Best Practices for Adopting Online Consultation

At PlaceSpeak, we are often asked: how can we adopt online consultation methods in our outreach efforts. The following are some specific recommendations proponents can use when in adopting online consultation. While originally drafted for the property development industry, these best practices are universal and can be applied to all sorts of consultation topics. Proponents should always keep in mind their specific roles and needs, and the context in which they operate and select from this menu accordingly. 1. !Add Online Consultation As Part of A Toolkit & Engagement Plan First and foremost, proponents should acknowledge that online consultation is only one method in a host of possible engagement tools. Understanding online consultation is not meant to replace traditional methods is important. When developing engagement plans, the key is to determine the suitability of online engagement and at what stage of outreach it will be used. 2. Achieve Geographic Specicity Herbert Kubicek wrote in 2007:
As urban planning to a large extent consists of information with some spatial relation, it is important to link and integrate the participation tools with geographical information systems (GIS) providing the reference points for the consultation.1

PlaceSpeak authenticates users to place through geoverication, requiring users to provide an address of where they either live, work, or play.

Five years later, the kind of geobased civic technology Kubicek proposed is just beginning to catch on. It is clear that proponents both need and want a geobased online consultation platform that links respondents to their place. We recommend finding a platform that can authenticate users and their locationssuch as PlaceSpeakinstead of allowing participants to remain anonymous. 3. Stay Competitive Include online consultation in requests for proposals (RFPs) where the nature of the project fits well. This signals to municipalities (and other potential partners)who are also recognizing the value of online consultationthat you are willing to explore new methods of outreach.

Electronic Democracy and Deliberative Consultation on Urban Projects: Putting EDemocracy into Context, prepared by Prof. Dr. Herbert Kubicek, University of Bremen, Germany, October 2007, pg. 13.

White Paper #8 by Maureen Mendoza

Cultivate collaboration with a municipality and partners who supports your adoption of civic technology, particularly when responding to RFPs. For municipalities, this will add incentive to standardize online consultation as part of their various planning and development processes already in place. Lastly, take advantage of any open data strategies that a municipality or government body is implementing. 4. Start Early In order to implement online consultation, it is best to start online consultation at the earliest stages of project development. The aim is for as much project and proponent transparency as possible. This means including an online consultation component in a RFP proposal, regardless of whether or not the RFP has indicated it as a requirement. One the proposal has been accepted, host online discussions through project visioning, development permit approval process, and even during project building and completion. 5. Find Fit & Determine Scale While every consultation can be online, some are more suitable than others and, like any other consultation method, it is important to determine the appropriate applications. Some consultations can begin closed with a specific group of contacts and stakeholders before becoming open to the public. Find a platform that can allow and restrict participants according to consultation needs. This includes the geographic scale: will consultation be regional, in a municipality, in particular neighbourhoods, specific organizations and interest groups, or a specific strata? The better consultation platforms will be able to cater to these various levels of consultation. 6. Determine Verication It is important to establish how you want to authenticate usersby address, property assessment number, student or employee number? Online tools can be developed to add verification layers beyond a postal code or email address. You will also need to determine what level of participant anonymity is comfortable for your consultationif any level at alland build verification layers from there.

PlaceSpeak requires proponents to outline a consultations geographic boundaries and can limit participants to those boundaries as small or as large as required.

7. Communicate: Tell Your Story, Foster Conversations, Respond The best online consultation happens when stories are told well, and that allows participants to respond and share their own stories. Use online consultation to communicate project details, timelines, events, survey questions, discussion boards, how citizens can be involved in order to enhance twoway communication between not only proponents and participants, but amongst participants as well. Telling a compelling story, fostering conversations, and responding can be improved by: Remembering it doesnt always have to be with words pictures and videos can be equally if not more effective particularly online; Asking specific questions rather than blank comment feedback boxes. Keeping participants uptodate and in the loop at all levels of the project from start to finish; Incorporating continuous and regular feedback in order to develop and maintain online relationships with participants. This will help to keep people informed and hopefully engaged throughout the consultation process. Proponents should choose a platform that provides multiple options to communicate with participants, depending on target audiences and project needs. 8. Prioritize Moderation It is important to establish how topic content will be moderated and who is responsible for doing so. Will discussion boards be allowed? If so, who will moderate entries and how often? Will respondents be able to upload their own documents, or will online consultation be used to provide information more than to drive feedback? You will need to determine who will be in charge of the topic content and what is expected in terms of moderation; will moderators respond back to all questions; if not, which ones? Proponents should choose a platform that provides the most control of moderation settings, including when they want to be notified. 9. Integrate With Communication Outreach Driving citizens to online consultation is all about providing multiple points of connectedness. A tool is only as good as the effectiveness of marketing a

PlaceSpeaks platform hosts discussion forums, polls, and surveys, notice boards; and has a notication system.

