1. + Better negotiations.
Better decision making.
Better results.
Making
Public Engagement Work
A Guide for Conveners

2. + Why Public Engagement?
 Organizations, from government agencies to private
companies, must engage the public on a variety of
critical and sensitive issues.
 Today, stakeholders demand more participation and an
active decision-making role.
 Engagement goals vary, ranging from sharing information
to reaching complex agreements with diverse stakeholders.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

3. + The Traditional Approach:
Public Meetings
Public meetings,
often called town
halls, are a time-
honored way of
engaging
the public.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

4. + The Traditional Approach:
Common Problems with Public Meetings
 Too much focus on the sponsor’s needs, and not audience’s.
 Process brought to the public rather than designed with public.
 Process is often rote, pro forma, rigid
– “ritualized democracy”
 Meetings often become chaotic,
causing frustration.
 Presenters become defensive, attendees become aggressive.
 A mismatch of expectations occurs between public and sponsor.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

5. + The CBI Approach:
Mutual Gains Decision Making
Over the last fifteen years,
in thousands of meetings
across the globe, CBI has
empowered
organizations to engage
the public in more
productive ways.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

6. + The CBI Approach:
Mutual Gains Decision Making
Through this work, we have developed
effective engagement tools and guiding principles
that produce useful dialogue and
collaborative problem-solving.
We’d like to share them with you…
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

7. + The CBI Approach:
Four Purposes of Public Engagement
-P U R P O SE O N E -
Share Information
The sponsor and the stakeholders engage in
two-way communication, sharing ideas and
information, and increasing understanding through
a combination of talking and listening.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

8. + The CBI Approach:
Four Purposes of Public Engagement
-P U R P O SE T WO -
Generate Possible Solutions
Participants jointly explore their interests,
conflicting, shared, or just differing, and consider
possible options or “packages” for
addressing a particular problem.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

9. + The CBI Approach:
Four Purposes of Public Engagement
-P U R P O SE T H R E E -
Create New Information
Participants identify key questions to be answered,
discuss scope and methodology,
select technical advisors,
agree on information gathering process,
and jointly review the resulting
data/analysis to draw conclusions.
(At CBI, we call this Joint Fact Finding.)
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

10. + The CBI Approach:
Four Purposes of Public Engagement
-P U R P O SE FO U R -
Agree on a Way Forward
The sponsor and stakeholders may seek
to reach agreement on a plan, report,
recommendations, or regulations for
addressing a particular problem.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

11. + The CBI Approach:
Establishing Clear Intent
Regardless of which of the four purposes the
convener is seeking, the key is to:
 Establish a clear intent internally.
 Be clear and explicit about that intent with
stakeholders and the general public.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

12. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E O N E -
Shared Clarity of Purpose
Organizations and the public should be
clear about the reasons why they want to
work together and to should seek
alignment of goals and expectations.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

13. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E T WO -
Relevance
Public meetings should be structured
to address the priority interests of all
the participants, not just those
of the meeting sponsors.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

14. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E T H R E E -
Joint Ownership
Meeting sponsors should involve members
of the public in the design of the engagement
whenever possible, for instance, by jointly
developing the agenda and ground rules.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

15. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E FO U R -
Responsiveness
Meeting sponsors should be accountable for
following through on all commitments they make
and being clear and upfront about what they
cannot deliver.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

16. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E F I V E -
Clear Information
An organization does itself and the public a favor
by providing information in a form that is
understandable to non-experts, prior to,
during and after all public meetings.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

17. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E S I X -
Internal Preparation
Organizations should build internal agreement
within their own organization to the extent
possible before engaging the public.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

18. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E S E V E N -
Adaptability
Organizations sponsoring public engagement
efforts need a clear plan and the capacity to
respond to changing circumstances.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

19. + The CBI Approach:
Eight Principles of Public Engagement
-P R I N C I P L E E I G H T -
Respect and Tolerance
For effective public engagement, both organizations
and the public need to find a way to disagree
without being disagreeable.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

20. + The CBI Approach:
Our Role in Public Engagement
CBI can play a number of different roles in
assisting organizations and the public:
 Sometimes we are advisors or coaches, providing support
to staff.
 Frequently we are facilitators.
 The role we play depends on the overall goal of the public
engagement effort.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

21. + The CBI Approach:
Our Role in Public Engagement
CBI’s activities
fall into three
Joint problem-solving groups, joint fact
categories: finding, interagency work groups,
Consensus negotiated rulemaking, mediation.
Building
Structured, sequenced public
Process meetings, work groups, advisory
Management committees.
Websites, poster sessions,
Meeting Moderation periodic public meetings, fact
sheets, consultations.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

22. + The CBI Approach:
Our Role in Public Engagement
Meeting Moderation
Important when time is short and resources are limited.
 Provide help developing an agenda, establishing and enforcing basic
ground rules, keeping time, organizing the room lay out and managing
meeting logistics − to share information and increase mutual
understanding.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

23. + The CBI Approach:
Our Role in Public Engagement
Process Management
Critical when long-term relationships matter, interactions are expected to take
place over many months (or years), and the stakes are high.
 Provide leadership on collaborative process − not on substance.
 Uncover interests, encourage dialogue, discourage “position-taking.”
 Tailor processes to the situation and work with sponsors and
stakeholders to design interactions that meet their interests.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

24. + The CBI Approach:
Our Role in Public Engagement
Consensus Building
Helpful when all parties agree to participate in implementation and
when organizations commit to involving stakeholders in shared decision making.
 Formulate statements of agreement, working closely with all participants.
 Work with each side’s decision makers and constituents “back home.”
 Manage joint fact finding and represent ongoing dialogues to the media.
 Mediate to actively help parties bridge differences and find agreements.
 Build agreements that are stable, wise, and fair.
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.

25. + The CBI Approach:
Your Partner in Public Engagement
For more information:
Call us at 617.844.1414
- or -
Visit us at www.cbuilding.org
Better negotiations. Better decision making.Better results.