Citizen Participation Handbook
A practical introduction to Consent-Building®—with the principles, objectives, techniques and assessment tools you need to design effective public engagement – that doesn’t leave you, or the public, frustrated.
60
Public Involvement Principles
15
Essential Outreach Objectives
70+
Engagement Techniques
4
Case Studies
PREVENT POLITICAL GRIDLOCK
Understand why some proposals move forward—and others stall
As you deal with controversial community decisions, use our Citizen Participation Handbook to understand the counterintuitive dynamics that shape public-sector work. In it, we explain how to earn the Informed Consent of your harshest critics and resolve debilitating conflict.
It translates decades of Consent-Building® practice into a clear, usable reference for professionals responsible for projects, policies and programs that affect the public.
Use the handbook to:
- Prevent conditions that get projects stuck in gridlock
- Clarify the critical outreach objectives you must meet
- Select techniques based on issues of legitimacy
- Identify issues before they escalate
- Earn public trust while fulfilling your responsibilities
Theirs is the only course notebook I’ve received in 25 years that I still pull out and use on a regular basis.
Jim Schroll
Transportation Engineer, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
WHAT'S INSIDE
A Proven Framework for Effective Public Involvement
The handbook combines essential concepts with practical tools you can apply directly to your work.
Citizen Participation Principles
Get clear on the principles that govern how public participation works. Understand what interferes with adopting expert recommendations, and essential dos and don’ts.
Outreach Objectives
Understand the key objectives that can make or break a proposal. Use them to define what your participation process must accomplish to be both adopted and effective.
Strategic Engagement
Start with a diagnosis, not a technique. Learn to assess critical gaps in your outreach and then use an expansive toolbox to remedy them, while earning the public's trust.
OVER 40,000 COPIES SOLD
Keep it close whenever responsible decisions are at stake
Used by top public professionals, including:
- Project managers and technical professionals
- Public information and communications teams
- Planners, engineers and agency leaders
- Community engagement professionals
- Consultants supporting public agencies
MORE THAN A BOOK
Your manual for guiding controversial public plans
We recommend using the Citizen Participation Handbook as a supplement to our introductory course Dealing with NIMBY using SDIC: the Systematic Development of Informed Consent® . Use it as your manage challenging public-sector plans, and to guide your team’s recommendations to policymakers through every step of the process – all the way to implementation.
Develop a deeper understanding of what causes plans to be delayed, stopped, or outright vetoed and how to prevent it.
Use your public engagement tools not only to get things done, but to earn the trust, respect and legitimacy of the public!
I still keep my big red binder in my bookcase, and my “life preserver” pen in my pocket for good luck at public meetings and stakeholder workshops!
Katie Kenneally
Public Involvement Project Manager at AtkinsRéalis
I refer often to the handbook prior to any citizen participation that we are engaging.
David Biebel
City of Sheboygan, Wisconsin
The training my colleagues and I received was life changing. We refer to our red binder often.
Michelle Swanson
Senior Planner, City of Olympia
Public Works Transportation
THE PROJECT MANAGER'S GO-TO GUIDE
The Bleikers' Citizen Participation Handbook
Get the guide subject-matter experts use to prevent political gridlock and to communicate in a crisis.
E-Book Version
Digital access for professionals who want a searchable resource available wherever they work. Download onto the platform of your choice (as a non-printable .PDF).
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Keep the printed field guide at your desk, while having easy access to the digital edition when working in the field.
Buy the BundlePrinted Version
A durable desk reference for highlighting, note-taking, and considering what makes your team’s recommendations most susceptible to controversy and political gridlock.
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