What is community engagement?
Community engagement is the practice of gaining community input or feedback, or collaborating with communities, to make better decisions or to implement changes. The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia defines community engagement as “an intentional process with the specific purpose …
The toughest of projects
Last week, someone asked me what “tough projects” meant. It varies. It might be engaging on a policy change to address climate change, working on COVID, or working with communities experiencing really difficult community challenges like racism or domestic violence. There are …
Welcome to 2021
After a highly unusual 2020, our blog is back. During 2020, we focused on a few things that kept our attention away from blogging, notably working in COVID, home schooling, and making sure we had some time and space to take care …
Swing those digital doors wide open
We know times are tough right now. Many of our fellow citizens are feeling, well frankly, pretty low. But we also know during difficult times people can still feel connected and have a voice when you invite them in and show you are …
Codesign… the secret to building agreement and action
Picture it. You’re designing a new transport solution. Everyone knows we need to it, but no one agrees how to achieve it. Everyone agrees we need to cut the gridlock and improve public transport use, but one agrees how. Everyone is frustrated. …
5 BIG considerations for BIG infrastructure projects
One look at a major Australian city right now and you’ll be sure to find big infrastructure projects in play. Infrastructure moves us, houses us, supports us, and entertains us. So, when it comes to major infrastructure it’s little wonder we need …
A strategy can fail without the will to drive it
Can a well-constructed and resourced strategy succeed without the will of those driving it? A good strategy, communicated, will keep things moving, but often it is an individual or group’s will, particularly ‘the sheer force of will’ that delivers the most change. Work, …
Think you know gaming? Drop that stereotype right now
You might think a typical gamer is a teen or 20 something male who spends hours on end in their room, not seeing the light of day. This stereotype is not accurate, not even slightly. Around 60% of everyday Australians play video …
Facilitation: behind the scenes
If you’ve ever been to a facilitated workshop or event you’ll be familiar with the role of the facilitator: the person who welcomes everyone, encourages participation in engagement activities, introduces guests, highlights the key messages of the speakers, asks thought provoking questions, …
Avoid the last minute engagement rush
The proverb – “he who hesitates is lost” could be true when it comes to last minute stakeholder engagement. If we spend too much time thinking about engaging rather than planning and delivering it strategically, we can run out of time to …
Asking the right questions – it’s all in the framing
For some people the tricky part of engagement can be actually making the decision to engage and working out how to go about it. While it’s vital to have a strategy that informs engagement, it’s equally as important not to skip past …
Engaging on Transport Infrastructure
“I’ve been yelled at. Threatened. Spat at. Cried at. I’ve felt in danger. I’ve felt frightened. I’ve felt exhausted.” That’s how one colleague has described her life as an engagement manager on a major road construction job. But it’s her perfect job. “I …
It’s a celebrity… get ME outta here!
When it comes to reality TV, celebrities sell. But when it comes to facilitation, sticking a celebrity out front won’t fool ‘em. And you might pay dearly for the mistake. …
We know how to manage complex change
Climate change is an issue facing all of us. Community awareness and engagement around how to deal with climate change is something that a number of councils are working towards. Articulous recently worked with Moreton Bay Regional Council to plan how to …
When engagement gets tricky: tips to get you across the line
When engagement gets tricky: tips to get you across the line A question we hear time and time again from our clients is how to tackle difficult engagement. Whether it be highly emotional issues, opposing viewpoints, lack of strategic direction, or differing …
Why staff, stakeholders and community are better at innovation: 5 Insights
The development of new app that will streamline compliance processes costs and save millions to an energy organisation, creation of a centralised system to map capability to automate HR processes, financial commitment by disparate parties to create a regional ecosystem to drive …
Let’s talk Citizens’ Juries – with Max Hardy
Citizens’ Juries have proven to be quite versatile for a range of issues and decisions. More recently I have seen some citizens’ juries address more open ended questions, providing directions for long term planning, and identifying principles to inform policy development. …
Facing the Music can build Community Trust
I recently had the pleasure of travelling throughout the Surat Basin in south west Queensland with a client of Articulous for a week, facilitating community information sessions. There were a few key lessons that I took away from that week that I …
Public Meetings – the good, the bad and the ugly
Public meetings. Ugghhhh. We often try to avoid them, but to be perfectly honest, I’ve also seen them work really well. …
We are the Online World – how Technology and the Internet can enable Online Engagement
Recently discussions have begun to explore the concept that we are the internet and the internet is a reflection of us. This has many ramifications for the way we approach online engagement, so let’s explore what this means. …
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