What is community engagement?
Community engagement is the process of creating opportunities for people to meaningfully influence decisions that impact their lives. For this to happen effectively, we need to build relationships where people feel safe to share what matters to them.
But what does great community engagement look like in real terms? We asked Creating Communities CEO Donna Shepherd to explain.
01.
Start with respect
According to Donna, the best community engagement starts with humility.
“When we engage with people, we’re asking something of them – their time, their input, and we need to honour that,” she said.
In a practical sense, this means designing processes that are accessible, inclusive and built around the reality of people’s lives.
Not everyone has the time to attend a meeting in person. Not everyone feels confident to speak up. And not everyone sees themselves reflected in the consultation process.
“It’s important to understand who we’re engaging with,” Donna said.
“That means knowing the character of the population and designing an approach that meets people where they are.”
02.
Don’t just consult, co-design
Good community engagement isn’t something that happens to people. It’s about taking them on a journey they are at the heart of.
“Best practice is actually designing the engagement with the people you’re engaging with, or a representative group,” Donna said.
In practice, this might mean forming a community reference group, working with Aboriginal organisations to co-design the engagement or connecting directly with boards, community groups or youth reps.
“They might say, ‘Just come to our board meeting,’” Donna said.
“It can be that simple, but they know their communities better than we ever will, and they’ll tell you the best way to engage.”
03.
Be real
One of the fastest ways to erode people’s patience and faith in the process is to ask for their opinions, then do nothing to change the status quo. Donna says people are tired of being asked for feedback, only to see nothing happen.
“Everyone feels over-consulted at the moment,” she said.
“So, if you’re going to engage, it needs to be meaningful and it needs to count.”
This means making sure that what the community says is actually used in the concept or design development process, not just collected at the end. Donna also recommends delivering quick wins, which represent the change communities want to see.
“We really only want to be involved in projects where the client genuinely wants community input to help shape their planning,” she said.
The clients that do engage meaningfully see real benefits.
“The plans are better, the concepts are better, and there’s usually more support when they go for approvals.”
04.
Know when it’s working
Donna says there are clear signs that an engagement process is happening the way it should.
“When you see community members advocating for a project to Council, that’s a sign,” she said.
Another is when engagement feels less like an event, and more like a relationship built over time. Newman Futures is a solid example of good engagement happening from the start.
“We worked with community to shape the process, showed up regularly and we were honest about what we could and couldn’t do,” Donna said.
“And then we got going with communities and stakeholders to initiate tangible, on-the-ground examples of the changes the communities wanted to see.”
As the trust grew, more community members continued to show up and be a part of the work. This kind of long-term buy-in is one of the clearest signs that engagement has landed.
05.
Start early
Donna says the best time to start the community engagement process is before formal planning begins. If you start once a plan has already been drafted, people can feel like their input is just a formality, with no real impact.
“Get us in for a discovery conversation before you get too far into the planning,” Donna said.
“We can help you think through the best approach, and make sure your engagement works for both your team and the community.”
Getting in at the discovery or concept phase gives people the opportunity to influence the plan’s direction from the ground up. That’s how trust is built, and how true co-design happens.
What are the benefits of great community engagement?
Even though project approvals tend to happen more smoothly on the back of great engagement, there are other benefits to doing it right. Like greater social licence, investor confidence and long-term sustainability.
“Shareholders are increasingly demanding meaningful ESG and social sustainability practices,” Donna said.
“That’s what drives deeper engagement, it’s not just compliance anymore.”
A client’s reputation gets a boost too.
“We’ve had clients work with us for decades because of the impact this work has had on how they’re seen in the community.”
What is social licence to operate?
Social licence to operate is the acceptance or approval a company (or project) receives from the community it impacts. When a company has social licence, it means people believe it’s acting responsibly and delivering value beyond just profit.
If a company doesn’t have social licence, even well-planned projects can be met with delays, protests or reputational damage.
This is why genuine community engagement is so critical. It shows the community that a company is transparent, ready to listen, and good on their word.
