14 Dec 2020: A Year in Review

I think we all can agree that 2020 has been a whirlwind of a year. As if the threat of a worldwide pandemic wasn’t enough, we all also had to navigate the economic and social consequences of COVID-19. But despite these very real troubles, we at P3 wanted to take a moment to congratulate you, our dear reader, for making it to the finish line of 2020.

There were many challenges to this year, but we recognize that there’s a lot to be grateful for as well. Today, I hope you’ll indulge us as we embark upon a P3 year in review: 2020 edition.

P3 Goes Virtual

Just like everyone else, we had to adapt our public engagement practices to a virtual format this year. Going virtual had both its pros and cons. On the one hand, providing virtual public engagement opportunities would allow people who typically were unable or unmotivated to attend a public meeting to receive information from the comfort of their own home.

On the other hand, virtual methods came with their own accessibility considerations. How could we make sure those without access or skills for technology still received information and had a chance to give their input? What implications do different virtual engagement techniques have for visual or hearing impairments?

We did our research and continued to adapt with new information. Throughout the past eight months, we conducted meetings over Zoom, created story maps of information, designed online card storming activities, developed a crowdsourced map, distributed printed handouts, posted unmanned polling stations, and more, all in the effort of equitably informing the public and gathering feedback.

One of our most successful virtual engagement events was for the Woodcroft Parkway Extension project. We developed a virtual meeting with video content and a story map that visually displayed maps, graphics, and explanations of project information as well as an online survey. Throughout the 45-day comment period, P3 monitored page views and survey respondent demographics to develop additional targeted outreach to underrepresented populations. In the end, we had over 365 survey respondents and 3,640 page views!

P3 Projects

Throughout 2020, P3 began eight new projects! These new projects are giving us the opportunity to engage familiar communities and new-to-us areas in NC, including the City of Raleigh, the Town of Wake Forest, the Town of Holly Springs, the City of Durham, and the City of High Point. Many of these projects are small area plans or transit plans for the region, and we’re excited to gather and share the perspectives and lived experiences of these neighborhood and city residents.

P3 also completed five existing projects in 2020. One we’re especially proud of is the City of Raleigh’s Community Engagement Process Development (CEPD) project. For this project, we were tasked with creating a Public Participation Playbook that detailed a standard and equitable approach for future community engagement for the Planning and Development department. During the Survey of Preferences phase of this project, we pulled out all the stops to gather representative feedback from Raleigh residents. As a result of our extensive outreach, the CEPD survey had record-breaking demographic participation in a City of Raleigh survey!

We used this feedback to guide the development of the Playbook, which ended up being an 81-page how-to guide for community engagement. We were happy to have over 45 City employees attend our virtual training workshops this Fall to learn about engagement best practices for their future projects.

Company Growth

This year, P3 turned 3! That’s right – in October, we celebrated our third anniversary with some balloons, cupcakes, and story-telling. If you’re ever in a room with one of our co-founders, make sure to ask about the trip-wire alarm and Simone’s pitcher arm.

At the beginning of 2020, we were so thrilled to have Katie Maynard join the P3 team. Katie is our Community Engagement Assistant, and you might recognize her from her P3 blog posts, social media insights, and super facilitation skills! Katie has been an invaluable member of the P3 team, and we’re excited to implement her innovative ideas into our 2021 public engagement and marketing!

Speaking of marketing: did you know that P3 now offers communications, graphic design, and social media services? Outreach has always been a part of what we do, and now we’re offering those services separate from public engagement. Have a social media campaign you need help with? Looking for help reaching your target audience? We’re here to help.

New Certifications

P3 has been working to expand our services in more ways than one. In 2020, P3 earned our Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certifications in two new states: Massachusetts and Michigan! We also submitted applications in Virginia, Georgia, and Florida and look forward to hearing back soon.

P3 also became one of PublicInput.com’s Certified Partners! For those of you who have never used the platform, PublicInput.com provides a comprehensive survey and virtual meeting platform to government agencies at every level and the consultants that work with them. As a Certified Partner, P3 is trained and ready to help agencies utilize the PublicInput.com platform through survey building, live audience participation, analytics, social media integration, and more.

Professional Development

As an organization, we value our employees’ growth just as much as our company’s growth. Throughout 2020, P3 staff participated in various professional development opportunities, including webinars, conferences, and online classes.

While it feels like forever ago, some of our P3 staff attended the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. in January. During the conference, our NCDOT NC Moves 2050 Statewide Transportation plan public engagement efforts were presented during a poster session (picture below!). Also, Harrison Marshall (NCDOT Community Studies) presented our work on the C-5621 Catawba Avenue project in Cornelius as an NCDOT best practice example of Environmental Justice and Public Involvement!

The whole P3 staff was also excited to be able to join in on the International Association for Public Participation’s (IAP2) annual conference virtually!  We learned about engaging participants authentically and respectfully, designing communications that explain complex ideas in a comprehensible and accurate way, and moving through failure and building resiliency. We appreciated this opportunity to immerse ourselves in the theory and best practices of public engagement.

Stay Connected with P3

Last, but certainly not least, 2020 brought new ways to stay connected with P3! Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for engagement tips, project updates, and more. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to keep up-to-date on new blog posts and get special engagement tips straight to your inbox!

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Let’s see what 2021 brings to the table!

Fingers crossed that 2021 has less surprises in store than 2020 for us all. We’re looking forward to continuing to provide high-quality and data-driven public engagement services to our clients and partner firms in the new year.

Wishing you all the best during this holiday season! We hope you and your families stay safe, stay healthy, and hold on to all the moments of joy – both big and small.

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About the Author: Deirdre Scanlon is the Communications Engagement Specialist for Public Participation Partners (P3). When not dreaming up new ways to equitably engage the public, you can find Deirdre tending to her houseplants or walking the trails of Raleigh, NC.