Introduction to Community Involvement: Tools and Techniques

1
Introduction to Community Involvement Tools and
Techniques
2
Module 2 History and Trends in Community
Involvement
3
Trends in Public Participation
DAD
Informing andListening
Providing the Public Opportunities To Influence
Decisions
Integrating Public Participation into the
Decision-Making Process
4
Public Participation Programs are Moving From

• C Including everybody to targeting the most
  interested
• C Large public meetings/events to smaller
  activities and more innovative communication
  techniques
• C Involving the public at the end to involving
  them at the beginning and throughout the process
• C Being heard to collaborative decision-making

5
Public Participation Ladder
Citizens act without communicating with government
Citizens and government solve problems together
Government asks citizens for meaningful input
intends to listen
Governmentasks citizens for limited input
prefers not to listen
Government talks, citizens listen
Government acts without informing citizens
6
EPAs Policies on Public Involvement

• 1981 Policy on Public Involvement
• June 2003 Policy on Public Involvement
• Updates the 1981 policy
• Recommends seven basic steps
• Policy available at www/epa.gov/
  publicinvolvement/policy/2003.htm

7
2003 Policys Seven Basic Steps

• The seven basic steps for effective public
  involvement in
• any decision or activity are
• Plan and budget for public involvement activities
• Identify the interested and affected public
• Consider providing technical or financial
  assistance to the public to facilitate
  involvement
• Provide information and outreach to the public
• Conduct public consultation and involvement
  activities
• Review and use input and provide feedback to the
  public
• Evaluate public involvement activities

8
11 Maxims for Foresters

• 1. A public official is there to serve the public
  and not run them.
• 2. Public support of acts affecting public rights
  is absolutely required.
• 3. It is more trouble to consult the public than
  to ignore them, but that is what you are hired
  for.
• 4. Find out in advance what the public will stand
  for. If it is right and they wont stand for it,
  postpone action and educate them.
• 5. Use the press first, last, and all the time if
  you want to reach the public.
• 6. Get rid of the attitude of personal arrogance
  or pride of attainment or superior knowledge.

9
11 Maxims for Foresters (Continued)

• 7) Dont try any sly or foxy politics, because a
  forester is not a politician.
• 8) Learn tact simply by being absolutely honest
  and sincere, and by learning to recognize the
  point of view of the other man and meet him with
  arguments he will understand.
• 9) Dont be afraid to give credit to someone else
  when it belongs to you not to do so is the sure
  mark of a weak man. But to do so is the hardest
  lesson to learn. Encourage others to single
  initiative.
• 10) Dont be a knocker use persuasion rather
  than force, when possible. Plenty of knockers
  are to be found, your job is to promote unity.
• 11) Dont make enemies unnecessarily and for
  trivial reasons. If you are any good, you will
  make plenty of them on matters of straight
  honesty and public policy, and you need all the
  support you can get.

10
(No Transcript)
11
Module 3 Community Involvement Tools and
Techniques
12
(No Transcript)
13
Community Involvement Tools

• Serve as techniques, or delivery methods, for
  outreach and community involvement
• Include numerous techniques and approaches
• Use tools to tailor outreach

14
Commonly Used Tools

• Public meetings
• Public hearings
• Community interview
• Fact sheet
• Public comment period
• Public notice
• Spokesperson
• Responsiveness summary

15
Other Tools of the Trade
16
Public Meetings What, Why, When, and How

• Formal forums open to general public
• Purpose is to present information to, and elicit
  comments from, the public
• Required by most regulatory programs before major
  decisions
• Useful before beginning a major investigation and
  to announce action or accomplishments

17
Public Meetings Advantages and Limitations

• Advantages
• - Delivers same information to everyone at same
  time
• - Enables community to voice concerns publicly
• - Effective if the community has been involved in
  the process
• Limitations
• - One-way communication possible
• - Often appears or is interpreted as us versus
  them
• - Creates forum for grandstanding and promotion
  of ulterior agendas

