Best practices in Public Participation

1. Best practices in Public Participation Tools and techniques to help you implement your decisions

2. What is Public Participation and why should I use it? Public participation is about engaging others in an organizational decision process. Use public participation activities and processes when you need to or want to involve your communities in decisions that affect them.

3. IAP2 Best Practices for Public Participation • Value-based • Decision-oriented • Goal-driven

4. Core Values for Public Participation 1 Public participation is based on the belief that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process. 2 Public participation includes the promise that the public’s contribution will influence the decision. 3 Public participation promotes sustainable decisions by recognizing and communicating the needs and interests of all participants, including decision makers. 4 Public participation seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected by or interested in a decision. 5 Public participation seeks input from participants in designing how they participate. 6 Public participation provides participants with the information they need to participate in a meaningful way. 7 Public participation communicates to participants how their input affected the decision. The Core Values define the expectations and aspirations of the public participation process. Processes based on the Core Values have been shown to be the most successful and respected.

5. Decision process Where, when and how can people take part? Plan Review Decide Act

6. IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation

7. Is there a formula or cookbook? • There is no one way or perfect way to engage others in an organizational decision process • Use a variety of public participation activities and processes when you need to or want to involve your communities in decisions that affect them at different steps in your decision process Public meetings ≠ public participation

8. Where do I start? • Identify/define your decision process • Determine where and how people can take part in your decision process • Identify/define the information you want from people and how you will use that information • Plan how you will equip and educate people to participate in your process • Pick your tool or technique based on the above • Implement, evaluate, repeat l

9. For more information laVernekyriss managing director league of Extraordinary Trainers extraordinarytrainers.com kyriss@gmail.com o--520-333-2689 or m--303-570-8226