Menu of engagement methods for diverse communities

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CBCity: Our Diverse City

There are many ways to engage your community. Here are a few ideas to stretch your thinking before you speak to your Community Engagement business partner for more support. If the ideas below don’t suit, then try the following:

SessionLab.com/Library Participedia.net IAP2.org.au Engagement Methods course Engagement tools and techniques Information sheet, Local Government NSW We’ve included estimated resourcing requirements:

$: Less than one day of staff time. $$: Some preparation and more than one staff member involved. $$$: Some preparation, multiple staff and some hard costs up to $1000. $$$$: Some weeks of preparation, multiple staff, and costs of $1000 or more.

CBCity: Our Diverse City

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CBCity: Our Diverse City

Roaming Council officer in a busy area Wear a bright, identifiable uniform in busy places like shopping centres. Take a pull-up banner to explain why you’re there.

Host a standalone meeting or event Work with community leaders to promote and host a workshop in a community language, or specifically for people with disabilities.

Wear a bright, identifiable uniform in busy places like shopping centres. Take a pull-up banner to explain why you’re there.

Pop-up or drop-in sessions Set up for several hours at shopping centres, pools, parks, libraries, schools, TAFE and universities.

Offer a healthy, edible giveaway in exchange for a chat. Set up a drawing table to keep kids busy while parents chat.

Printed survey Create a short, printed survey in community languages with icons/pictograms. Or use a large interactive board, which gives people freedom to respond in their own language. Translate contributions later, if needed.

Host a standalone meeting or event Work with community leaders to promote and host a workshop in a community language, or specifically for people with disabilities.

Wear a bright, identifiable uniform in busy places like shopping centres. Take a pull-up banner to explain why you’re there.

Online forums and video briefings People can participate from home and in their own time, which makes it easier for people with disabilities. It also gives more time for people to interpret other languages.

CBCity: Our Diverse City

Attend an existing event or meeting Such as: CBCity Wellbeing Expo, local health expos, the Canterbury-Bankstown Multicultural Interagency and CBCity reference groups.

Social media Start a conversation on social media and boost it with a little advertising budget, targeting your desired community. Engage a bilingual staff member to help facilitate in community language.

Community panels and committees Work with community members and leaders to guide your project. Support them to participate with an honorarium, room hire and catering, and work to address other barriers to their participation.

Deliberative workshops Build a deep understanding of an issue and build consensus on the preferred approach. Usually involves briefings from experts and workshops over a number of days.

Focus group A workshop with a representative sample of a community. A facilitated workshop with 10-20 people who are generally provided with $80-120 honorarium for participating.

Informal engagement Phone calls, 1:1 interviews and discussions, and attendance at events.

Reach out directly to community leaders and influencers. Discuss and record feedback to inform the project.

Highly visual online tools Image-driven surveys and survey alternatives such as VideoAsk, HaveYourSay’s ‘Gather’ tool, and quizzes like the Riddle.com ‘choose your own adventure’ and Quizizz.com, which both record responses.