Use the Engagement Methods Tool to find the right tool for your community and stakeholder engagement project.
A Socratic Circle (or Socratic Seminar) is a dialogue-based method that encourages participants to engage deeply with a topic by discussing a shared question, text, or idea. Rooted in the Socratic tradition of inquiry and reflection, this method focuses on thoughtful dialogue, active listening, and respectful challenge rather than debate or persuasion. Often used in […]
Social networking site based on users’ professional expertise.
Pop-Ups are short-term, mobile engagement activations set up in busy community locations like markets, shopping centres, festivals, or public transport hubs. These highly visible and accessible stalls or booths are designed to catch people “where they already are,” offering simple and engaging opportunities to learn about an issue and provide quick input — often through […]
Participatory Arts is an expressive engagement method that invites people to explore and share ideas, experiences, or community issues through creative mediums such as visual art, music, performance, storytelling, or multimedia. Led by artists or cultural facilitators, participants co-create artworks that reflect their identities, hopes, or concerns, often culminating in a public exhibition or performance. […]
Crowd Funding is a participatory fundraising method that engages individuals to contribute small amounts of money — usually online — to collectively fund a specific initiative or cause. Often hosted on dedicated platforms like Chuffed, GoFundMe, or StartSomeGood, crowd funding campaigns use storytelling, images, and clear goals to inspire people to donate and share the […]
Community Organising is a long-term approach to civic participation that focuses on building the leadership, relationships, and collective power of everyday people to address issues that affect their lives. It typically involves identifying local leaders, building networks of trust, mapping shared concerns, and developing strategies for action. Unlike one-off consultations, community organising is deeply relational […]
Collective Action refers to coordinated efforts by a group of people working together to address a shared issue or pursue a common goal. It is often grassroots in nature and may involve community-led campaigns, rallies, clean-up days, public art projects, or advocacy initiatives. The power of collective action lies in its ability to mobilise people […]
Collaborative governance is a participatory approach to decision-making and problem-solving that brings together stakeholders from various sectors—government, private, non-profit, and community groups—to address complex societal challenges or achieve shared goals. This model emphasises inclusivity, transparency, and consensus-building to foster sustainable solutions and improve public outcomes. Key Features of Collaborative Governance Multi-Sector Engagement: It involves collaboration […]
A Citizen Assembly is a deliberative engagement method that brings together a representative group of everyday people to learn about, discuss, and provide recommendations on a specific public issue. Participants are often selected randomly to reflect the demographics of the community, such as age, gender, location, and background. Over a series of facilitated sessions, participants […]
The hui is a sophisticated New Zealand Māori tradition that involves bringing people together for a specific purpose or take (cause for gathering). (O’Sullivan and Mills, 2009)
Talanoa is a conversational process used daily by Pasifika peoples and involves sharing of stories and development of knowledge. Talanoa can be used to engage Pasifika participants in a community-based action research process to explore their lived experiences.
Citizens working with organisations to contribute to scientific research with the aim to increase scientific knowledge.
Dotmocracy, also known as dot-voting or idea rating, is a method for group prioritisation to help progress ideas or action.
Storytelling helps people make sense of the world and engage with each other on a different level.
Deliberative democracy processes are methods where a representative sample of the population, usually chosen through random selection, meet and deliberate over a few days.
An exploratory, facilitated group method where participants are asked to close their eyes and visualise what their community looks like now and in the future. Uses visualisation and dialogue and may be extended to include creative arts activities.
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.
An online series of posts about an engagement project or issues, which the community can share and comment on.
Advertisements paid for in print, broadcast or online mediums. Can be used to promote projects, engagement activities or to meet legal obligations.
Research involving a community of practice trying to solve a problem through action. Communities act as “co-researchers”.
Open, hosted conversations set in cafes or other places where community members would ordinarily gather.
A website where content is not owned by a specific person or organisation, but is created, deleted or modified by members of the public.
A small group discussion hosted by a facilitator about a focussed topic.
Can include dedicated websites for an engagement project, a central hub for all of an organisation’s engagement activities, or a specific page on an organisation’s corporate website.
Community and stakeholders are invited to tour a site to gain a deeper understanding or to gain first-hand experience.
A fair or festival involving food and entertainment, as well as activities around an engagement topic, project or proposal. Designed to make engagement topic more appealing and to reach audiences who would not normally attend workshops.
A form of discussion where participants agree to suspend judgments to fully explore a question and seek shared meaning.
A structured method to explore specific, complex issues, and where participants work in small groups.
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.
Process where the community works with an organisation through its budgeting process.
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 program to educate the community about a topic, project or proposition. Education campaigns can be designed to raise awareness, generate understanding or support behaviour change.
A large-scale 2-3 day event where a large number of diverse people come together to consider information, engage in dialogue, participate in interactive activities and make recommendations.
A leaderless meeting where participants take a seat in a central circle to discuss a topic or question, that is controversial. Those watching follow a structured process to enter into the circle of discussion. Designed to voice multiple perspectives.
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.
Consumers and users work works with designers to codesign products, services or processes
