Use the IAP2 Australasia Methods Matrix tool to find the right tool for your community and stakeholder engagement project.
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.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been using yarning circles for thousands of years to discuss issues in an inclusive and collaborative manner. A conversational process that involves the telling of stories as a way of passing on cultural knowledge.
A reflective process designed to examine the key events of the past along a timeline, highlights and lowlights and any learnings or insights.
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 […]
Storytelling helps people make sense of the world and engage with each other on a different level.
Online forum where invited or self-selected participants contribute to an online discussion about a topic or project for a set period of time.
Individualised letters sent to affected or interested community members and stakeholders.
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.
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.
Open, hosted conversations set in cafes or other places where community members would ordinarily gather.
A structured process to host a conversation with community or stakeholder representatives. Includes a series of questions that are objective, then reflective, interpretive and decisional.
Social networking site based on users’ professional expertise.
A structured process where participants discuss a question or series of questions at a group of small tables.
Community and stakeholders are invited to tour a site to gain a deeper understanding or to gain first-hand experience.
A meeting organised by either the organisation or community with presentations and questions asked by the crowd.
One-on-one discussions to explore and understand community or stakeholder needs, perspectives, insights and feedback, and to build relationships.
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.
Widely publicised telephone or email hotline that and provides one-to-one responses to community questions or complaints.
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.
A public information session incorporating a series of displays or stations staffed by technical experts, engagement professionals or the project team.
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 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