Anna Henry

Writing 2100
April 10, 2018

Guidelines for Organizing a Limited Public Forum

Step One: Organize a Management Team

Complying a Management Team

The management team should be a group of people that will help organize the panel members. Also,
they help with the preparation of the public forum and help the event come together smoothly. Each
person on the organizing team will have different jobs in order to help with different tasks. These tasks
would range from hiring panels members, booking the event hall, and organizing the event.

When compiling your management, team think about what your topic will be. This will help because, it is
best to find people that will be invested in this topic. Therefore, when creating an add for the hiring
process include what the topic will be and make it clear that likeminded individuals are wanted.

It is key that the right people are picked to be on the management team and there should each member
should have different responsibilities. However, the team will also need to work together in making
decision. Therefore, each member should have a title you will need: “a decision maker (chair), a
moderator or facilitator, a presenter . . . a media liaison and a logistics coordinator” (National
Democratic Institute for Public Affairs and Center for Civic Education Pakistan, 2004).

Chair
The chair is one of the most important jobs. The chair is usually someone that is the head of the project
and is invested in the topic. This person will be the person that makes sure everyone stays on schedule
and that every panel member is allowed their allotted time. Also, the chair will make sure the event
goes along civilly and that the people attending are allowed time for questions.

Presenter
The panel/presenters job is to provide information about the decided upon topic. Each panel member
should be well versed in the topic and should be able to provide answers to questions for the audience.
Also, the panelists should be comfortable with public speaking.

Media Liaison
The media liaison will be in charge of publicity and letting the public know about the forum. Their job
will vary and they will also need to be okay will speaking publicly. Also, they should be able to navigate
social media and other varying forms of getting the word out to the public about the public forum.

Logistics Coordinator
The logistic coordinators job is to be the producer of the forum. This person is responsible for keeping
people up to date on what is going on with the event. For example, they would be responsible for letting
the panel member and the management team about what is happening with the event. Also, they would
Anna Henry
Writing 2100
April 10, 2018

be responsible for coordinating the event. Therefore, they would be to be able to book the venue,
gather needed supplies, and things of that nature.

Step Two: Compile Panel Members

Decide on Panel Members
The panel members need to be involved in or educated about the topic that will discussed during the
public forum. They need to be able to speak publicly and the management team should compile a list of
candidates that would best inform the audience about said topic.

Invite Panel Members

There should be at least three members on your panel (Holden, 2018). However, the panel should
consist of no more the five members depending on the amount of time you have allotted. Each panel
member should have a different area of expertise with in the field that will be discussed. For example, if
you did a panel the United States prison system, you could have a panel member that is part of a liberal
organization, someone involved with the prison system, someone that works as an activist for prisoners’
rights, and a cop.

Step Three: Pre-Event Planning

Create Lines of Communication
There should be open lines of communication between organization members and the panel. Therefore,
remember to get everyone’s information in order to keep in contact. Whether, this is by email, phone,
or social media. Also, get the teams schedules in order to be able to plan the date and time that works
for the team members.

Form of the Public Forum

The team should annualize what form the public panel should take. What is being discussed and what is
the desired outcome? Is there a petition that’s needs to be signed? A call for change? All of these
questions should be taken into consideration when thinking about what format the forum should take
(National Democratic Institute for Public Affairs and Center for Civic Education Pakistan, 2004).

Decide on a Timeline for the Event

Take into account what time works for the team. A big question to ask is what works for the panel
members? What do their individual schedules look like? Once this has been discussed decide on a time
that will work with the lives of the people involved. Also, remember everyone’s time is valuable and try
not to discredit that.
Anna Henry
Writing 2100
April 10, 2018

Step Four: Book Event Hall

Venue
Once a date and time has been decided start looking at venues. What will best showcase the decided
upon topic? The logistics coordinator should be responsible for taking care of this task. However, other
team members might want to take part in order to help with that decision.

Step Five: Create an Timeline for the Public Forum

Timeline
Once the team has been organized the team needs to be informed of the topic and then pre-event
planning needs to take place. During this a timeline of the event should be created. Here are some
examples of this . . .

