{
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    "title" : "Understand the playing field |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Understand the playing field",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/guides/public-participation/understand/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Understand the playing field","deck" : "","summary" : "Learn how to understand and empower your participants.","date" : "2020-09-08T09:00:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2024-07-05T22:14:24-04:00","primary_image" : { "uid" : "guide-public-participation", "alt" :
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      "filename" :"understand.md",
      
      "filepath" :"guides/public-participation/understand.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/content/guides/public-participation/understand.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/content/guides/public-participation/understand.md","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/guides/public-participation/understand/","content" :"\u003ch2 id=\"play-2-understand-your-participants-and-stakeholder-groups\"\u003ePlay 2: Understand your participants and stakeholder groups\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommunity and stakeholder understanding is key to organizing a successful participatory effort. Once you determine who you’re trying to reach, you can refine your outreach efforts to effectively communicate with participants and stakeholders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreate personas of your target participants in order to understand their needs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConduct sampling and initial outreach to better define and understand participants.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse groupwork methods to draw representations based on observation and not assumption.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdentify obstacles you must overcome to reach participants, including connectivity and schedules.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetermine how you will reach diverse groups of people with broad perspectives.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdentify gatekeepers, including community groups, who can help reach potential participants.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCustomize your engagement strategies for each type of stakeholder.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMeet your audience where they are, not where you want them to be.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies\"\u003eCase studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.peacecorps.gov/media/forpress/press/2447/\" title=\"Peace Corps Application Process Redesign\"\u003ePeace Corps Application Process Redesign\u003c/a\u003e: Peace Corps redesigned their application process to meet the expectations of their target audiences. A shortened application allowed applicants to choose which countries they want to serve in. This receptivity to the audience’s needs and experiences resulted in record-breaking application numbers for Peace Corps.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency opened unclassified geospatial intelligence information to the general public through their \u003ca href=\"https://nga.maps.arcgis.com/home/\" title=\"Ebola Relief Website\"\u003eEbola Relief Website\u003c/a\u003e. They recognized an unprecedented need for a large number of stakeholders to quickly access information that can help NGO’s and other workers battle the virus.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/index.html\" title=\"CDC: Gateway to Health Communications \u0026amp; Social Marketing Practice\"\u003eCDC: Gateway to Health Communications \u0026amp; Social Marketing Practice\u003c/a\u003e website provides resources to build health communication or social marketing programs. It provides tips for analyzing and segmenting an audience, choosing appropriate channels and tools, and evaluating the success of messages or campaigns.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"play-3-understand-and-communicate-the-benefit-of-participation\"\u003ePlay 3: Understand and communicate the benefit of participation\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticipants must understand how they can contribute to a program and why it is important they participate. Clearly defined and communicated benefits help craft effective messages and inclusive engagement. Understanding what successful participation looks like is critical to knowing whether your program succeeds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist-1\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDecide what essential information participants need to know before engagement.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuild a communications strategy that considers the expectations and motivations of participants and the value of participation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInvolve senior leadership and ensure they understand the importance of participation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvide inclusive access to orientation materials.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDefine how participants benefit from the process and what they can contribute, including information, permission, and time.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInform participants when they should expect to hear follow-up from their engagement.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReport how participation impacted program efforts.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies-1\"\u003eCase studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://hackforchange.org/\" title=\"National Day of Civic Hacking\"\u003eNational Day of Civic Hacking\u003c/a\u003e organizers submit problem statements to explain an issue, explain how the public can address it, and provide resources to help orient people to the problem. They also outline time commitments and skills needed.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://regulationroom.org/learn/why-participate\" title=\"Regulation Room\"\u003eRegulation Room\u003c/a\u003e is a pilot project sponsored by the Federal Government and operated by the Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative. Organizers provide participants resources to better understand the rulemaking process and teach them how to make an effective comment. Participants comment on a report after discussion ends to ensure the program captures ideas before the Government receives a final version.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663058/looking-for-bold-ideas-to-fix-the-city-new-york-turns-to-crowd-sourcing\" title=\"Give a Minute\"\u003eGive a Minute\u003c/a\u003e is a micro-participation/crowdsourcing event with clear expectations for participants. Moderators collect and share ideas both digitally and in-person.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/index.html#.VI8dkYrF86A\" title=\"NASA Socials\"\u003eNASA Socials\u003c/a\u003e are events where NASA’s social media followers can learn about NASA’s missions, people, and programs. Through these behind-the-scenes experiences, participants are empowered to advocate for the agency and attend future events.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"play-4-empower-participants-through-publicprivate-partnership\"\u003ePlay 4: Empower participants through public/private partnership\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeveraging corporate and community partners is a powerful way of gaining support and participation for government campaigns and events. Partners and sponsors can help reach new audiences or reinforce messages within existing ones. Public/private partnerships also legitimize both what your agency is trying to accomplish and how that information or program is delivered.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist-2\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDefine and create partnerships.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSurvey agency employees for knowledge of community and stakeholder groups.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReach out to nonprofit organizations and community partners who can amplify participation opportunities and connect your agency with additional partners.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), an Interagency Agency Agreement (IAA), or another type of contractual agreement to describe each partner’s responsibilities.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOutline the terms and the specifications of the partnership, including messaging, logo usage, promotional opportunities and boundaries.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreate an “authorized partners” list to reduce legal issues\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies-2\"\u003eCase studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/hearttruth/partners/index.htm\" title=\"The Heart Truth®\"\u003eThe Heart Truth®\u003c/a\u003e campaign, created by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), partners with dozens of corporate and community sponsors. The campaign raises awareness about heart disease and its effect on women through both online and in-person fitness events.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIn 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.labtv.com/Home#/\" title=\"LabTV \"\u003eLabTV\u003c/a\u003e launched its vision of creating a free, scientist-to-student web/video platform aimed at inspiring the next generation of researchers. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) worked with LabTV to produce hundreds of videos of NIH researchers with varying backgrounds and interests, and matched students with scientists who can share information about life as a medical researcher.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA coalition of private companies, non-profit organizations, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created \u003ca href=\"http://staysafeonline.org/blog/chatstc-transcript-stop-think-connect-online-safety-for-everyone\" title=\" STOP.THINK.CONNECT.™\"\u003eSTOP.THINK.CONNECT\u003c/a\u003e.™ Partnering with industry leaders, DHS attracts a broader audience and garners significant public participation for online events such as Twitter chats to help spread its message.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) \u003ca href=\"http://www.distraction.gov/\" title=\"Distraction.gov\"\u003eDistraction.gov\u003c/a\u003e website is dedicated to stamping out distracted driving. DOT enlisted the help of several organizations to spread its message. One partner, the FOX television show “Glee”, helped produce public service announcements that feature characters from the show.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"metrics-how-do-you-know-you-understand-the-playing-field\"\u003eMetrics: How do you know you understand the playing field?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeasure:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTotal number of participants.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumber of participants needed to establish a representative sample size, as well as primary and secondary groups.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumber of participants from primary and secondary target groups.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumber of new participants.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumber of returning participants.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePercentage of participants satisfied with the “customer experience.”\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRates of conversion, e.g. from contacts \u0026gt; visitors \u0026gt; signups \u0026gt; contributions.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVolume of sharing, recruitment activity or other promotion.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQuantify the quality and effectiveness of participation, e.g. relevance of feedback.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQuantify the value and in-kind services donated by public/private partnerships, e.g. air-time, printing, advertising, or prizes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumerical comparison of current participation with previous efforts and non-partnership activities.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n"}
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}