There are many different participation methods. Remember that extra attention is necessary for groups that are Hard to reach.
| Traditional methods | More deliberative methods: |
| Advisory Council | Lotted Assemblies |
| Survey | Citizens’ Juries |
| Work Visit | Deliberative Polling |
| Public Consultation Meeting | The World Cafe |
| Online Workshop | Plannning cells |
| At the Market | -> go to deliberative methods |
Advisory Council
This is a structured form of consultation with residents, experts, or representatives of interest groups. The governing body decides how the advisory council is composed. People can be approached, elected by the board, or representatives of previously specified organizations (business association, neighborhood association, interest group). Advisory council members are often recruited through job openings.
The advisory council advises on district policy and its implementation. It may be agreed that the advisory council has the right to advise on policy, in which case the district is obligated to request advice. Alternatively, the advisory council may issue recommendations on its own initiative. The district should always respond to recommendations with reasoned arguments.
Advisory councils add value if they can incorporate feedback and questions early in the policy process. This method is transparent, efficient, and allows for genuine discussion.
Survey
A survey is a simple way to gather people’s opinions. It doesn’t allow for in-depth discussion. Therefore, keep it simple and short. Also ask about people’s backgrounds to see if certain backgrounds play a role in policy. Multiple-choice questions are easy to handle; explanatory answers are more difficult to process, and further questions aren’t possible. However, sometimes it’s helpful to provide space for clarification.
Use simple language and be specific. Don’t ask leading questions and avoid double negatives. Ask difficult questions only at the end, so people don’t lose interest too early and are already inclined to respond (the habit of responding).
Conduct a test survey.
The survey is efficient and, if there are enough responses, representative.
Work Visit
During a work visit, or inspection, a group of civil servants and/or politicians visits neighborhoods or districts on-site to identify the problems and citizens’ ideas for solving them. Residents feel more comfortable in their own environment than in a government building and are therefore more likely to express their complaints and wishes. A working visit or inspection is very accessible. Ensure that civil servants or politicians have already familiarized themselves with the issues beforehand to quickly arrive at the right questions.
The tool is transparent, accessible, and efficient, but residents’ responses are not representative.
Consultation Meeting
A consultation meeting is an organized opportunity for citizens, social organizations, and businesses to share their opinions on a policy proposal. It usually starts with a municipal plan presented to citizens. The meeting is open to all stakeholders.
Hold the consultation meeting at the location where it takes place. Communicate clearly beforehand.
Make people feel welcome. The tool is transparent, not representative (remember that opponents are especially likely to attend), and efficient.
Online Meeting
This involves meetings where a group of citizens collaborates via an online communication tool to discuss a common goal. The goal could be, for example, to generate as many ideas as possible or to reach consensus on a topic.
It’s up to the organizers themselves to determine how interactive the session will be, who can participate, and what the shared goal is.
The tool is efficient. There’s room for discussion, it’s accessible for people who can connect online (sometimes helpful for people with limited mobility), but it’s a barrier for those who aren’t. The advantage is that the loudest voices don’t necessarily get a chance to speak.
At the market
With a market stall, the district can provide information about plans and capture the feelings of people who wouldn’t necessarily attend a public consultation meeting. People come to the market for something different and take it with them. It’s not representative, but it is a different audience than a public consultation meeting; people who don’t express themselves that way feel a lower barrier to entry.
It’s easily accessible, transparent, and easy and efficient to organize.
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