12. Appendix 1:

More Advanced Community Engagement Techniques

Charette

A charette is a comprehensive series of face to face discussions and interactive workshops aimed at providing a community with a proposition to solve a problem or progress an issue. A steering committee of stakeholders manages the charette and task forces may go out into the community, gather information and report back. Charettes can be intensive one-day workshops or consist of several meetings over a period of up to several months.

Appreciative Enquiry

Appreciative Enquiry is a small to medium group technique for identifying issues and directions. It asks people to reflect what is working well in communities. People share stories of “peak moments” in a community or organisation and identify the common aspects involved in peak moments. From these themes, participants consider the application of learnings from the past for the future. Through group dialogue, people develop actions to progress towards achieving an improved future situation.

Open Space Technology

Participants can choose different topics to discuss by visiting various “stations” set up in an open venue e.g. a theme such as Environment. People move between stations as they wish.

Citizen Jury

A community jury can simulate a court jury. Community members are selected at random to form a jury panel. The jury has arguments for and against a particular proposal or community priority presented to it. They then weigh the arguments and make a decision on behalf of the community.

An alternative is for the jury to deliberate key issues for the community and explore and debate options without necessarily reaching an agreement. They operate as a panel of peers to help explore issues and identify strategies. Juries rely on responsible decision making based on well explored issues and up to date information.

Nominal Group Technique

This is a method of identifying and prioritising issues in a small to medium group. It suits groups where there may be dominant or passive people or where the issues may be contentious. It equalises power between people and maximises individual input. People work in each other’s presence but independently. People write their own list of suggestions or issues and share them in a “round-robin” fashion. A list is compiled as each person, one by one, raises one idea at a time until all personal idea lists are exhausted. They then deliberate as a facilitated small group discussion.

Community swaps

A group of residents of two similar communities can “swap over”, each spending a day or a weekend in each other’s community. They then reconvene to exchange impressions and ideas. It is best if similar communities swap – where community size, economic base and circumstances are comparable.

Community swaps have a dual benefit. First, each community benefits from the impressions and ideas that come from a “new set of eyes” visiting their community and identifying ideas and opportunities from a new perspective. Second, by visiting another community, people see new opportunities and issues for their own community. It’s an interesting, engaging exercise that motivates and challenges community members. Swaps can also build lasting community partnerships.

Photographic techniques

The “Photovoice” technique involves community members, often young people, taking photographs of how they would like and not like their community to be. These photographs give a vivid illustration of the values and priorities of the community and can be very helpful in developing a vision and strategies. They are often posted in public places in the community, on the web and displayed and community planning events.

Feedback Forms

Feedback forms can be circulated in the community generally. They are not surveys but rather forms that people or community organisations can fill out based on the questions in the community planning process such as assets, preferred future, challenges and opportunities etc. They provide an additional opportunity for people to have input.