Example One: Example Two:

5:00pm Chairperson’s opening remarks 5:00pm Chairperson’s opening remarks

5:05pm Panel member one speaks 5:10pm First Panelist
5:20pm Questions on content of panel 5:25pm Second Panelist
member one 5.40pm Third Panelist
5:25pm Panel member two speaks 5:55pm Fourth Panelist
5:40pm Questions on content of panel 6:10pm Fifth Panelist
member two 6:25pm Panel and audience – general
5:45pm Panel member three speaks discussion
6:30pm Panel and audience general 7:20pm Chairperson’s closing remarks should
discussion include a summary of the discussion
7:20pm Chairperson’s closing remarks should 7.30pm Close of meeting
include a summary of the discussion.
7:30pm Close of Meeting

(National Democratic Institute for Public Affairs and Center for Civic Education Pakistan, 2004)

Step Six: Meet with Panel Members

Create Bios
Each panel member should have a bio that will be read at the beginning of the forum. This should take
only a few minutes for each. It should be a list of their credentials and their involvement within the field
that you will be discussing.

Questions
Each panel member should have a different area of expertise with in the field that will be discussed. For
example, if you did a panel the United States prison system, you could have a panel member that is part
of a liberal organization, someone involved with the prison system, someone that works as an activist
for prisons rights, and a cop. They should be able to give educated answers to questions. Also, it is a
Anna Henry
Writing 2100
April 10, 2018

good idea that the panel members are given a list of questions the audience might ask. This is just so
they have an idea of what they will be ask and to make them comfortable with the questions.

Timeline
The entire team including the panel member need to go over the timeline together. This is because it
helps give everyone an idea of their responsibilities and helps make people feel comfortable with each
other. Go over the timeline with the panel members and team. Also, get to know one another. This will
help everyone get on the same page for the final day.

Step Six: Organize the Event

What will be needed at the event?
With the organization team go over what will be needed at the event in order to have the event go as
smoothly as possible

Refreshments
It is a good idea to have some type of food at a public forum. This is because it incentivizes to not only
get people to the event, but also it helps keep people there. However, you do not want the
refreshments to interrupt the proceedings. Therefore, have the food consist of small refreshments like
coffee, juice, and finger food.

Tables
The panel members should have a table to sit at. This creates a place for the audience to see you is
speaking. Also, is allows for panels members to have feeling of comfort. Also, you will want a table for
refreshments and if there is another information that needs to be handed out. Tables should be sourced
before hand in order to keep the event going smoothly.

Plat Form
The plate form is need for the chairman. This is because, it gives the audience some guidance when
participating in the public forum. Also, it lets people know who will be guiding the forum before the
events starts.

Sound System
If you are in a hall you will want people to able to hear the speakers, whether that is the chair of panel
members. Also, when time is taken to answer the publics questions you will want the audience and the
panel members to be able to hear on another. Therefore, a sounds system is necessary and you will
want to acquire one before the event.
Anna Henry
Writing 2100
April 10, 2018

Step Seven: Create Publicity for the Forum

Publicity
Use different forum of publicity in order to get the message out about the public forum. Some good
ways to do this is either through social media, local news stations, colleges, radio, and newspaper. This
should be handled by the media liaison. However, the management team should be involved with major
decisions. Also, the team should use whatever means they can to let people know about the issue at
hand.

Step Eight: Conduct Public Forum

Time line
Everything always takes more time they you think. Therefore, make sure the panel stays on track and
within the timeline. The chair has a lot of responsibility is this, because if the time starts going over it is
compounded. Also, make sure the chair lets the public know there will be time for questions. A lot of the
time this helps keeps the audience grounded and lets them stay engaged. Furthermore, it helps the
audience know that they will have a time to have their questions acknowledged.

Step Nine: Follow Up

Petitions that need to be signed
After the event, if there was a call for action, you can ask people to sign a petition about said issue/s.
Also, this can be a time to answer any further questions about the event or talked about issues.

Upcoming Events
After the event you can let the audience know of upcoming events. Also, you can gather peoples contact
information in order to inform them about other issue.

Information About Issue

This is a great time to hand out pamphlets or other material about the issue/s. This is yet another form
of educating the public about said issue/s and it gives the public something that they can remember the
issue/s or topic/s by.
Anna Henry
Writing 2100
April 10, 2018

Works Cited
Holden, E. (2018). How to Organize an Issue Forum. Retrieved April 14, 2018, from
https://www.aauw.org/resource/organize-an-issue-forum/
National Democratic Institute for Public Affairs and Center for Civic Education Pakistan. (2004). A Guide
to Organizing Public Forums. Retrieved from
http://iknowpolitics.org/sites/default/files/ndi.20guide20to20organizing20public20meetings20-
20pakistan.202004.pdf