STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT NAVIGATOR
DICEmethods.org | Dissemination, Implementation, Communication, and Engagement
A guide for health researchers
Town Hall Meetings
In a town hall meeting, individuals from a specific geographic area are invited to participate in a public discussion about issues in their community. All attendees are generally offered an opportunity to speak in town hall meetings. Town hall meetings can be used to identify a list of potential research topics and ideas. Voting to prioritize topics may occur at the end of the meeting.
2-3 months to prepare; 1-2 hours to conduct
- All planning partners and supporters should be publicly recognized as sponsors of the event.
- Recruit as early as possible
- Understand your community's unique issues, challenges and opportunities for change.
- Review local data from a variety of sources and develop a community profile based on solid research.
- The content, format and objectives will depend on the particular concerns and needs that you have identified.
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The format will depend on what you are trying to achieve.
- One of the most common formats is a briefing by a panel of three or four people and a moderator. The panel discussion typically lasts from 35-50 minutes and the question and answer period usually lasts about 30 minutes. The public and policymakers are the primary audience for this type of town hall.
- Another format is a policy panel. At a policy panel, the public presents their opinions. The panel members are community leaders who receive testimony from residents. Speakers give their accounts and urge the panelists to adopt certain measures or recommendations. For this format, the policy panel can convene after the meeting and issue its findings or recommendations based on what they have learned from the public.
- It is important to select a place that is easy for residents and local media to get to.
- When selecting a date, check out community calendars to avoid competing community events
- When selecting a time, think about your target audience.
- Trusted, well-respected speakers are key to your meeting, as are individuals from your community who can provide an interesting vantage point on the issue being addressed.
- Should be a well-respected community figure
- Consider a moderator who is adept at collaboration and is not a polarizing figure.
- Give all panelists the background information on the event.
- Identify individuals who will serve as media spokespeople and provide comments to the press.
- Prepare packets to distribute to attendees when they arrive. You can include speaker bios, agendas, evaluation forms and informational materials such as fact sheets about your organization and your co-sponsors/planning partners.
- Write a news release to send to the media before you contact them.
- Let them know why the event will make a good story, and why it is important for the community to know about your efforts.
- Enlist the support of other organizations that you work with.
- If your audience is the general public, then add your town hall meeting to the event calendar in your local newspaper.
- Post flyers, posters or banners in visible, popular places.
- Should include the media advisory and/or news release, a fact sheet with local statistics about your issue, brief biographies of speakers, as well as copies of any reports or case studies.
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Room set up
- Check on tables, chairs, podiums, equipment (including microphones/sound systems) or visual displays.
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Sign-in registration table
- Collect names and contact information for everybody who comes and hand out materials.
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Sign-in sheets
- Have separate sign-in sheets, one for the general audience and one for members of the media. This information will be invaluable as you conduct your follow-up activities and plan future meetings.
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Handouts
- Agendas and other information, as well as press kits for reporters. If you plan on discussing specific documents, have copies available.
- Begin with a welcome and introduction by the head or spokesperson of the host organization or planning committee. Should explain the purpose of the meeting, welcome guests and introduce the moderator. (~5 min)
- The moderator should then begin the panel discussion with a brief introduction of the issues that will be discussed, a review of the format and introductions of each panelist. It usually works best to have all of the panelists speak and then each should have three minutes to answer a question from the moderator. (~50 min)
- The moderator should begin the question and answer period, taking questions from the audience and fielding them to the appropriate panelist. (~30 min)
- The moderator or host organization should wrap up the meeting by thanking everyone for coming. Provide contact information for those who want to follow up after the meeting.
- Leave enough time after your briefing for media interviews. Generally, you should set aside 30 minutes after the question and answer period ends to coordinate the interviews between members of the media and your spokespeople.
- No more than two weeks after your town hall meeting, reconvene the key individuals who were involved in planning the event to discuss how it went. Discuss whether you achieved your objectives and how you want to put the information and ideas that emerged into practice in the community. It is also a good idea to obtain feedback from the panelists.
- No more than two weeks after your town hall meeting, reconvene the key individuals who were involved in planning the event to discuss how it went. Discuss whether you achieved your objectives and how you want to put the information and ideas that emerged into practice in the community. It is also a good idea to obtain feedback from the panelists.
The Stakeholder Engagement Navigator is a service of the Data Science to Patient Value Initiative at the
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
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