Doing Citizen Engagement
Types of engagement

What Is This?

This is an information tool. There are many different types of engagement, below is a brief list.

What Is Its Use?

There are two main uses for this tool.

  • For reference
  • For selecting the type of engagement that fits the project you’re doing.

Types Of Citizen Engagement

  • Citizens council is a representative sample of lay people brought together by an organisation to seek their views.  The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) have their own citizen council, which have met for over two years.
  • Citizens’ jury consist of a small panel of non-specialists, modelled on the structure of a criminal jury. The group set out to examine an issue of public significance in detail and deliver a "verdict".
  • Supermarkets can be a great place to reach a good cross-section of the public and has the advantage of reaching some people who are not normally engaged.
  • On street recruitment a method used to find and encourage people to join forums and has the advantage of reaching some people who are not normally engaged.
  • Focus groups are guided discussions of a small group of citizens. They are normally one-off sessions although several may be run simultaneously in different locations.  
  • Community visioning involves a series of exercises conducted with groups, from a specific community or with another common interest or bond, to build a shared vision of the future it is similar to the regeneration approach of planning for real.
  • Forum Theatre is an interactive form of theatre that encourages audience interaction and explores different options for dealing with a problem or issue. Forum Theatre is often used by socially excluded and disempowered groups.
  • Consultation papers these are sent out with a request for people to reply with their comments on the topic. They can be supplemented by events to discuss the consultation further.
  • Surveys can be done on paper, by phone, in person, on email or online and are normally a list of fixed questions. For example this can be used to get views on the commissioning, planning and delivery of services.
  • E-consultation are online consultations which utilise the internet to ask a group of people their opinion on an issue. An unlimited number of participants can be sent information about the subject or download it online and respond via email or comment on the website.

You can find more on these and other types of engagement using this.