How can you use public hearings to increase public engagement?

1 Define your purpose

Before you plan a public hearing, you need to clarify why you are holding it and what you want to achieve. Are you seeking feedback, input, or approval from the public? Are you informing, educating, or consulting them? Are you complying with a legal or ethical obligation? Your purpose will shape your objectives, agenda, format, and follow-up of the hearing. It will also help you communicate your expectations and intentions to the public and other stakeholders.

2 Design your process

Once you have defined your purpose, you need to design a process that suits your context and goals. You need to consider who you want to reach and involve, how you will invite and inform them, when and where you will hold the hearing, how long and how often you will meet, and how you will structure and facilitate the hearing. You also need to consider how you will record, analyze, and report the public input, and how you will use it to inform your decision-making or action.

3 Engage your audience

A public hearing is not a one-way communication, but a dialogue between you and the public. You need to engage your audience in a meaningful and respectful way, and encourage them to participate actively and constructively. You can do this by using clear and accessible language, providing relevant and accurate information, asking open-ended and focused questions, listening attentively and empathetically, acknowledging and addressing concerns or issues, and providing feedback and follow-up.

4 Evaluate your outcomes

After the hearing, you need to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of the public engagement. You need to assess how well you achieved your objectives, how satisfied and informed the participants were, how representative and diverse the input was, how valid and useful the input was, and how the input influenced or affected your decision-making or action. You also need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your process, and the lessons learned and improvements needed for future hearings.

5 Enhance your skills

Public hearings are not easy to conduct, and they require a range of skills and competencies. You need to be able to plan, organize, communicate, facilitate, analyze, and report effectively. You also need to be able to deal with complex and contentious issues, diverse and conflicting views, and ethical and legal challenges. You can enhance your skills by seeking training, guidance, or mentoring from experts or peers, or by joining professional networks or associations related to public administration or public engagement.

6 Expand your options

Public hearings are not the only way to engage with the public, and they may not be the most suitable or effective way for every situation or purpose. You can expand your options by exploring other methods or tools of public engagement, such as surveys, focus groups, workshops, forums, online platforms, or participatory budgeting. You can also combine or integrate different methods or tools to create a more comprehensive and inclusive public engagement strategy.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?