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| Path: Main Street > Resources/Library > Research Articles > Feature Article |
Public engagement and the Internet: It is not about blogs
By Pattie LaCroix
February 19, 2007
So many organizations I work with are attempting to deliver what have come to be called Public Engagement programs. These activities have, in the past, been referred to as public awareness, development education, citizen participation, and so on.
When we refer to public engagement today, it means that we are creating the conditions where members of the public are involved in agenda setting, decision-making and policy forming activities of organizations/institutions (including government) responsible for policy development. Public engagement outputs are focused on change. Public engagement brings together diverse members of the public to address tough issues through dialogue, deliberation and new forms of collaboration, and creates conditions for citizens in the deliberation, dialogue and actions on public issues. In many cases, public engagement includes those who would often be excluded from public debate on policy issues.
There are many mechanisms for public engagement, but three generally accepted key mechanisms are identified by researchers and authors Gene Rowe and Lynn Frewer in A Typology of Public Engagement Mechanisms:
- Communication: Maximizing the relevant information from government and transferring it to the maximum number of the relevant population. (government to the public)
- Consultation: Maximizing the relevant information from the maximum number of the relevant population and efficiently transferring it to government. (the public to government)
- Participation: Public is in involved in the decision-making process. The acts of dialogue and negotiation are inherent to participation, which can transform opinions of both parties. (public engagement creates change)
The Internet has emerged as an intersecting tool that plays a pivotal role in delivering all three of these public engagement (PE) mechanisms. However, what typically happens in an organization around public engagement is a quick leap to tactics, especially when the Internet is considered as a key delivery channel. As well, evaluation will take the shape of data capture only.
Before going public, here are a few steps to get your public engagement house in order:
Map out a strategy: The power of the Internet to extend the reach and potentially the impact of your public engagement efforts is proportional to the attention you give to developing your public engagement strategy. The more detailed and thoughtful your integrated PE strategy is, the more likely you are going to meet with “success”. In formulating your PE strategy, take time to consider the following questions:
- Who are we talking to?
- What are we asking them to do?
- How can they connect with others?
- What does success look like?
- What is the communication strategy to communicate to participants?
- What is our evaluation plan and what does change actually look like?
These are some of the questions that should be internally debated and discussed before you invite others to participate in working with you to move your perspective/issue forward.
Be prepared to lose control: The process of dialogue is a two-way communication, not a one-way sermon from the mount of knowledge. The Internet is ideally positioned to engage people from all over the world in a dialogue on social issues. Again, the Internet is only a tool; it is not a strategy in and of itself.
Support for engagement: Public engagement is an organic process and one that needs constant attention over the duration of the PE timeframe. Adequate resources need to be in place to facilitate and shepherd along public engagement efforts. Launching a PE campaign is making a public commitment to work on an issue, and to support others who wish to work on this issue and engage with you. Public engagement puts your organization’s credibility on the line in many ways. The Internet, with its interactive characteristics, continues to have tremendous potential in moving the social agenda along - and it has, for better or worse. Advocacy and political campaigning are where the Internet has shown much of its public engagement promise.
In upcoming columns public engagement and the Internet will be discussed, including strategies, evaluation approaches, planning. And yes, eventually tactics and tools will be covered. In the next column we will explore key elements of a sound online public engagement strategy.
Pattie LaCroix has provided strategic leadership in crafting integrated communications and fundraising strategies to nonprofits for more than a decade. As CEO of Catapult Media she is passionate about the power of storytelling in engaging your audience and building support for your work. You can reach Pattie at www.catapultmedia.ca.
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