Citizen Engagement

Citizens are increasingly demanding opportunities to have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. More than any time in the past 50 years, leaders in government, business, and nonprofits are being called upon to provide forums for their constituencies to provide input and seek influence.

We at CBI view citizen engagement as a critical component of the democratic process. Our participatory forums are structured in a manner that is interactive and constructive, and fosters meaningful dialogue aimed at surfacing ideas and solving problems.

Among the projects where CBI’s leadership and expertise in citizen engagement have yielded strong results are:

Eliciting and clarifying citizen priorities for a 21^st-century transportation system in Massachusetts through a series of interactive statewide workshops, and contributing to the state’s legislative and executive decision-making on new transportation policies and investments
Reaching out to a wide range of stakeholders on what is important to individuals, local communities, and national visitors as the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service develop a management plan that integrates divergent goals for Brown's Canyon National Monument in Colorado
Facilitating public forums across New England to provide citizen input into how to develop shared data and methods, and coordinate effectively among federal and state agencies for wide-ranging uses of U.S. territorial waters in the northeast Atlantic for the Northeast Regional Planning Body
Designing and facilitating a state-wide process for New Hampshire citizens to weigh in on improving the state’s energy siting process for the legislature, leading to the passage of a new widely-supported energy siting law

Our Services

Public Engagement

We work closely with the client to clarify issues, define goals and strategy, and custom-design processes. Among the tools and approaches that we employ are: focus groups, surveys, online platforms to share ideas and comments, public workshops, real-time polling, and numerous online tools (see E-Tools).
Event Management

Our team handles all logistics, including online event registration, room reservations, room set-up, refreshments, sign-in, etc.
Outreach

We work closely with the client to identify and reach out to key audiences via list serves, websites, media, and other tools.
Citizen Communication

We handle key aspects of citizen communication, including advance notices, agendas, handouts, presentations, and websites to support ongoing, two-way communication and dialogue. Communications are branded to support the project’s overall goals and tailored to target audiences.
E-Tools

We employ a range of e-tools to support communication and data collection: videoconferencing, online surveys, listservs, project websites, and live keypad polling.

Distinctive

Clients and stakeholders consistently report that our facilitators and mediators are distinctive in their ability to:

Structure Productive Meetings

Design engagements, using interactive tools, data, expert opinions, and ground rules, in a manner that results in productive and engaging meetings
Be Inclusive

Be inclusive and culturally sensitive, ensuring that people with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds can express their views
Incorporate Expert Knowledge

Integrate technical, local, and policy expertise into dynamic workshops in a manner that taps into knowledge and wisdom across sectors and disciplines
Manage Disputes

Address controversy, through their calm, respectful, and approachable manner

Testimonial

CBI’s involvement on the MassMoves project was invaluable. It helped our state senators learn more about what people want from the Commonwealth’s transportation system. The process was very clear, outlined the key issues, and made it possible for people to express their views in a variety of ways on a topic that is very important to them, and to us. The final report, all the data, and so many comments from residents will directly inform legislation.

Stanley Rosenberg

Massachusetts Senate President