Use the IAP2 Australasia Methods Matrix tool to find the right tool for your community and stakeholder engagement project.
Multi-criteria decision analysis aims to allow groups to determine and agree on a set of criteria and weightings to apply to their decision making on challenging issues. Complex problems would often have conflicting criteria, for example factors such as high costs, might be in conflict with environmental benefits. Working together to decide on how how […]
Voting on a series of options.
Storytelling helps people make sense of the world and engage with each other on a different level.
Similar to an opt-in e-panel except members are randomly-selected to avoid bias.
A structured group of community or stakeholder representatives that meet regularly and operate under a Terms of Reference. Can vary from members providing their own feedback or ideas, to members acting as a conduit between the broader community and organisation.
Deliberation and decision making is undertaken by decision makers in view of the public, such as in a public gallery or by video streaming, to enhance transparency and accountability.
Community engagement or project teams go door-to-door to liaise with affected residents.
Community and stakeholders are invited to tour a site to gain a deeper understanding or to gain first-hand experience.
A method for hosting a meeting, conference or summit which is focused on a particular purpose or topic, but which has no formal agenda set.
Widely publicised telephone or email hotline that and provides one-to-one responses to community questions or complaints.
Large numbers of people who are selected to be representative of the population and be a part of a panel that deliberates on a range of issues over a set period of time. Surveys are distributed during the time to understand community attitudes, feedback, issues and behaviour. Can track changes as well.
Presentations and discussions with community or stakeholder groups. Can vary widely from informing to gathering feedback, ideas or options.
Community members gather and share photos that represent their ideas or preferences for the future. Can be incorporated into face-to-face engagement events, or collected and shared online.
A highly-structured method involving a representative jury or panel of non-expert citizens who deliberate during a chaired public hearing held over 2-4 days where they hear evidence from a range of different experts. Jury members decide who to call in as expert witnesses. Participants make recommendations or decisions.
A representative sample of citizens are randomly selected to form a citizen’s jury which deliberates on a problem or opportunity. The jury hears evidence from witnesses, in front of a public gallery, before adjourning to deliberate and make a recommendation or decision.
A structured process for decision making that focuses on building on strengths (“what works well”), rather than focusing on problems and limitations.