engagement training udia-2014
TRANSCRIPT
Marketing your ProjectSocial Planning and Community
EngagementKylie Fergusen
What will you learn more about?
How to use community engagement and feedback in planning and designing property
developments
Methods of market research
How to design and manage a community engagement plan
Benefits and risks in community engagement
WHY ENGAGE?
Because it is part of sound marketing and branding
WHY ENGAGE?
Because it is sound risk management
WHY ENGAGE?
• To inform people who are affected by a development• To receive ideas (the feedback might help you come up with a
better solution)• To better understand your market/future profitability• To assist your branding• To present a positive image• To facilitate smooth development assessment process• To facilitate positive media coverage• To generate interest and natural inquisitiveness
OTHER OFTEN UNINTENTIONAL BENEFITS OF ENGAGEMENT
“The more we are involved in decisions affecting our lives,
the more secure, confident and resilient we feel”
= MINIMISING PROJECT RISK
What is your Engagement Objective?
Inform
Consult
Involve
CollaborateEmpower
Increasing level of influence on decision making
You are mostly operating here
IAP2 Engagement Spectrum
A myriad of tools and techniquesdepending on the engagement objective
FlyersBrochuresPostcardsDoor to door volunteersSurveysFact SheetsPostersHotlinesNews, RadioSocial Media
INFORM
Flyers
Open Houses and Presentations
CONSULT
INFORM
Engagement with youth
CONSULT
INVOLVE
INFORM
Design Charettes
Small Group Workshops
COLLABORATE
CONSULT
EMPOWER
BEST PRACTICE ENGAGEMENT REQUIRES MANY ELEMENTS
Time
We don’t always have every element available to us. Tailor the skills to the engagement objective
We all understand, learn and get interested in different ways.Tailor the skills to the engagement objective
Practical Tips + Tools for Engagement in the Development Industry
• Ways not to ask a question (particularly for flyers, surveys, in workshops or small meetings)
• What background information should you always have?• Why and how to write an engagement plan
1. Be clear – use plain English
• http://blog.thoughtstream.ca/universal-design-for-community-engagement/ Describe the target demographic profile you
believe would be most likely to benefit from the affordable housing criteria established in the
Masterplan .
What kinds of residents are mostly likely to buy the affordable housing?
Gunning Fog Index
• assesses the readability of text
• broadly based on an assessment of the number of syllables
• developed in the 1940’s to help make newspapers more readable.
• http://gunning-fog-index.com/
2. Dig Deeper – ask for rationale, understand the emotion (but understand the risks of this)
Which option to you prefer a) or b)
What is it about solution a) or b) that makes it a better option from your perspective?
3. Be specific – generic questions anticipate too much knowledge and might result in generic answers
Do you have any comments about the proposed subdivision?
The proposed subdivision will result in 14% open space, located along the creek and in
neighbourhood park. What do you think of this?
4. Be spatial – relate to specific, known locations
How do you feel about medium to high density living?
How do you feel about 4 storey apartments being located around the shopping precinct on
Smith Road?
4. Motivate involvement – use an active voice, be personable, acknowledge emotion
How might we better manage the conflict between the local school and nearby residents?
What ideas do you have to reduce the levels of frustration and anxiety that local residents feel when their carparking is taken by school staff
and parents?
5. Be honest and transparent, show respect and integrity – be open that (eg) change is inevitable
What are the issues about the development of large new supermarkets
What ideas do you have about ensuring the character is maintained and the local retailers
continue to have viable and flourishing businesses in the main street once Woolworths
is built?
6. Provide Context – decisions don’t take place in a vacuum.
What do you think about increased numbers and heights of dwellings near the bus station?
The State Government 30 Year Plan has determined that areas around bus stations should
encourage increased housing density. The local council must generally support this state
government directive. Given this, how could we best provide increased numbers of housing near
the McFerdie Bus Station?
Community Engagement PlanDo you need one? • Depends on both the size and complexity of the engagement activities• Depends on the “risk” of what can go wrong if engagement is poorly planned
and executed • You might need to consider other engagement plans (eg: http://
saplan.org.au/better_together• You should confirm the commitments made in the plan • If there are future owners or operators, they should be made aware of these
commitments so that the commitments survive in perpetuity unless renegotiated with community and stakeholders.
• Ensure that all colleagues involved in the project - employees, contractors and sub contractors
• The plan need to be flexible
Community Engagement PlanStep 1 – Know why you are engaging
Jim Gerkin, Walking and Talking
Community Engagement PlanStep 2 – Know who your stakeholders are
“Never go into an important conversation unprepared…always be aware of the pre-existing mood, the vibe, the experiences, the expectations, and be prepared with well justified and rigorous engagement tools that will withstand scrutiny”
Questions to ask yourself about the community
1 How will they be impacted?
2 Do they perceive these impacts as positive or negative?
3 What is your role in facilitating measures to mitigate the negative?
4Whose cooperation, expertise or influence would be helpful to the success of your project and what is the stakeholder’s relationship with this person?
5 Whose opposition could be detrimental to your project’s success - and what is your relationship with them?
7 Who will make decisions about key aspects of your project and what is the stakeholder’s relationship with this person/organisation?
What are the available skills and capabilities?
Do your staff feel comfortable undertaking the engagement activities? Will they need additional specialist assistance? Who can they get further info and advice from?
What are the risks of things going wrong?
If things do go wrong, what might be the ramifications? Are there impacts on timelines or budgets? What are the political implications? Is the risk worth taking?
What are the available resources?
What kind of lead time do you have?
