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utilisation of more than one method was important to achieving consul-
tation and engagement aims;
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•
the public is more engaged when engagement is done on their terms.
The Myhill study also outlined measures which were used to encourage
engagement. These included the use of mobile units (advertised on press
and radio) which would be driven to publicly accessible areas where en-
gagement could easily take place, including areas where there were likely
to be groups of people such as barber shops and hair salons. Efforts were
made to target shows or special events in the community by setting up
stalls with promotional materials at these events.
Of the different methods tried, surveys were found to be useful in tar-
geting citizens, using online or conventional methods as appropriate. Al-
though surveys can be expensive, the responses are generally helpful in
giving an overall assessment of a situation. Citizen panels on the other
hand were found to be less effective as they failed to reach important seg-
ments of society such as 'hard to reach' groups.
On this point, a study done by Communication Canada (2002) helps to
identify strategies for effectively reaching out to young people. The study
suggests that factors which enabled successful communication with young
Canadians included the following:
•
communicate about what matters to them;
break through the advertising clutter and grab their attention;
•
•
use spokespeople young adults admire;
•
tell real stories from people their age;
•
project an image of the Government that is consistent and sustained;
•
use a variety of media, with an emphasis on the Internet.
9.5.2 Knowledge Sharing
One of the barriers to effective participation described in Chapter 7 is that
participants lack appropriate knowledge or believe that they do not have
appropriate knowledge to contribute. Designers and system developers will
have technical expertise and knowledge which citizens most likely do not.
Conversely, citizens' needs and requirements will be rooted deeply in their
own personal experiences, and it may be difficult to express and commu-
nicate these in a form with which designers can understand and empathise.
We have already mentioned the growing use of the focus group. This is
one example of a communication medium in which groups of citizens can
meet with designers, policy makers etc. or their representatives, to discuss
and comment on topics, design ideas etc. The group setting can give
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