Your Engagement Toolkit: Resources

We’re kicking off this summer with a fresh new series: What’s In Your Engagement Toolkit? In this series, we will showcase a different engagement tool every week. You will learn: 

• When to use this tool or feature as part of your online engagement
• Real-life examples and case studies
• Best practices to maximize participation and meet your engagement goals

Inform is the first step on the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation. An informative and well-curated library of resources is a must, regardless of the nature of the proposed project or initiative. 

With the proliferation of “fake news” and other forms of misinformation, keeping the public informed is crucial to establishing a shared knowledge base and context. Furthermore, the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer found that respondents who were more informed reported a significantly higher level of trust than the population at large (65% vs. 49%). 

PlaceSpeak offers a robust Resources section which allows project proponents to upload and share background information in the form of images, videos, documents and links. Administrators can also create multiple folders and organize the uploaded resources by project phase, category, and more.

For example, the North Saanich Residents’ Association offers a rich and informative range of resources for community members, including the popular Council Summaries and links to video webcasts of Council meetings. By including images, charts, checklists and videos in addition to links to documents and reports, the NSRA makes it easy for people of all levels of knowledge or engagement to stay informed.

Best Practices

Avoid jargon: Many reports or documents include industry-specific jargon or technical terms, which can be difficult to understand. Remove barriers to comprehension by using plain language. If it cannot be avoided, definitions or a glossary of terms should be provided. 

Incorporate multimedia: Including images, graphs, charts, infographics or explainer videos can also make complex topics more accessible to the general public. Check out our list of free resources for creating engaging and informative multimedia content.