Implementing Public Engagement

Reporting back to participants can occur after the City makes a final project decision, such as after a project has been considered by the City Council. It clearly communicates to the public how their input was considered in project decision-making. It also demonstrates that the City is listening and committed to inclusive public engagement.

The format of reporting back to participants depends on the project and level of public participation. When a project is focused primarily on providing information, a report back may summarize the public outreach that occurred. When projects include soliciting input and feedback to inform decisions, reporting back should also include a synthesis of themes and identification of how input was used.

How to report back to participants

• Report back to participants about the overall engagement conducted and input received. Consider the best format for sharing this with the public, such as making it a PDF or presentation.
• Analyze public input captured from engagement to identify topics, concerns, questions and ideas mentioned multiple times.
  • Understand that themes don’t represent all stakeholders, and that all input needs consideration.
• Prepare a report back summary that may include the following:
  • Explanation of the project and decision-making process
  • Engagement details (e.g. engagement activities conducted, dates, locations, formats)
  • Number of participants engaged
  • Key themes of input received (distilled from verbatim input)
  • How public input influenced the project (including why any key input themes could not be used, if applicable)
  • Graphics
  • Appendix for engagement material (e.g. presentations, boards, handouts, forms)
  • Appendix for raw input received
• Publish the report back summary and share it with participants, stakeholders and partners through channels such as email notifications and project webpages.