Public Consultation Toolkit - Civil Service College

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Public Consultation Toolkit 63 64 Public Consultation Toolkit Appendix A: Consultation tools 1. Community meetings Community meetings are dialogue sessions organised with stakeholders from localised or targeted communities. TIPS FOR EFFECTIVENESS Tools Feel the pulse Test/ refine Obtain buy-in Page reference 1. Community meetings 3 3 3 64 2. Exhibitions/road shows 3 3 65 3. Public forums 3 3 3 67 4. Surveys 3 3 68 5. Blogs 3 3 3 70 6. Social media 3 3 3 72 7. Websites 3 74 8. Focus group discussion 3 3 76 9. Workshops 3 78 10. Charrettes 3 3 80 Target audience General public/large stakeholder population General public (IT-savvy population) The target audience of such meetings include individuals in specific housing districts or local community organisations. Before conducting community meetings, agencies should determine: • Date and Time – consider who the target audience is and the other obligations they may have. Bear in mind other events that could clash with the meeting. • Venue – choose a venue that is familiar to your target audience and the special needs they may have e.g., elderly or disabled individuals. • Speakers – ensure that the speaker(s) or facilitator(s) are thoroughly briefed about the purpose and details of the community meeting. Provide them with background materials and a list of frequently asked questions to help address queries from the community. When is it most useful? Community meetings are useful for: • Consulting with targeted group of stakeholders most affected by policies. For example, changes which affect their neighbourhood or living environment. • Leverage on partners (e.g. People’s Association, grassroot leaders, NGOs) who can help to identify participants, publicise the event and facilitate discussion. • Prepare information on related topics to address any questions participants may ask, even if the topics are under the purview of other agencies. • Consider conducting the sessions in more than one language to allow greater representation in stakeholder groups. 11. Citizen juries 3 3 81 12. Delphi process 3 3 82 Targeted to subject matter experts, stakeholder population • Gathering feedback from the general public to reach individuals from all walks of life. Considerations 13. Expert panels 3 3 3 83 14. Interviews 3 3 84 15. Working groups 3 85 Participants may be varied in their understanding or background knowledge of the topic. It is therefore important for the meeting to provide sufficient background information on the policy or initiative being consulted so that the feedback is meaningful. Its is equally important to appoint an effective facilitator to moderate the meetings and keep it from going off track.
Public Consultation Toolkit 65 66 Public Consultation Toolkit 2. Exhibitions/road shows Exhibitions or roadshows allow agencies to utilise numerous formats to engage and share information with the public and obtain public feedback. During these events, agencies can provide a visual representation of the issues at hand (e.g. housing projects, nature parks). It also provides an opportunity for greater interaction between staff and the public. Agencies should determine the types of media available at the event, and prepare the necessary items such as flyers, information guide and presentations. The target audience for such exhibits/road shows are the general public. Before conducting exhibitions/road shows, agencies should determine: • Location – ensure that the location chosen for the event is easily accessible to the target audience. It should be conveniently located, welcoming and comfortable. • Atmosphere – an exhibition/road show provides agencies the opportunity to be creative in the way information is presented. Ensure that the variety of media planned for display is interesting without being overwhelming. • Content – information should be tailored to the target audience. If a sensitive topic is being addressed, ensure that personnel are well-equipped to handle potentially difficult members of the public. • Staff – ensure that officers selected for the event are well equipped with the knowledge and information to explain concepts and answer questions or gain feedback from the public. Officers should be trained to be polite, courteous and helpful. It would also be beneficial to have multilingual officers available to attend to members of the public who are non-English speakers. TIPS FOR EFFECTIVENESS • Ensure that the variety of media planned for display is interesting without being overwhelming. • If feedback is obtained from comment cards or short questionnaires, ensure that they are prominently displayed. Always supply writing materials. • Consider documenting the verbal feedback received at roadshows. When is it most useful? Exhibitions/road shows are most useful when a substantial amount of visual representations are required to adequately explain the subject (e.g. architectural concepts). They allow for the use of interactive technology, and provide a comfortable avenue for confrontational issues to be discussed. Exhibitions/road shows are also beneficial in reaching an audience that may not otherwise be involved in consultation. They allow members of the public who may not speak English to engage with the issues through staff who are trained in another language or dialect. Considerations Exhibitions/road shows can be very staff intensive, and a large amount of preparation is required to ensure that the event is smooth-running.
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