THE BEST ENGAGEMENT METHODS
FACILITATED BY: Sepideh Rezania, Unrooz Solutions • sepideh@unrooz.com Rachel Dortin, The Shared Space Project • rachel@thesharedspaceproject.org
Engagement Methods Used During Informal Session
1. Circling Game
When to use it: Opening activity. Works well when you're creating a space where power can be shared, and you want participants to feel like co-creators of the space rather than recipients of information.
What it is: Invite everyone to stand in one big circle with no one on the outside. Say “we’re going to see if we can do it in 10 seconds or less (count down: 10, 9, 8...) to get the group moving. Once the circle is formed, ask participants to take a look around, notice who is in the room, and reflect on why you started this way given the day's purpose. Ask the group: why a circle? What can circles teach us? Take answers, validate what comes up, then transition into discussion.
In an energy context:
● Useful as the opening move of a session on accessibility, equity, or any topic where participants may be used to being talked at rather than talked with.
● The physical act of forming a circle together, with everyone visible to everyone else, sets an early expectation that the room is participatory.
● Creates a natural bridge into a talking circle or other shared-power research activity that follows.
Pro tip: Frame it explicitly as an opening activity for spaces where you want power to be shared, so participants understand it's setting a tone, not just breaking the ice.
2. Talking Circle
When to use it: Research and sharing activity. Works well when you want to hear from everyone in a group setting without the discussion being dominated by a few voices, and when the topic benefits from unhurried, uninterrupted sharing.
THE BEST ENGAGEMENT METHODS (THAT WE NEVER GET TO
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What it is: Inspired by Indigenous wisdom, including the Mi'kmaw tradition of the talking circle. A token, such as a feather or a special talking stick, is passed clockwise around the circle. Whoever holds the token may speak for as long as they wish, including responding to something another person raised. When finished, they pass the token on. Anyone who doesn't wish to speak simply passes it along.
In an energy context:
• In place of a traditional focus group, the pass-and-listen structure surfaces perspectives that might not come out otherwise, particularly from participants less inclined to jump in.
• Good for conversations mixing community and utility or government staff to foster shared understanding.
Pro tip: Be transparent with the group about where the practice comes from and why you're using it. Naming the source (Mi'kmaw tradition) up front acknowledges the practice's origins rather than presenting it as a generic facilitation technique.
3. Crazy 8s
When to use it: Rapid ideation exercise. Works well early in a workshop or co-design session when you need a quick burst of divergent thinking before narrowing down to a few strong concepts.
What it is: Participants fold a sheet of paper into 8 sections and sketch one idea per section in response to a prompt. The goal is to come up with 8 ideas in 8 minutes. The pace is intentionally too fast to avoid overthinking, and to push people past their first, safest ideas toward more varied ones.
In an energy context:
• Participants might sketch 8 different ways a household could reduce winter heating costs, or 8 ways a utility could communicate a rebate program more clearly.
• Generates a wide pool of raw ideas quickly, useful before a longer prioritization exercise.
• Levels the playing field between confident talkers and quieter participants, since everyone produces the same number of ideas in the same time.
• May be useful for teams developing pilots or coming up with activities to mitigate barriers.
Pro tip: Model the pace yourself first with a throwaway example, so participants understand "rough and fast" is the point, not a failure to plan.
THE BEST ENGAGEMENT METHODS
Other Potential Research and Engagement Methods
1. Photovoice
When to use it: This research method works well when working closely with a small group of participants, or when working on topics that are personal to the participants.
What it is: Participants take photographs (often over days or weeks) documenting their everyday environment or experience related to the research question, then discuss and caption the photos in a group or interview setting. Ask participants why they took the photos they took, and what the photo shows. Originally developed for community health research.
In an energy context:
• Participants might photograph drafty windows, old appliances, spaces they avoid heating, or moments of energy-related stress (e.g., choosing between heating and other costs).
• Surfaces the realities of energy use in their buildings, including things people may not think to mention verbally.
• Gives participants ownership over what matters to them, rather than researchers imposing categories in advance.
• Photos can be compiled into an exhibition or report to provide visual evidence of recommendations (a hallmark of photovoice's community-action roots).
Pro tip: Do a short training session on consent and privacy before participants start shooting (e.g., avoid photographing other people, especially children, without permission).
2. Participatory Mapping
When to use it: This research method is most useful when the research topic is bound to a specific location, like a participant’s home or a neighborhood/community.
What it is: Participants collaboratively create maps, like of a home, neighborhood, or grid, to represent connections, flows, or and experiences across that location. Start with a map of the location and provide prompts for participants to add their own knowledge (For example, where are the drafty spots in your home, or where do you think a community cooling space could be installed).
In an energy context:
• Households might map where heat loss or discomfort occurs in the home ("cold spots," draughts, rooms rarely used in winter).
THE BEST ENGAGEMENT METHODS
• Communities might map local energy infrastructure, solar potential, or which buildings/areas have benefited from retrofit programs versus which haven't.
• Can combine GIS data with participant data for a mixed-methods approach.
• Useful in co-design workshops for planning community energy projects (e.g., district heating, solar siting).
Pro tip: Use push pins or colorful stickers to quickly create heat maps of particular data points.
3. Meme Making
When to use it: Knowledge mobilization. This can be a great tool for sharing research results with public, non-technical, and nonacademic audiences.
What it is: Use existing and popular meme templates (image + short text combinations) to share key research findings in accessible formats.
Why use it in energy efficiency work:
• Grabs people’s attention and breaks down the technical barrier that prevents many people from engaging in the clean energy world.
• Useful with younger or digitally fluent populations who are comfortable with meme culture.
• Generates shareable, relatable artifacts that can also double as communication or campaign material.
Pro tip: Look into the origin of a meme template before you use it. Some memes are based on offensive, unkind, or questionable source materials.
Want to know more about why we value participatory action research? Check out this resource: https://publicscienceproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/PAR-Map.pdf