Do You have Engagement-phobia? Five Indicators to Show Public Engagement is not “Consultation 2.0.”
Engagement is undoubtedly one of the built industry's top 10 in-demand skills at this moment. The intention behind bringing stakeholders to the table to co-create a project vision is definitely the right step forward. However, few of us have consciously asked what’s so good about public engagement or how different it is from “consultations” of the good old days.
Feeling confused and wary of engaging your stakeholders? Don’t worry la! One Bite has listed five indicators (sprinkled with Hong Kong colloquial sayings) to help you build a quality public engagement culture!
No.1 "Aiyah, they don’t need to know everything!” " - Depth & Accessibility of Information
Suppose you have this impression and start to meticulously trim down or selectively release information to different stakeholders, you might be encountering the first stage of engagement-phobia! On the contrary, providing information with the right depth and accessibility is important to effectively engage stakeholders. It does not mean sharing all information from head to toe but ensuring the group clearly understands the parameters, constraints, and feel they have room for meaningful discussion. You want them to say "We are here to exchange, not to choose from the bucket list."
No.2 "They do not know what they want." - Empowerment & Knowledge-building
As most community stakeholders engaged are not trained as architect, designer, or planner, it is common to fall into the second trap of engagement-phobia – assuming the community cannot tell what they want. Since over 95% of the general public are not trained in urban-related professions, it should not come as a surprise they cannot tell precisely what they want! Instead, think of engagement as a win-win process. It is an opportunity for stakeholders to learn about urban issues, and for the facilitation team to engage in a knowledge-building exercise! By empowering stakeholders with knowledge, they can then have a fair voice in the engagement process, and therefore, more likely to reach better civic decisions. Envision the relationship between the facilitation team and stakeholders like coordinating our hands and legs. Just like the cantonese phrase 「落手落腳」, literally get your hands and legs dirty to get things done, a successful public engagement strives to achieve the goal, “We are in the process together.”
No.3 "They don’t stop asking." - Level of Openness and Adaptability
Don’t worry if this phrase pops into your head at times. In a public engagement, it is normal, even expected, for the facilitation team to wish everyone would「講完」, literally to shut off all communications, when opinions or requests keep filing in. The third stage of engagement-phobia arises when two parties have different expectations of the engagement level and outcomes. The fear of receiving an infinite number of community requests may be daunting but REMEMBER, the willingness to tell is better than keeping silent! One mitigation method is to honestly identify the level of openness and the likelihood of adopting engagement results at the beginning of the exercise. Your willingness to adapt and stay open-minded to ideas offer the best booster for positive engagement. Skillful facilitation helps the community to prioritise and establish clear purposes that help filter ideas and results meaningfully. From asking participants to shut up, facilitators should be saying, “We ask because we care.”
No.4 "My project can't wait" - The Investment of Time
If you found yourself making this remark, you are likely at the second last stage of engagement-phobia. Time to act before you reach the last stage!
Let’s face the reality:「急」or urgency is the hallmark of every Hongkonger. However, should we not first reflect if the project is really urgent or are you merely 「心急」 or anxious to get the project underway, even at the expense of foregoing a proper public engagement? Anxiety does not merely affect the project planning at large; it also breaks down the respect and trust that the project proponent and the community are growing collectively. Partnership requires time to build relationships. It is not a 24-7 fast-food place where you can come, order, pick up your food on demand. Instead, baking is a better metaphor for relationship-building as we find fermentation and kneading out uncomfortable lumps to be indispensable. If time is finite, make a realistic commitment based on shared objectives that will truly show stakeholders: "We are worth your time."
No.5 "Just tell me the numbers." - Impact-driven versus Result-driven
Oops, if this is what you are looking for, you are probably experiencing the fifth and last stage of engagement-phobia! Hong Kong may be known for its efficiency and competitiveness, with the shorthand phrase「平靚快」, literally cheap, beautiful, and fast, a euphemism for the built industry’s result-driven outlook. However this encourages quick but unsustainable turnaround processes and a race to the bottom in terms of environmental and social viability.
The old result-driven consultation approach in building projects is no longer tenable. Instead, public engagement strives to create an impact-driven process that balances quantitative and qualitative inputs. Impact-driven does not equal “no numbers”. On the contrary, a well-planned public engagement is characterised by a T-shape outcome model offering a diversified range of ideas with in-depth elaboration of feasible solutions. Public engagement shines by telling the community’s story, co-creating a common place vision, and exploring human-centric solutions together. Heartfelt results from impact-driven public engagement offers fertile soil for growing communities that are proud to say, "We are here to build common ground that lasts."
How to engage without phobia
Public engagement is not a makeover from public consultation. Impact-driven engagement symbolises our society's recognition that all stakeholders’ views matter and it wants to empower everyone to take part meaningfully. This is the first step to develop genuine placemaking. If public engagement gradually turns into a cliche or a slogan, engagement-phobia, even fatigue will set in. Before we are drowned by a chronic overuse of the term, let’s seek consensus to define the impact, methodology, and quality of public engagement! Most importantly, keep a healthy mindset and embrace the community.