JONATHAN BUCKI DENDROS GROUP How to Design Stakeholder Engagement and Participatory Planning Processes

Think of a participatory process as a natural journey, a natural system Use your understanding of how people and systems work. 1. Willing Paying attention Observing Uncovering latent vision 3. Thinking Analysis Synthesis Strategy Reflective Meaning Making 2. Feeling Experience Emotion Poetic Autonomic Associative 4. Enacting Carrying out decisions Working with others Doing

How we go through life… 1. We take in life. 2. We have an emotional response. 3. We make meaning, reflect. 4. We do something. 1. Willing Paying attention Observing Uncovering latent vision 3. Thinking Analysis Synthesis Strategy Reflective Meaning Making 2. Feeling Experience Emotion Poetic Autonomic Associative 4. Enacting Carrying out decisions Working with others Doing

How we go through life… And it goes on and on and on… WillingThinkingWillingThinkingWillingThinking FeelingEnactingFeelingEnactingFeelingEnacting

And sometimes, we take detours and dig a little deeper. WTWTWTWT FEFE FEFEWTE FE

Consider Participatory Planning as a Scaled Expression of this pattern. 1. Our System takes on a vision for the future. 2. We sometimes get in our own way. 3. We can make strategies to advance our vision. 4. We will do something. 1. Willing Project start up Determine Intended Results Environmental Scan Kindling and Uncovering Latent Vision 3. Thinking Strategy Development Policy Development 2. Feeling Self-assessment Understanding obstacles 4. Enacting Implementation Work Plans

Design for Results that Matter 1. How will our system be different because of our planning process? 2. Pay attention to the whole and the parts. 3. Our intended results aren’t necessarily accomplished in a linear fashion, rather are the end- state we wish to generate through planning. Willing Results What new collective will and attention will be generated? What new information will we have? Thinking Results What new learning, meaning, significance? Feeling Results What will be the collective experience? Enactive Results What decisions will we advance into action?

Adjust the phases to accomplish your intended results 1. We take in life. 2. We have an emotional response. 3. We make meaning, reflect. 4. We do something. 1. Willing Environmental Scan Review previous documentation Vision Workshop 3. Thinking Review current strategies Strategy Development Attitudes Survey Map system dynamics Charter committees 2. Feeling Self-assessment Understanding Internal Obstacles 4. Enacting Implementation Work Plans

Adjust, Rename, Reformat, Timeline… 1. Project Start Up 2. Assessment 3. Strategy Development 4. Implementation Plans Project Start up Enviro Scan Vision Planning Team Project Charter Established External data review Lit. review Planning Team Workshop Ratified by Leadership Planning Team Workshop: Obstacles Review by Leadership Open house Stakeholder Survey Leadership Interviews Planning Team Strategy Workshop Work Teams Chartered Milestones Established Work Plans Approved by Leadership MaySeptNovJanFebMay

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Consider Your Stakeholders Not everyone makes all decisions. Stakeholders make different kinds of decisions. Participation and Consensus building often fail when there are unrealized expectations among stakeholders. Negotiate decision-making and participation up front, as early as possible, to avoid upset and slow downs.

More Friendly Advice… Consider building your team’s facilitation capacity Consider using a small Guiding Team to position the project for success. They focus on process, not content. Over-communicate. Trust your gut; Fake it till you make it. Planning is not rational. It is more art than science. The result of planning, is not a plan.

JONATHAN BUCKI DENDROS GROUP OFFICE: MOBILE: WACOUTA STREET SUITE 400 ST. PAUL, MN How to Design Stakeholder Engagement and Participatory Planning Processes