Our Impact
I love this philosophy and I am a believer!
Engaging, rational, interactive.
Really enjoyed the second day when ‘tools’ were introduced.
Thank you for continuing the effort to help folks like me make progress on issues that matter to so many.
[We have] better citizen engagement and feedback.
Your trainings are very relatable for our Public Involvement team, so thanks for shinning a light on ‘tougher’ topics.
Great. Lots of good examples, contextual stories.
I like yours better [than other training].
Thanks again for the outstanding training; I’m looking forward to devoting some time to further study.
Opened my eyes to unique ways to conduct business.
A fantastic course that actually seems implementable. I wish we could rewind time and apply these methods to so many past projects!
Very detailed, with good materials to takeaway and lots of examples.
I’ve been able to help many communities and organizations define and implement some of their visions.
The content was useful and I envision using some of the techniques.
Very helpful in getting ideas/proposals to go through
Understanding democratic decision-making, the power of the Veto, and the Bleiker Hierarchy of Values is transformational!
Just learned it, but already thinking ahead to important ways it will be used!
Revolutionized my thinking and approach to community engagement.
Far better [than most training].
High caliber
The content was useful and I envision using some of the techniques.
Changing approach of how school board communicates with the public.
This changes my attitude about how to approach issues dealing with the public.
I now have ammunition for my leaders that ‘data’ is not the best solution.
This training is tops! . . . The tools and ideas in this course are more powerful and more meaningful than what I’ve found in other training.
The content was useful and I envision using some of the techniques.
This handles the human interaction side of what folks don’t learn in school.
A systematic approach to consent-building — like CPO — is critical to our agency’s success.
This approach to managing projects is very enlightening; it really made me think.
I often use the Bleiker Life Preserver as a guide . . . Outstanding!
I enjoyed the storytelling. It made the concepts easier to understand and relate to.
I’ve already used some of the specific tools (along with Hans’s ideas) to begin to lay the groundwork for my upcoming ‘working group.
We use this process for any major outreach effort.
The information presented in this course will definitely be a valuable asset for me in the future.
Very informative – very helpful.
Very informational.
[Your course is] very different [from others]. I like the free-speaking you do and all the examples.
Was very useful now that I have more experience.
Invaluable. Specifically, being honest and transparent with stakeholders.
Excellent!
Good and thought-provoking.
[You’ve] Demystified challenges around public engagement.
Very hands on and kept my attention and focus.
The best ever. The course brings a more profound level of understanding, thereby enabling the student to become a genuine practitioner.
You guys should do this for a living, you’re so good at it.
The combination of depth of analysis and practical tools makes this an outstanding course.
Inspiring . . . Thought-provoking . . . Informative!
Super course — I think the teaching method made the biggest difference. It also presented the highest proportion of new information I’ve ever come across.
This is the best course I have taken . . . I wish I had the opportunity to learn this material in graduate school.
If you are interested in how public agencies can get things done . . . (from siting a new dump to closing alibrary, to instituting a traffic calming policy) . . . You might consider the Bleikers’ courses.
The course gives me tools that I can use to make many projects move forward.
You have provided me with tools that are practical; they have real-life application in my organization.
This course is much more systematic and practical than what I’m used hearing.
“What a breakthrough! . . . I’m excited to apply these practices to my job.”
Majors & Budgets. Roundabouts and other design concepts
So useful that I only know how to summarize it as the lifeline.
I have had numerous opportunities to use various aspects of your program, with amazing results… There have been so many of these small type epiphanies, some times my head starts to swim.
The Bleiker Life Preserver, many of us have had the gift of this training. I found it extraordinary.
Excellent course — NOW I understand why some of the things that happen, happen! And possibly how to avoid the public meeting pitfall. I now see opportunities, not just theater.
I now have tools I can implement in my programs. My furstrations in this arena are greatly diminished.
Very valuable both personally and professionally
I like yours better [than other training].
Just a note to say that this is the best course that I have ever taken, it will help me to become a better person as well as a better planner.
With so many seminars competing for our attention lately – yours are always the ones that get us well-focused and more productive.
This provides a guideline for doing my job better.
Looking forward to working and thinking about this more. High value, comparible to upper level university course work.
Great! Fantastic! Loved it!
This course is much more systematic and practical than what I’m used hearing.
Far more interesting and thought-provoking than other continuing education courses.
Well developed course! Very informative. Far better and more practical.
Excellent, practical process for increasing agencies credibility. There is no comparison (to other courses). The Knowledge, experience and course content you both bring to the training far surpasses any previous training I have received.
Internal and external stakeholder communication strategy has been vastly improved!
Very helpful! Better results!
This has been by far the most useful, most beneficial, captivating training I’ve ever taken. My plan is to integrate the tools into my planning work for all future projects.
[Your training] is unique.
“The course changed my idea of what I need to do/not do.”
Excellent! . . . Good, comprehensive strategy for developing the public’s informed consent.
Understanding the balance between ‘Responsibility and Responsiveness’ will prove most useful to me . . . Great info, great method of teaching!
An amazing amount of information that was clearly and concisely presented. One of the most valuable seminars I’ve attended!
Keep doing what you’re doing!
There were many helpful exercises and examples.
