Enabling Public Consultation and Stakeholder Involvement

Many of our clients including city governments, national government agencies, and private companies are finding that they have a need to seek input and involve stakeholders and constituents in planning and decision making in more inclusive ways than they have in the past. TRG is recognized internationally for expert facilitation services designed specifically to enable meaningful participation of multiple stakeholders and partners in meetings, conferences, strategic planning activities, and field exercises. We bring an approach to designing and implementing these events which stresses the involvement of stakeholders and partners at the earliest stages in order to identify issues, concerns, and obstacles which may have an impact on the eventual outcomes. We are skilled in applying decision making processes that appropriately incorporate concerns and perspectives of all those involved. This expertise has been applied in numerous contexts and sectors including environmental planning, public policy development, emergency preparedness and strategic planning businesses, government agencies, and international organizations.

The services we provide in this area range from designing and implementing approaches to soliciting input from the public related to a proposed program or initiative to training managers in how to handle media interviews. We assist organizations that interact with the public to craft messages, develop communications strategies, engage stakeholders and key constituents, and work with the media. The following are two examples of our experience:

• Developing for a trade association a nationwide strategy to improve the interaction of member companies with local communities, the media, government officials and the general public. To meet this need, TRG worked closely with the association in the design and delivery of a training program carried out over three years in public affairs, communications and leadership skills for over 3500 managers and other key operations personnel. Course sessions dealt with writing public affairs plans, using a strategic influencing model for working with critical stakeholders (employees, government officials, the public, the media), developing appropriate positive messages around difficult industry issues, and building skills for working with the media.
• Working with the World Bank-funded Environmental Program for the Danube River Basin to design and implement a public consultation process to involve local organizations, journalists, municipal authorities, industry representatives, and various ministry officials throughout Central and Eastern Europe in the development of the transboundary Danube River Strategic Action Plan. With TRG assistance, the comprehensive plan was written, reviewed, and signed by Ministers of Water and Environment in eleven countries in less than a year's time.