consultation. Taking advantage of commonly used social media & the social graph is a start. Proponents should use popular platforms such Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to promote their consultation. If a project has its own website, find ways to integrate the consultation to the website as well. It would serve proponents well to include the consultations web address on all promotional materials and if possible issue press releases to gain media coverage. 2 10. Provide Necessary Contacts & Documentation Because it is online, citizens should be able to search and find the basic information they would need from a consultation, particularly the projects primary contact. Proponents should provide a the name, number and email address of a project contact to let participants know that there is a real person and team behind the online consultation. While the most important ideas should be communicated directly on the consultation site, additional documents such as council minutes, original poster boards, or PowerPoint presentations can also be uploaded. Copies of online surveys should also be made available for download in the chance that a visitor to the online consultation would prefer to print and mail a survey instead of filling it out online. 11. Innovate Explore how online consultations can fit into existing outreach model as well as how you can create new engagement methods. Can a virtual open house be held at the same time as an inperson open house by streaming video? Can openchat hours where at settimes, a project team can answer questions posed by residents online? What are the opportunities for online recruitment for inperson consultation meetings? Dont be afraid to push the boundaries of what can be done online by outlining distinct needs and then asking how online consultation can help. 12. Invest in Training As online engagement is still new, there may or may not be inhouse capability to setup a consultation. It is wise for proponents to invest in
2

PlaceSpeaks provides all proponents with a Best Practices For Promoting Your Topic guide outlining online and ofine practices directing citizens to consultation page.

For a more extensive list of ways to communicate your topic, refer to our white paper on promoting your PlaceSpeak topic.

online training as they would in any other facilitation process. Make sure that all administrators and moderates of a consultation are properly trained on the platform and common practices are established (i.e.. moderating schedules; updating and notification responsibilities). I assist in your training efforts, choose a platform provider that assures good support, setup options, and that understands proponents may want to experiment, but may not yet be comfortable in doing it all on their own. 13. Establish Internal Standardization Until standardization across the industry occurs, establishing an internal protocol for online consultation within an organization is a good idea, particularly in organizations that carryout multiple consultations and across multiple departments. Proponents can choose a preferred platform and establish internal directions to setup consultation when a project manager wants to use online engagement. Depending on the size of the organization, it is also important to determine who has the authority to approve online consultations and make it clear to all departments and relevant staff. 14. Choose Platforms With Existing Consultation Reach When considering online platforms, consider platforms that already have an existing user base of residents interested in your consultation topic. This is particularly important in helping outreach efforts. However, it is not always necessary, especially in environments where little to no online consultation has occurred. 15. Consider Cost Budgets will range according to project, and particularly if you reply to a specific RFP. However, it is important to stay on budget no matter the size or scope of the consultation. Therefore, you should use a platform that provides costeffect options with sufficient services for your needs. Generally online consultation can be costeffective, particularly in contrast to methods using random sampling such as doortodoor, phone, or even mailers, or community meetings that require booking a room, printing display boards, and providing refreshments.

PlaceSpeaks platform is a consultation bank where users can be repeatedly notied of consultations as they are created.

16. Manage Expectations & Consultation Responsibilities If it is a first online consultation, managing expectations from the beginning is crucial, particularly when working as a consultant for a department in a municipality, or a large organization like a transit authority or regional administration body. If possible, proponents should work with the communication team to make use of their wide outreach network. Establish if municipal contact will be publicized on the online consultation site. Further, decide if the municipality or the industry consultant will moderate discussion. By sorting out roles and responsibilities for the consultation, both municipality and industry consultant will have a more standardized procedure, even if the method is new for both parties. 17. Seek Industry Adoption As more proponents begin to see value in and use online technologies, it will become common and perhaps a best practice in various industries. In addition to creating standardization internally and through requirements in RFPs, proponents can also be guided to adopt online consultation by professional regulatory bodies. For respective industries, this advocacy can come from the following: Developers: Urban Land Institute and its provincial and regional chapters; Architects: The Architectural Institute of Canada and its provincial and regional chapters; Planners: the Canadian Institute of Planners and its provincial and regional chapters; Consulting Engineers: the Association of Professional Engineers and its provincial and regional chapters; Environment Industry Associations:varied by province. 18. Integrate with Existing Technologies Many proponents will have already invested in certain digital infrastructure and consultation services, such as survey instruments (i.e. FluidSurvey). It is important for proponents to find a platform that can make use of such investments through integration. 19. Find it Easier, Not Harder A good consultation platform should make consultation easier, not harder. This means finding a platform that has an interface that is intuitive for both the proponent and participants. Do not underestimate the usability and

PlaceSpeaks pricing is customizable with monthly and annual packages. Additional consulting is available for setup and moderation if

experience of the online platform. If it is difficult for a proponent to navigate it, participants will be equally dissatisfied. 20. Managing Expertise Bias The expertise of professionals can sometimes override public interest with the sentiment that the general public does not know whats best for them. As with any other form of consultation, proponents should avoid this mentality and approach online consultation with an open mind to the capabilities of soliciting and empowering the citizen voice. Not only does online consultation bring another method to meet engagement requirements of development, it also ushers renewed possibility for engagement with and between people who have been jaded by the consultation process or who may not participate otherwise because of their busy schedules and the dissatisfaction with how consultation is currently carried out. The promise and potential of online consultation is hopeful but still full of undiscovered opportunity. It is only by trying that the ability to find out what works best, for whom and in what circumstance can be discovered and practiced.

PlaceSpeak has developed iFrame widgets for easy website integration. It also has developed its API to connect with other services that want PlaceSpeaks geoverication.

The content in this white paperunless otherwise indicatedis subject to a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivativeWorks 2.5 license. They may be copied, distributed and broadcast provided that the author, Maureen Mendoza, and PlaceSpeak, are cited. Commercial use and derivative works are not permitted. The full license can be consulted on http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/