I look forward to the Modules and webinars
Outstanding course; much more useful and practical, but with a sound theoretical basis.
The life preserver — oh to have this training years ago!
[How it compares to other training?] A lot more interactive and engaging.
An excellent educational experience!! . . . You gave me hope for future success in executing my job responsibilities with my team.
Very good, valuable training, one of the best I’ve ever taken.
I feel empowered again. Until this class I was discouraged and frustrated. Now I feel excited and hopeful again!
Great information that I can use in my personal as well as professional life.
“Head and shoulders above any other course; extremely useful.”
Very enlightening. Definitely a different and much more efficient way of looking at problems as opportunities. This will help me as much with my family life as in my professional life.
The course was chock full of great, interesting, fascinating, and useful information and tools. I am thrilled to have all the resources you have provided . . . You guys rock!
Good training.
Excellent course. Hans’ presentation was so energetic and focused, we all forgot lunch for about 40 minutes!
“Mind-stretching! This is the best public involvement course I’ve taken. It has us step ‘outside the box’ in our thinking.”
This course is much more specialized than any other Continuing Ed course I have taken.
The power of what you teach is mind-boggling!
This is education of the highest standard . . . Wonderfully insightful approach to the psychology of the public involvement process, and an opportunity for increased effectiveness for public agencies.
Wow! Great enhancement to my personal interest in leadership, communication, decision-making and public process.
Fantastic!
“I have said this before and again I learned so much from Hans and have been successful because of my Master’s Degree.”
The training has me looking at planning for public involvement differently.
I enjoyed Hans’ storytelling prowess.
Very informative!
Framework that comprises the SDIC concepts and approaches is applicable to many of the projects I work on.
I really enjoyed the stories Hans used to describe and explain concepts. There were a lot of important concepts that were highlighted that are going to be helpful to me and my work.
Good… A little more in-depth about how to work with the public.
There are several tools provided, but the focus was on the rationale behind the tools, rather than just how to use them.
There’s something [in the course] for everyone.
[This course is] much more focused [than most].
[This course is] better [than most]. More useful and applicable to a wider variety of applications.
Interesting research.
[How the course compares to others?] “I believe it will prove much more useful and stick with me longer.
Valuable strategies and approaches
[We have] better citizen engagement and feedback.
I enjoyed the new perspective and systematic approach. I liked the group activities where it applied it to our own projects.
They [Hans and Annemarie] provide some truly helpful information that can help in so many situations. So again, please tell them THANK YOU!
Consent Building has been foundational in my career.
I’ve been very pleased with the clinic audio conferences. I have attended whenever I am in town. It is a very practical way to introduce many of our staff to SDIC concepts.
Thanks again for all the great advice, council, and support. You and Hans have made me proud to be an SDIC Bureaucrat… a bureaucrat that cares!
You guys should do this for a living, you’re so good at it.
When going gets tough I think of the Life Preserver.
The SDIC training was probably the most useful training I received as a state employee.
I have been utilizing the principles of Consent Building throughout the last decade and half and promote the concepts at every opportunity. Great stuff.
Outstanding! . . . It’s a paradigm-shift!
I’ve learned more in three days than in any other situation other than parenting . . . I see my position as a public servant differently now.
You approach a difficult topic that we usually don’t see courses on . . .This is practical and instantly applicable.
Excellent, . . . Inspiring . . . So much to think about!
Revealing . . . Enlightening!
There’s no comparison between this course and other continuing education training I’ve seen . . . The course demands — but also captures — your attention. It is easy to relate to all of the real-life scenarios presented. You have encouraged me to not only polish my public administration skills but to become a better public servant as well . . . Wonderful!
Excellent!
Superb!
It exceeds [other courses]. It has both the big picture and the details!
Great tool to clearly think through projects upfront and build a better process.
SDIC and CPO have been the #1 and #2 most useful courses I have ever taken.
This course was one of the most rewarding opportunities in my adult life. I look forwad to using what I learned.
The discussion of the whole concept of Consent vs. Consensus is very useful to me.
SDIC is a very positive approach . . . I’m excited!
SDIC seems very practical . . . An email update or telecourse would be great.
I wish we didn’t have major budget issues and I could attend the next course. No matter how busy I was at work, it would have been irresponsible of me not to attend.
“I have said this before and again I learned so much from Hans and have been successful because of my Master’s Degree.”
This has been more intense, challenging and thought provoking than any Continuing Education course I’ve taken.
I enjoyed the course very much and already have put into practive some of the techniques I learned.
Wow I can certainly use this material! Your seminar has reinforced my belief in being fair! Thanks for everything.
“What I’ve learned will assisst me with difficult decisions I’m facing in the near future.”
Fantastic. I thouroughly enjoyed this course. It opened my eyes.
I am thankful to have attended. It was exceptional.
Wow! Definitely more lively and interesting, thought-provoking stuff!
Very worthwhile and informative…I will use these tools! I can do my job better and have a more in-depth understanding of the spokes of the wheel!
Very insightful and interesting. Pleased that someone has taken the time and effort to look in such detail at citizen participation and public decision making.
“Great course, eye-opening, very enlightening”
Excited! I’m involved with institutional issues that I was afraid had gotten impossible to deal with.