A recent client, who is in the learning phase for engaging his community, asked how I had success in designing a process for reaching a desired community health outcome. I shared with him and his team that community members, businesses, partners, and other stakeholders are keenly interested in the community engagement process.
I also gave them the framework I use to successfully engage partners. There are 4 Pillars that make up this framework- I call it the 4 C's of Community Engagement and they will completely transform the way people and organizations work together. These 4 principles can become a guide for developing your vision for community engagement. Here they are:
Connect
Actively seek to engage communities and organizations through scheduled regular interactions that establishes and builds trust. Community engagement begins with trust and creating relational engagement that builds trust increases stakeholders’ sense of their ability to develop solutions and achieve goals.
Clarify
Clearly outline goals and expectations that allows you to be transparent about the purpose. A working understanding with a clear message helps prevent your stakeholders from being confused and disconnected.
Communicate
Create bi-directional forms of communication to encourage a participatory process focused on engaging stakeholders' ideas and voices. Listen to their interests and concerns and capture their feedback. Developing space for bi-directional communication shows commitment to gaining stakeholders' knowledge and competencies.
Collaborate
Coordinate efforts to leverage each partners' or stakeholders' expertise and strengths. A synergistic relationship enhances opportunities that support effective decision-making and solution-oriented outcomes.
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