Described here are a number of guides that suggest steps and strategies to achieving successful public engagement, primarily at the local level. The list, compiled by the Institute for Local Government, is intended to help county and city officials design and use public engagement to address local issues and controversies.

The Institute for Local Government also continues to develop its own publications to help local officials better understand and effectively apply public engagement processes and strategies. This includes detailed guides as well as shorter pieces that stress the main points or principles of public engagement-related topics. Please visit here to see a list of the Institute’s many public engagement-related publications and resources.

Beyond Civility: From Public Participation to Problem Solving. National League of Cities, 2011.

This publication presents seven principles and a number of examples that can help local leaders build a culture of constructive participation and democratic governance in their communities. Click here to download.

Changing the Way We Govern: Building Democratic Governance in Your Community. National League of Cities, 2006.

This guide explains how to educate, involve, and mobilize citizens in a variety of events and initiatives and describes how communities have used democratic governance approaches to address key issues. The guide also includes narratives and case studies that can be used to engage citizens in governance. Click here to download.

From Yelling to Jelling: How Neighborhoods and City Hall Can Work Together Better in the 21st Century. Reemberto Rodriguez & Matt Leighninger, Leadership Training Institute, National League of Cities, 2008.

In communities across the country, local and neighborhood leaders have put a new emphasis on mobilizing citizens for dialogue, deliberation, and collaborative action. This publication prepared for the Leadership Training Institute of the National League of Cities looks at ways to encourage positive collaboration with neighborhood councils and other neighborhood groups on issues such as land use planning, public finance, human relations, policing, and economic development. Click here to download.

Public Deliberation: A Manager’s Guide to Citizen Engagement. Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer & Lars Hasselblad Tores, America Speaks, 2006.

This report looks at a number of tools and techniques developed largely in the nonprofit world in recent years to increase citizens’ involvement in their communities and government. It also highlights ways in which public managers can develop an active approach to increasing citizens’ involvement in government at all levels. Click here to download.

Resource Guide on Public Engagement. National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, 2010.

This guide features some of the best public engagement resources developed collaboratively by the NCDD community, and guides you to many others. Sample content includes: what is public engagement; resources to get you started; collaborations that work; core principles for public engagement; online engagement; upgrading the way we do politics; and more. Click here to download. 

Public Engagement: A Primer from Public Agenda. Center for Advances in Public Engagement, 2008.

This primer provides an introduction to the community engagement methodology that has been designed and extensively tested by Public Agenda. This document outlines the differences between authentic public engagement and “business-as-usual” approaches to public involvement and offers a brief summary of the essential elements of successful public engagement efforts. Click here to download.

Also of interest is the paper “Beginning with the End in Mind: A Call for Goal-Driven Deliberative Practice.” This paper offers a practical framework to help practitioners of public engagement think through critical questions about their work: before, during and after public deliberation. Click here to download.

Standards of Excellence in Civic Engagement: How Public Agencies Can Learn From the Community, Use What They Learn, and Demonstrate That Public Knowledge Matters. Michael R. Wood, The Harwood Institute, 2005.

This guide helps city and county departments determine when to undertake civic engagement and whether it has made a difference. The goal is to support clear standards that will make civic engagement more meaningful for both public agencies and the people they serve. Click here to download.

A Practical Guide to Collaborative Governance. Chris Carlson, Policy Consensus Initiative, 2008.

This 62-page step-by-step handbook walks readers through the stages of sponsoring, convening, organizing, and participating in a public policy collaborative process.
Designed primarily for elected and appointed government officials and civic leaders, the guide also is useful for those who provide leaders with the staff assistance, facilitation services, and support they need to employ these approaches effectively. Click here to order the publication.

Building Communities: The ABC’s of Public Dialogue. Matt Leighninger, League of Women Voters Education Fund, 2005.

This guide shares some of the basic principles involved in public dialogue processes and in organizing various types of gatherings, from small- and large-group interactions to online formats. Included are some basic planning questions as well as resources to help the reader conduct citizen engagement through dialogue at the community level. Click here to download.

Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box: A New Role for Elected Officials, City Managers, and Citizens. Valerie A. Lemmie, Kettering Foundation & the National Academy of Public Administration, 2008.

This paper describes the importance of engaging citizens in the governance process. The author, a former city manager, also makes recommendations on how to move democracy beyond the ballot box and into neighborhoods and communities. Click here to download.

The Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook. Derek Okubo, National Civic League. 2000.

This handbook provides a framework of the successful community planning processes used by the National Civic League and others across the country. The handbook provides the Civic Index – a tool for communities to assess their civic infrastructure. Click here to download.

Building Citizen Involvement: Strategies for Local Government Training Workbook. International City/County Management Association (ICMA) & National League of Cities, 1997.

This training workbook, provides information, tools, and skills needed to be effective in promoting citizen involvement and community problem solving. The workbook outlines the building blocks for creating a collaborative environment, shows how to engage citizens in policy making, presents ten practical steps for connecting citizens to government, describes how and when to select an outside facilitator, and provides examples of new techniques and programs used successfully by local governments. Click here to order the publication.

Public Consultation Guide: Changing the Relationship Between Government and Canadians. Peter Sterne with Sandra Zagon, Canadian Centre for Management Development, 1997.

This guide provides an understanding of the process of public participation. The detailed Roadmap Model gives 51 key steps one should carry out to conduct a successful public participation process. Click here to download.

Naming and Framing Difficult Issues to Make Sound Decisions (Working Draft). A Kettering Foundation Report, 2009.

This guide describes the essential steps of issue framing, as well as indicating where issue framing fits into the entire picture of politics and the ways citizens can participate in public life. Significant “homework” must be done to frame issues in “public terms” so citizens see the framework for deliberation as authentic. Research is required on the part of moderators, so they can understand their communities and different perspectives. Click here to download.