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Instructor

Josef Jurkovic

Josef Jurkovic

Josef Jurkovic is a CEC director and founding partner. He has over 35 years of public and private sector experience across diverse areas of internal and external communications, public consultations, branding and marketing.

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Instructor

Claudia Chowaniec

Claudia Chowaniec

Claudia Chowaniec, PhD, CMC, works with people in the public and private sectors to help identify and implement the organizational and work changes they need to create more productive and rewarding work environments.

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When, Where How much?

When: Date not set

Where: 1900 Merivale Road,
Suite 206, Ottawa

How much: $ 675 (+ tax)


Testimonials

"The small group facilitated exchange between participants"

"A most well organized, informative course - comprehensively covered the requirements and options for consultations before, during and after the enitre consultation process"

"The interaction with participants from other departments provided invaluable insight into the consultations process"


CONSULTING WITH CANADIANS: BEST PRACTICES (G004)

Complete List > Public Consultations

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Effective public consultations and citizen engagement require rigorous planning, efficient execution and excellent communications. The communications dimension of a public consultation or citizen engagement initiative is, in fact, crucial to its success. Understanding the linkages of communications and consultations or engagement, the benefits of a well thought out communications strategy as part of the overall consultation initiative, and the risks of not doing communications planning, is a must for anyone involved in planning and delivering public consultations or citizen engagement initiatives.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

  • How to choose among different models and approaches to public consultations and citizen engagement
  • How to position public consultations within your overall organizational strategy
  • Understanding public consultations/citizen engagement as a communications activity
  • Linkages between public consultations/citizen engagement and strategic communications
  • How to develop a successful plan for the overall consultation initiative
  • Identifying and managing communications challenges and opportunities
  • The communications Do's and Don'ts of designing public consultations
  • The importance of understanding your audiences and stakeholders
  • The importance of understanding the role of the media
  • Communications principles and approaches during public consultations
  • The essentials of effective messaging
  • How to monitor and evaluate the overall consultation initiative
  • The importance of follow-up after the public consultations/citizen engagement process

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY?

  • Workbook and checklists, how-to procedures/reminders and templates
  • Exercise handouts

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMPETENCY

Agenda
8:30 - 8:45 Introductions and Workshop Overview
8:45 - 10:15 What Do We Mean by Public Consultations and Citizen Engagement? Why are Communications a Key?
  • Positioning public consultations within organizational strategy
  • Understanding and defining “horizontality” in public consultations
  • Internal and external dimensions
  • The broad range of models available, depending on the context
  • Key communications principles in public consultations
  • The essentials of horizontal communications
  • Linkages between communications and the key objectives of the initiative
  • Examples of diverse public sector consultations initiatives

Mini-exercise: Participants will identify key communications challenges and opportunities inherent in public sector consultations and citizen engagement initiatives.

10:15 - 10:30 Break
10:30 - 11:30 The Public Consultations Planning Framework
  • Key principles of the Framework
  • Linking the process with communications
  • Understanding the drivers and starting the planning process
  • Process issues – core questions, roles and responsibilities
  • Stakeholder involvement and risk factors - internal and external dimensions
  • Communications issues, challenges, opportunities and results
  • Resources and products
11:30 - 12:15 Case Study Exercise: In small groups, participants will analyze a public consultations scenario, identify the drivers behind the initiative and their implications for planning the consultations process and communications.
12:15 - 13:00 Lunch
13:00 - 13:45 It's all about Communications!
  • Planning and managing communications for public consultations - key internal and external communications dimensions
  • Identifying and managing communications challenges and opportunities
  • Phased-in communications: before, during and after the consultation
  • The importance of monitoring the communications effort
13:45 - 14:15 Case Study Exercise: Applying the framework for planning public consultations and citizen engagement.
14:15 - 14:30 Break
14:30 - 15:30 Developing a Plan for your Public Consultations/Citizen Engagement Project
  • Deciding on the model
  • Step-by-step approach and key considerations, pitfalls and challenges
  • Being strategic and understanding risk
  • Understanding and segmenting target audiences, clients and stakeholders
  • Linkage to communications
15:30 - 15:40
Mini-break
15:40 - 16:15

"On the Road Again": Communications Do's and Don'ts

  • Determining the role of the media
  • Understanding and managing "dissenters" and "disruptors"
  • Defining messaging imperatives
  • Spokespersons and facilitators
  • Implementing the communications strategy and action plan
  • Measuring the success of your overall initiative
  • After the consultations process - when does it all end?
16:15 - 16:30 Wrap-up and Evaluation
  • Participants will complete a short evaluation