Both Jessica and Kristi have worked in field offices that are directly supporting a project. Field Offices are physical spaces where community members and interested groups can come and learn about a project and engage with project staff. Field offices are usually located near the project site or in a high-traffic location where interested parties and community members can conveniently drop-in. This method of engagement requires significant resources to establish, but also to maintain over time. Rent, displays, and staff time are no small investment. Here’s when it could be an appropriate method:
- It’s a significant project with the potential for impacts on many groups.
- There are myths or misconceptions about the project.
- Traditional engagement methods have been overwhelmed, for example, hundreds of people at an open house or having a disproportionately high number of survey responses.
Here are some key questions to consider before recommending a field office:
- What are the goals and objectives of having a field office? Typically, it’s about more than sharing information or engaging, but also building trust and relationships.
- How will the field office to set up to create a warm, welcoming space for all community members and interested parties? Usually, this means there is a balance of information sharing and engagement activities.
- Who will staff the field office and what else can they be doing? Our experience is that there are real ebbs and flows in a field office and it’s a good practice to think about what else the office staff can be doing to maximize their time and the overall resources of the project.
- When will you know is the right time to close the office? There are strong optics about opening a field office, but the same is true for closing one. When will it be closed and how will this be proactively communicated?
Once you have strategic clarity on why and how, here are some tips to consider should you decide to advance:
- Consider staff training and orientation: It’s important that all staff understand their role, scope, and what they can directly manage versus what needs to be escalated and to whom.
- Plan for passive and active engagement: Some people will want to engage and talk with staff, whereas others will want to read and engage with materials on their own. Be sure to plan for passive options like information boards, models, videos people can watch on their own as well as active options like being interviewed or asking questions of staff.
- Host engagement: The field office is a great place to offer passive engagement, but also destination engagement, for example, an open house. Create opportunities that are “events” to drive new traffic to the office. This might include: a monthly briefing session, focus groups, or pop-up opportunities for technical staff or elected officials.
- Facilitating community opportunities: Lots of communities are short on meeting space, so consider making the field office available for a certain number of nights per month to the community to host their own meetings and events. This might look like offering a parenting group meeting space, or having a knitting group use the space after hours.
- Make it fun: Having welcoming and engaged staff is key, but so too is having fun opportunities that will draw people in. Consider hosting monthly draws, colouring contests, experiential opportunities like the use of virtual reality, or using the site office as a starting point for a walking tour.
Field offices are a clear commitment from the organization to engage with the community and require significant resources and effort, but can pay dividends for the project and overall reputation of the organization.