An Introduction to Public Engagement
Simon Burall/ Director
Science Communication Conference
25 May 2011
Agenda
• Introductions
• What is it?
• Why do it?
• Who does it?
• Q&A
Who are you?
Turn to your neighbour and find out:
• Who they are?
• Where they are from?
• What turned them on to science?
Public Engagement can be:
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Science Communication
Education (e.g. scientists talking in schools)
University outreach
New Media (e.g. Twitter to update people)
Science festivals
Policy consultations
Debate and dialogue
Collaborative research
How many do you recognise?
Lectures
User Panels
Citizens’ juries
Open Space
Deliberative Polling™
Participatory Appraisal
Future Search
Neighbourhood Forums
Local Involvement Networks
Focus Groups
Planning for Real™
PublicCitizens’
Engagement
Summits
Participatory Budgeting
E-Petitions
Online forums
World Cafe
Democs™
Opinion Polls
Citizens’ Panels
Wikis
Forum Theatre
Public talks
Arnstein’s Ladder (1969)
The Participation Spiral
Collaborate
Involve
Consult
Empower
Inform
And another way
Empower
Collaborate
Involve
Consult
Inform
Number of people involved
Not just science...
At different levels:
• Local
• National
• International
It happens in:
• Health
• Youth services
• Criminal justice
• Environment
• Planning
• Etc.
Different reasons
Governance
Social Cohesion
Law & Regulations
Improved Services
Learning
Ownership
Making it all add up
Purpose
(Why)
Context
(Where)
People
(Who)
Process/
Structure
(How)
Process /
Structure
(How)
Outcome
(What)
Public Engagement Triangle
Transmit
To inspire, inform, change,
educate, build capacity
and involvement or
influence decisions of
others (e.g. the public)
Receive
To use the views, skills,
experience, knowledge of
others (e.g. the public) to
inspire, inform, change,
educate or build your own
capacity or decisions
Collaborate
To collaborate, consider,
create or decide
something together
Thinking about the benefits
• Engagement as an end in itself
• Engagement as an means to an end
• Engagement as an external requirement
• Engagement to benefit institution
• Engagement to benefit participants
• Engagement to benefit society
Key players
• Research Councils
• Universities
• Museums and Science
Centres
• Third Sector
• Private Sector
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Scientists
Engineers
Teachers
PE Specialists
Civil servants
NGO staff
Public
Lessons learned
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Don’t engage unless you mean it
Resource properly
Support staff to develop the skills
Understand your participants
Communicate clearly
Where to go for more information
• BSA www.britishscienceassociation.org
• Wellcome Trust www.wellcome.ac.uk
• NCCPE www.publicengagement.ac.uk
• Sciencewise ERC www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk
• People&Participation www.peopleandparticipation.net
PeopleandParticipation.net
You could use:
Event parameters
Number of participants:
50
Level of deliberation:
High
Time requirements:
Series of events
Participants are:
Self-selecting
• Conversation Cafes
• Deliberative Workshops
• Design Charrettes
• Online Consultations
• E-petitions
• Area Forums
• World Café
• Online Forums
• Mystery shopper
• Planning for Real
• Participatory Appraisal
• Open Space Dialogue
• Democs
• Appreciative Inquiry
Questions and Answers
involve
Royal London House
22-25 Finsbury Square
London
EC2A 1DX
t: 020 7920 6470
e: simon@involve.org.uk
t: www.involve.org.uk
Thanks to:
The following Flickr users who
made their photos available
under a Creative Commons
licence:
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Michel Filion
Hey Paul
lepiaf.geo
Ezioman
Xurble
Burningkarma
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Chris Campbell
Purpleslog
Dave Schumaker
NuageDeNuit
Involve