Most organizations and government agencies have good intentions with respect to involving the public in their decisions - but good intentions alone do not result in good public participation! And good intentions are no defense against a public that is up in arms on an issue. This workshop will outline the major principles of public participation, including the most common pitfalls that derail many processes, how to avoid them, and a step-wise planning process for successful public involvement.
Workshop participants will increase their knowledge of the basic principles of public participation and gain the skills necessary to provide basic public involvement planning, preparation, facilitation, and evaluation for clients.
Questions to be answered include:
How is public involvement different from public relations?
Why spend time and money on public input processes?
How do I determine who to gather input from?
What is the role of “public information” in public involvement?
How can I evaluate the success of a public input process?
What tools & techniques can be used for public involvement? How do they differ from facilitation tools & techniques?
Stephanie Kavanaugh is an experienced facilitator with more than eight years of experience in collaborative process design, dispute resolution, and stakeholder involvement. She is also a skilled policy analyst with expertise in natural resource management and environmental certification programs. Her love of “all things collaborative” began in graduate school at the University of Maryland in College Park, where she earned a Master of Science in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a year studying marine and plant ecology in Australia. Stephanie has facilitated dozens of meetings on very sensitive topics, including nuclear waste disposal, and marine energy facilities. She holds a Certificate in Public Participation from the International Association for Public Participation, and has completed over 80 hours of training in facilitation and dispute resolution.
Workshop Registration ends at noon on the Tuesday before the workshop. Payment must be made in advance and received before the specific registration period ends. Advanced online payment via credit card is our preferred method of registration. However, payment can be made via check in advance by mail to:
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
441 G St NW Room 2N30
Washington, DC 20548
Get a Map & Directions. Cynthia Miller, CPF is the Director of the DC Facilitator's Workshop Series. She can be reached at 703-442-8221 or at cmfacilt8r@aol.com.
MAFN - A Network of Group Facilitators serving the Mid-Atlantic Region
