There are as many different types of public engagement as there are goals for engagement. Here, we provide examples that we hope will inspire creative and potentially more effective approaches to public engagement rather than focusing on specific definitions of public or community engagement.1 Thus, the following examples of public engagement are not meant to be comprehensive or constraining. The examples provide information about some of the more common methods of engagement, and illustrate the differences between engagement types. Many other forms of public engagement are described on websites such as participedia.net and NCDD.org.
What type of communication will meet your goals?
One thing to consider when choosing a method is the type and direction of communication needed to achieve your goals. Each of the following goals suggests a different type and direction of communication.
Imagine, for example, that you would like to inform the public about a new court policy or program. This may involve implementing a public informational campaign such as a media campaign or open house which emphasizes communication from the courts to the public.
Sometimes courts need information from the public, for example, to understand complex issues such as what is impacting access to justice or what drives disparities in trust. In these cases, listening sessions or focus groups which emphasize communication from the public to the courts may be more appropriate.
Many problems cannot be solved by the courts alone but require collaboration in brainstorming, developing, or evaluating potential solutions to problems that have been identified. In these cases, methods such as deliberative discussions or World Cafés may be appropriate, because these emphasize more intensive bi-directional or multi-directional communication.
What are your resources and constraints?
In reality, the method of engagement your court selects also will involve practical considerations such as the following:
Some methods, like short surveys, or small focus groups, can be developed quickly and implemented in a few weeks. Other methods, like deliberative discussions or meetings involving many stakeholders, will take more time to plan and may not be ready to implement for a few months.
Many engagement types can be scaled up or scaled down according to your resources. For example, a short web-based survey of a convenience sample may be inexpensive to implement, while a larger scientific survey of your target population will be more expensive.
Some methods of engagement require more personnel time to plan and implement than others. Bi-directional or multi-directional communication is likely going to require expertise in facilitation. Use of surveys requires some expertise in survey development. Another capacity relates to connections with the community and the ability to enlist community collaborators. If your organization lacks any capacities, it may be possible to have partners from the community fill those gaps.
How can you engage vulnerable populations?
As you explore the varieties of public and community engagement, keep in mind when engaging vulnerable populations (e.g., minorities, low income, youth, seniors, persons with disabilities) that:
- Techniques may need to be modified for the population. For example, experiential, hands-on activities may be more appropriate for some populations than others. Alternative techniques may involve gaming, art, and using population representatives to gather data.
- Cultural brokers (intermediaries or advocates) can be used to ensure techniques are appropriate for the population.
- Involvement of representatives of the population in the planning stage is crucial to success.
- Compensation for participation may be required to gain access to some populations.
Such efforts to engage vulnerable populations have a number of strengths as well as challenges:
- Techniques are tailored to the focus population.
- Buy-in to solutions by population members may increase due to participation.
- Culturally sensitive processes and solutions may be more likely.
- Techniques can be complicated to plan and execute.
- The efforts require a champion or someone with access to the population to be involved early and often throughout the process.
- Quality of input may be difficult to gauge due to uncertainty concerning the representativeness of those involved and potential limitations of data that might be gathered.
Ready? Explore your options for engagement!
References
[1] See http://www.bangthetable.com/what-is-community-engagement/ descriptions of public engagement from multiple disciplinary perspectives.