisfaction from making a difference • Friendship and connections• Health and wellbeing• Education and skills• Enjoyment

Why do people engage? (key themes from workshop with 58 Wigan Wetlands & Woodlands Custodians)

Connecting: People

• Who is in the area? • Start with the already engaged and existing networks• Ask questions – What would success look like for

you? What do we need to do to make this work for you? (e.g. what time and venue suits your group, what else is going on that we can add value to?)

• Ask questions – Who else is not involved, and why?

Connecting: People

• Who is in the area? • Start with the already engaged and existing networks• Ask questions – What would success look like for

you? What do we need to do to make this work for you? (e.g. what time and venue suits your group, what else is going on that we can add value to?)

• Ask questions – Who else is not involved, and why? • How do you engage with the ‘hard to reach’? –

language, cultural issues, accessibility (e.g. learning, communication, childcare and physical access)

Community mapping – visual approaches

Participatory appraisal – hands-on approaches

Founder – Robert Chambers (Whose Reality Counts?) Image source www.clearhorizon.com.auparticipatory-planningparticipatory-learning-and-action

Participatory appraisal – moveable pieces

Founder – Robert Chambers (Whose Reality Counts?) Image source www.tradeschool.ourgoods.org

Planning for Real – moveable models

Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation Image source http.www.royal-deeside.org.ukRDcommactiveplanning.htm

Ketso, a hands-on kit for creative engagement

Walking tours / story telling in place

Even in big groups, simply getting people to talk to each other (create a record ideas, show of hands)

Connecting: Creativity and decisions

• Encourage a creative approach – can we think differently about this? What can we do?

Connecting: Creativity and decisions

• Encourage a creative approach – can we think differently about this? What can we do?

• Have people actually got a say in what goes on?

(Arnstein, S., 1969. A Ladder of Public Participation. Journal of American Institute of Planners July.)

Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation

Do Community Members Want Involvement?

MOST

Want to know what is going on

MANY

Want to be consulted and have some choices

SOME

Want to influence policies/share decision-making

FEW

Want to control their Community and Services

limitedconsultation

(Davidson, S. 1998. 'Spinning the Wheel of Empowerment.' Planning: 14-15.)

Wheel of Empowerment

Connecting: Creativity and decisions

• Encourage a creative approach – can we think differently about this? What can we do?

• Have people actually got a say in what goes on? • Even when decisions have been made, you can start

with exploring what matters to people, see how it links to the decisions, and take a creative approach to thinking of how to make the most of the situation

• Apply creativity to your own approach, and learn from what you do! Community engagement not always easy but always an opportunity to learn!

Connecting: Across time

• Engage early (engagement is all too often too little, too late)

Connecting: Across time

• Engage early (engagement is all too often too little, too late)

• Give feedback about what has happened

Connecting: Across time

• Engage early (engagement is all too often too little, too late)

• Give feedback about what has happened• Communicate often and using different formats

Connecting: Across time

• Engage early (engagement is all too often too little, too late)

• Give feedback about what has happened• Communicate often and using different formats• Review and re-plan (you will always learn from doing,

and you need more input)

Connecting: Across time

• Engage early (engagement is all too often too little, too late)

• Give feedback about what has happened• Communicate often and using different formats• Review and re-plan (you will always learn from doing,

and you need more input)• Look to what has happened before – can you link up

your engagement with earlier efforts?

Connecting: Across time

• Engage early (engagement is all too often too little, too late)

• Give feedback about what has happened• Communicate often and using different formats• Review and re-plan (you will always learn from doing,

and you need more input)• Look to what has happened before – can you link up

your engagement with earlier efforts? • Think of how you are making results and ideas

available to others

Connecting: Existing assets and the future

• Start with the positive, what assets do people have? What is working?

Think Together Effectively: the Ketso approach • Start with a focus on the positive (e.g. existing

assets)• The first question powerfully sets

the tone and direction

• Brown leaves - this is the soil we have to grow ideas in

• What is going well? What works? What are our existing assets? What do we have to work with?

Shift in power dynamics from ‘I am the expert and you have problems’ to working together to create solutions

Connecting: Existing assets and the future

• Start with the positive, what assets do people have? What is working?

• How can we make the most of existing assets in future planning? How can we help people make the most of what they have and build capacity to use it?

Connecting: Existing assets and the future

• Start with the positive, what assets do people have? What is working?

• How can we make the most of existing assets in future planning? How can we help people make the most of what they have and build capacity to use it?

• Build your own assets - deliver some small wins early, communicate about them and link them to future improvements, use them to sustain enthusiasm

Connecting: Levels of scale

• People tend to engage with the very local• How can you link the local to the more strategic level

of scale

E.g. planning for Moston Vale (local) & also developing ideas for Irk River Valley

Connecting: Levels of scale

• People tend to engage with the very local• How can you link the local to the more strategic level

of scale• Can you create a two way process, to harness the

power of the local in strategic planning, and to get things done at the local level to achieve the vision?

Connecting: Sectors

• In any (open and creative) engagement process issues will come up outside of your ‘remit’ / area

Connecting: Sectors

• In any (open and creative) engagement process issues will come up outside of your ‘remit’ / area

• What sort of issues are linked to rivers? Health, transport, built environment, community learning, dog poo… and all sorts of other things you have not thought of!

Connecting: Sectors

• In any (open and creative) engagement process issues will come up outside of your ‘remit’ / area

• What sort of issues are linked to rivers? Health, transport, built environment, community learning…

• Issues will require action from different sectors

Connecting: Sectors

• In any (open and creative) engagement process issues will come up outside of your ‘remit’ / area

• What sort of issues are linked to rivers? Health, transport, built environment, community learning…

• Issues will require action from different sectors• See how your activities can add value to / link up with

others’ engagement (e.g. neighbourhood planning, engagement from police, health, flood management)

Connecting: Sectors

• In any (open and creative) engagement process issues will come up outside of your ‘remit’ / area

• What sort of issues are linked to rivers? Health, transport, built environment, community learning…

• Issues will require action from different sectors• See how your activities can add value to / link up with

others’ engagement (e.g. neighbourhood planning, engagement with police, health, flood management)

• Invite other sectors to your events (ask what would make it useful for them)

Connecting: Sectors

• In any (open and creative) engagement process issues will come up outside of your ‘remit’ / area

• What sort of issues are linked to rivers? Health, transport, built environment, community learning…

• Issues will require action from different sectors• See how your activities can add value to / link up with

others’ engagement (e.g. neighbourhood planning, engagement with police, health, flood management)

• Invite other sectors to your events (ask what would make it useful for them)

• Make data and ideas available to relevant people

Connecting the key message:

• People• Creativity and decisions• Across time• Existing assets and the future• Levels of scale• Sectors

• Start where you are, look for the positive, ask people what success would be like for them, and align your activities to add value for them. Then, look wider and deeper and link the do-able to the bigger picture.