Community Engagement PlanStep 3 – Decide what engagement activities you should use
TECHNIQUE IDEAS WHAT CAN GO RIGHT WHAT CAN GO WRONG
KISS: “Keep It Short and Simple” Make it visually interesting butavoid a slick sales look Include a postage-paid commentform to encourage two-waycommunication and to expandmailing list Be sure to explain people’s role and how their comments will influence project decisions. Q&Aformat works well
Can reach large numbers ofpeople
Often are reported as not reaching households Information needs to be kept upto date
Community Engagement PlanPrinted materials – fact sheets, newsletters, brochures, letters, information sheets etc
TECHNIQUE IDEAS WHAT CAN GO RIGHT WHAT CAN GO WRONG
Figure out the best days and best sections of the paper to reach intended audience Avoid rarely read notice sections – contact local people to find out what sections of the paper are read. Ensure the advertisement is large/visual enough to be noticed
Potentially reaches broad public Good way of promoting a simple message such as the times of an open day or public meeting Can reach large target audience Encourages written responses ifcomment form enclosed
Expensive, especially in urban areas Only limited amount of information to be shared Only as good as the mailing list/distribution network Limited capability to communicatecomplicated concepts No guarantee materials will be read
Community Engagement PlanPrint Advertisements - newspaper, newsletter etc
Community Engagement PlanSurveys, questionnaires
TECHNIQUE IDEAS WHAT CAN GO RIGHT WHAT CAN GO WRONG
Do you need statisticallyvalid results before makinginvestment Survey/questionnaire should be professionally developed
Very helpful to get a clear picture of what aspects of a project people like and don’t like – useful insights into atttitudes Good for individualswho would be unlikely to attend meetings Provides input from cross-section of public, not just activists Statistically valid results are more persuasive with political bodies and the general public
Response rate is generally low For statistically valid results, can be labour intensive and expensive Level of detail received may be limited if too many closed answer questions
Poor survey design with too many open ended questions is very time consuming to analyse and surveys can become a a”whinge fest”
Community Engagement PlanOne to one interviews
TECHNIQUE IDEAS WHAT CAN GO RIGHT WHAT CAN GO WRONG
Where feasible, interviewsshould be conducted by the same person
Alternatively ensure each interviewer is following a similar line of questions and discussions and presenting the same information
Provides opportunity for in-depthinformation exchange in non threateningforum Provides opportunity to obtainfeedback from all stakeholders
Scheduling multiple interviewscan be time consuming Often required in evenings and on weekends – potential for staff “burnout”
Community Engagement PlanOpen HouseTECHNIQUE WHAT CAN GO RIGHT WHAT CAN GO WRONG
Someone should explain format at the door Have each participant fill out a comment sheet to document their participation Be prepared for a crowd all at once — develop a meeting contingency plan Encourage people to draw on maps to actively participate Set up stations so that several people (6-10) can view at once Can invite local groups to be a part of the event
Ability to draw on other team members to answer difficult questions Less likely to receive media Builds credibility and opportunities for relationship building Can cover a wide range of information in an engaging way (pictures as well as through conversations)
Difficult to document public input Agitators may stage themselves at each display More staff intensive than a meeting Quite costly
Community Engagement Plan“Kitchen Table” Meeting
TECHNIQUE IDEAS WHAT CAN GO RIGHT
WHAT CAN GO WRONG
Small meetings with one or several key residents within an impacted neighbourhood and usually at a person’shome
Make sure staff are very relaxed, polite andappreciative Relaxed setting at a convenient time is conducive toeffective dialogue Given the relative feeling of intimacy in someone’s home, always ask if it is ok first to document (scribe) information
Maximises two-waycommunication Builds relationships People feel more comfortable and often able to more easily articulate their thoughts
Can be costly and labour intensive
Generalised Content of an Engagement Plan CONTENT EXAMPLEObjectives We wish to inform directly affected landowners about the new development
and how construction might affect them. In particular we will inform them about: What the development will look like When is construction proposed to start? How long it will last for? How it might impact on them?
Principles We will keep you regularly informed We will be open and transparent in our communications
Negotiables + Non Negotiables
We will negotiate on how we manage the impacts of construction (noise, dust)
We will not negotiate on any aspect of the new development We will not negotiate on the timing of construction
Stakeholders Residents and businesses located within 1 km of the development Land owners as well as tenants
Activities Typically there will be a range of tools/activities listed (such as a flyer distributed to all households within a certain geographical location, an article in the local newspaper and a public information session)
Each activity will have its own timeline, responsibility and resourcing requirements
How to use community feedback in planning and designing property developments
Phase 1 Pre planning Desktop market research, prelim costings, zoning, government
palatability
Phase 2 Design Master and concept plans, detailed design
Phase 3 Construct
Phase 4 Ongoing Ongoing management, sales
Surveys
One to one meetings with government agencies
Flyers
Design Workshops
One to one landowner meetings
Community meetings
Letters to affected landowners
Open House
Community Events
Community Committees
PROFILING AND MARKETINGYou have learnt about future wants and needs of your market, deficiencies and strengths you can build upon
DESIGN, MARKETING You are informed about what community and government might/might not tolerate
DESIGN, CHARACTER, LAYOUTYou have received ideas to input into your design/project
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING You have received clues about local community leaders, champion agitators, motivators
ONGOING MARKETING, RELATIONSHIP BUILDINGYou have developed a positive and ongoing, mutually respectful relationship with stakeholders
Summary• Minimise risk and maximise
market knowledge and branding opportunities
• Engagement objectives vary from informing, involving, collaborating through to empowering.
• Most engagement in the property industry will achieve informing and involving
• Engagement activity should match engagement objective
• Don’t under estimate the resources, lead times and skill required to undertake best practice engagement