18
Public Meeting Tips . . .

• Choose convenient location for the public
• Know your audience
• Be prepared to listen and respond as well as to
  present information
• Avoid us versus them barriers
• Define roles of various participants
• Insist on a dry-run with all agency/facility
  speakers

19
Fact Sheets What, Why, When, and How

• Brief summary of principal facts/key messages
• Explain proposed actions, technical details
• Required by many environmental programs
• Distributed when key milestones reached

20
Fact Sheets Advantages and Limitations

• Advantages
• Help people understand whats going on
• Can provide general information or focus on a
  specific issue/problem
• Reaches large audience
• Limitations
• Sometimes substituted for face-to-face contact
• Often not read

21
Fact Sheet Tips . . .

• Must be easy to read and attractive
• Prepare in as many languages as needed to reach
  total audience
• Limit messages to 3 key ones
• Dont get bogged down in technical detail or
  legalese
• Write objectively

22
Module 4 Communication Strategies for Planning
and Conducting Community Involvement and Outreach
Projects
23
(No Transcript)
24
Communications Strategies

• Serve as blueprints for communicating with the
  public, stakeholders, and colleagues
• Provide a framework for identifying situations
  that require outreach or public participation
• Consider potential messages and audiences
• Identify approaches to deliver the message

25
Elements (Questions) of a Communications Strategy

• Why?
• What?
• Who?
• When?
• Where?
• How?

26
WHY?

• Determine why the communication is necessary by
  defining problem(s)
• Determine the goal of the communication

27
WHAT?

• Decide what information to communicate
• Identify and define all messages, then focus on
  two or three key messages

28
WHO?

• Identify all potential audiences
• Reach out to traditionally under-represented
  groups

29
WHEN?

• Determine when the message is most effectively
  communicated
• Avoid religious/cultural holidays

30
WHERE?

• Determine where the message is delivered most
  effectively
• All public meetings must meet the requirements of
  the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

31
HOW?

• Select communication tools and approaches
• Identify resource needs and availability
• Determine how the success of the message will be
  measured. Consider
• Quantitative measurements (number of people
  reached or number of messages delivered)
• Qualitative measurements (quality of messages or
  types of change brought about by the delivery)

32
Tips...

• ALWAYS prepare a strategy include target dates/
  milestones
• The strategy should be thorough, but not overly
  elaborate
• It should be flexible to allow for changing
  messages
• A strategy should define the most important ideas
  to communicate

33
Tips... (Continued)

• Work with others (team members, support staff) to
  develop and implement the strategy
• Be willing to modify your strategy based on
  feedback and changing conditions
• Keep your ultimate goal in mind
• Keep in mind communication strategies are
  available to the public through FOIA

34
Two Types of Communications Strategies

• Short-Term (Immediate Dissemination)
• Long-Term (Public Participation Plan)

35

• Module 5 Public Participation Plans

36
(No Transcript)
37
Long-Term Strategies the Public Participation
Plan

• Defines goal and purpose of public participation
  effort
• Presents formal plan for communications, with
  flexibility to adapt as conditions change
• Umbrella plan encompassing many short-term
  communications strategies
• Usually parallels technical milestones and
  provides a time line

38
Major Components of the Public Participation Plan

• Background
• History of situation
• Community reaction to date
• Description and map of affected area
• Description of community
• History of community action
• Community members preferences for information
  and involvement

39
Major Components of the Public Participation Plan
(Continued)

• Planning
• Key issues (derived from community interviews or
  other sources)
• Short-term communications strategies, activities,
  timing
• Location for events (public meetings)
• Sources and location of information for the
  public
• Contacts

40
Implementing the Public Participation Plan

• Managing how the plan is implemented
• Revising the plan to reflect changing conditions
  or attitudes

41
Tips...

• Use your plan!
• A good plan is a living document revise it to
  reflect changing conditions or attitudes
• Build relationships and work as a team
• Public Participation Plans are available through
  FOIA