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Inclusive Public Engagement Guide

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Inclusive Engagement Techniques and Approaches

Public Meetings

What is it?

In-person public meetings are opportunities for the City to inform the public on a particular project and receive feedback. They can be used to present information, seek input on specific questions or decisions, and provide status reports or updates to the community.

When to use it

Public meetings provide information about a project that may have impacts or be of interest to community members. Public meetings work well for projects at the inform, consult or involve levels and for less controversial projects. Some examples of City projects where public meetings would be appropriate could include involving the public in developing goals for a plan to address climate change impacts, soliciting feedback on design options to upgrade a neighborhood park or providing information about new programs coming to local libraries.

How to do it

Before

  • Clearly identify the type of information to be shared and/or the type of input being requested from the public.
  • Choose venues that are fully accessible, including parking, entrances and restrooms. Choose venues near transit and that have adequate parking.
  • Identify any activities that would be appropriate to incorporate into the meeting. Public meetings may be able to incorporate other engagement techniques, such as vision walls, comment cards or conversations between participants that encourage connection.
    • Develop a meeting agenda.
  • Consider what roles are needed, such as facilitators and notetakers.
  • Conduct pre-meeting outreach to invite and encourage participation, such as using email notifications, flyers or social media.
    • Consider if outreach materials should be translated based on the intended audience.
    • Consider asking people to register for the meeting to provide a sense of the number and interests of attendees.
    • In addition to standard outreach channels, directly contact organizations and groups that may be particularly interested in the topic.
  • Prepare informational materials with enough time for internal review.
    • Boards and posters can be effective in smaller meetings where a less formal tone might be effective.
    • PowerPoint slides are effective in larger settings and for sharing substantial amounts of information. Consider printing digital materials like PowerPoint slides for the public’s reference.
    • Follow document accessibility best practices.
  • Schedule and conduct practice session(s) at least one week before the meeting to review the agenda, roles and anticipate attendees’ questions.
  • Arrive to the meeting venue early for any necessary set-up.

During

  • Welcome attendees. Build in some extra time for arrival at the beginning of the meeting.
  • Provide a sign-in sheet to collect names and optional contact information of attendees to share project updates.
  • Share the productive engagement event guidelines, facilitate the meeting and thank those attending.
  • Document input received.
  • Note any next steps or future opportunities for engagement.
  • Optionally allow participants to share feedback about the engagement event through participant satisfaction surveys.

After

  • Meeting summaries can be developed to share with attendees and the broader public.
  • Follow up with answers to any questions that came up during the meeting.
  • Incorporate input into project decision-making.

Resource considerations

Cost: Minimal to Moderate

Expenses may be minimal as City facilities are available for hosting meetings for free or a small rental fee. Costs will vary depending on materials developed, participation support provided and any consultant support.

Time: Moderate

Planning effective public meetings usually takes at least one month. Meetings themselves do not usually exceed two hours.

Capacity: Moderate to High

A team of up to five may be needed to fulfill all the roles for meeting preparation and implementation (including sign-in, facilitator, presenter, notetaker).

Other considerations

  • Consider the audiovisual needs (projector, microphones, screen, etc.) of the meeting and size of the meeting space. If the project team is giving a presentation, a projector and screen will be needed. In general, if the meeting has more than 12 participants and is conducted in a space larger than a conference room, use microphones so that people with hearing limitations can still fully participate. Bring extra extension cords in case electrical outlets are difficult to reach.

How to make it more inclusive

  • Identify any language access needs in advance and consider providing participation support.
  • Consider hosting meetings at different times of day/days of the week to accommodate different schedules.
  • Consider making the meeting hybrid and recording it to accommodate more people.
  • If asking for input, offer multiple ways for people to share their perspectives (verbally, writing on comment cards or boards, and/or sharing in small groups).
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