It seems that almost every month there is a new whiz-bang online engagement tool to talk to the community. There is a vast range of tools and tactics available for engaging with stakeholders, but the tools we select must be suited to our audience and their needs, the project’s objectives and the level of engagement.

Just because the latest and greatest online engagement tool is popular down south, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best tool for us to use in the Northern Territory.

At True North, we work on a diverse range of engagement projects across the Northern Territory. These projects range in complexity, timing, distance and location, level of stakeholder engagement and diversity in stakeholders. But across all our projects, we have found three engagement techniques that are best suited to stakeholders and the project objectives. We don’t automatically use these techniques every time, nor do we restrict engagement to just these techniques, but we have found these to be effective across many of our projects.  The three techniques are:

• pop-up engagement kiosks

• online surveys

• face-to-face meetings and briefings.

   

Pop-up engagement kiosks

The pop-up engagement kiosks go by an assortment of names such as information stalls, information kiosks or pop-up stalls, but they are essentially the same thing. It is a temporary stall or location where people can find out information about a project, ask questions and provide feedback. The advantages and benefits of the pop-up engagement kiosks are that:

• we can reach a large number of people

• people are able to ask questions and clarify information as well as provide feedback

• we can target audiences in specific locations.

If we want to engage with stakeholders who live in Wagaman in Darwin or Braitling in Alice Springs, we can set up an engagement kiosk in a location where Wagaman or Braitling residents often visit.

So why is this technique often effective in the
Northern Territory?

We think there are a couple of reasons for this.

1. Territorians like the personal approach of talking to someone face-to-face, or talking to a ‘real’ person rather than engaging with unknown people online.

2. Pop-up engagement kiosks are convenient and an easy way for people to have their say without having to set time aside to visit a website, write an email or make a phone call. 

Online surveys

Online surveys are another popular engagement option – both for engagement practitioners and stakeholders in the Northern Territory.

Online surveys:

• enable stakeholders to provide feedback in their own time

• allow input from a cross-section of the community

• are an easy platform to access and use

• we can obtain both quantitative and qualitative feedback in a relatively efficient way.

It is essential to get the survey design right at the start, so that the survey data and feedback is useful and relevant for the project. 

Face-to-face meetings and briefings

Although face-to-face meetings and briefings can be more time intensive than other engagement techniques, they enable us to develop trust and relationships with stakeholders and provide an effective forum for sharing information and feedback. Face-to-face meetings are suitable for engaging with stakeholders we know have an interest or stake in a project. Face-to-face meetings can go beyond the general details of a project and allow in-depth discussions and input, which is invaluable for the project and enables stakeholders to have a deeper level of involvement on a project.

When developing a stakeholder engagement strategy, and selecting the most appropriate engagement techniques for a project, we consider the following:

• Accessibility: Is this technique accessible for our stakeholders?

• Inclusive: Will the range of tools selected reach all the stakeholder groups? Do the tools enable stakeholders to be informed and provide feedback in an appropriate way?

• Timely: Will the selected tool enable stakeholders enough time to understand the project and provide informed feedback?

• Appropriate: Is the technique appropriate to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) level of engagement for the project?

• Cost effective: Are the selected techniques possible within the engagement budget?

• Track record of success: What has and hasn’t worked in the past?  

Throughout the year we research and review different engagement techniques, we attend community engagement conferences and forums and hear about the latest tools. We consider the pros and cons of each and include them in our engagement ‘toolbox’ to be assessed as part of our engagement strategies.

And when in doubt, ask an engagement professional.