The Power of Smart Technology
Leveraging Technology
The execution of a public outreach and engagement strategy almost always results in the need for data analysis. Whether it be to analyze the input or evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy, this pillar piece of the process will become the source of truth for insight development and course correction indicators.
Whether it be an online survey or community listening session, leveraging smart technology accelerates the ability of public engagement practitioners to be agile at all stages of the data collection process.
Data to Insights
The curse and beauty of insight development is the process by which aesthetically pleasing pie charts and infographics are born from blocks of text-based input or verbal commentary. Anyone with experience “coding” the sometimes paragraphs long input knows how labor intensive it can be to manually pull out the key perceptions, themes, and sentiments.
Leveraging smart technology to do the heavy lifting will decrease the likelihood of bias and human error, while freeing up more time to focus on interpreting the results and communicating findings.
Results & Findings
Results and findings from an engagement initiative should be monitored periodically throughout the lifecycle of the initiative to ensure that any needed tactical adjustments are made prior to the presentation of findings.
What the data may be telling you—and how to respond
Early engagement indicators can reveal when an approach isn’t reaching the right people or landing as intended. Use the tabs below to connect common observations with practical adjustments that can strengthen participation and representation.
What this can indicate
A low response rate often points to challenges with messaging, tactics, visibility, or relevance. It doesn’t always mean a lack of interest—just that the approach may not be working for the intended audience.
Example
Online survey
Potential adjustments
Add paper survey options
Translate surveys
Partner with trusted community gatekeepers
What this can indicate
Early results may show participation from a narrow or oversampled group that does not reflect the broader community. This is often a signal to adjust outreach tactics before engagement continues too far.
Example
Online survey
Potential adjustments
Refine geographic targeting
Add translation and interpretation support
What this can indicate
Low meeting attendance, like low response rates, can stem from timing, location, format, or access barriers rather than lack of interest.
Example
In-person meeting
Potential adjustments
Adjust meeting time or location
Offer childcare
Provide hybrid or virtual meeting options
What this can indicate
High attendance is generally positive, but it may still warrant review if participants are not representative of the broader community.
Example
In-person meeting
Potential adjustments (if underrepresentation is observed)
Adjust meeting time or location
Offer childcare
Provide hybrid or virtual meeting options
What this can indicate
Not all feedback is negative, but certain patterns can signal issues with messaging, awareness, or understanding.
Common indicators
Highly emotional responses to non-controversial topics
Repeated expressions of confusion or misunderstanding
Example
Project goals
Potential adjustments
Clarify messaging through press releases
Share fact sheets
Update project sites
Launch targeted email campaigns
Use paid or community-based advertising
Once the results support the efforts to capture a representative sample of the community the interpretation of the findings should tie together the goals of the engagement initiative with the participant perceptions and contributions.
Communication & Consensus Building
The development of initial findings is not the final stage of analysis. These initial understandings represent a unique opportunity to deliver insights back out to the community for additional collaboration and validation.
This validation process helps participants see that their voices were heard, and demonstrates that sincerity of the effort to build consensus.
Even in cases where consensus is not reached, the responsibility of maintaining the flow of bi-directional communication contributes to the ongoing public trust building exercise.
The cycle of the engagement strategy should be flexible and adaptive with time built in to expand or contract the efforts needed to educate, analyze, validate, and communicate.
Once validated, the presentation of findings to decision-makers moves the iterative process forward with open dialog among key decision-makers.
Turn Community Input into Better Decisions
Smart technology turns participation into understanding—and understanding into better decisions.
If you’re looking to move beyond collecting feedback and toward making sense of it over time, PublicInput is built to help. Our platform brings community input, historical context, and equity insights together in one place—so each engagement strengthens the next.
From a living CRM that grows with every interaction, to equity mapping that reflects the realities of your community, to accessible surveys, meetings, and a public-facing hub that builds trust through transparency—everything is designed to help agencies listen more clearly and act with confidence.
If you’d like to see what that could look like for your work, we’re always happy to start with a conversation.
