Critical Factors for Enhancing Municipal Public Hearings |
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| Authors: | William H Baker H Lon Addams Brian Davis |
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| Institution: | Management communication professor at Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management and Romney Institute of Public Management. He has published numerous articles and books on communication-related topics and provides communication training for various state and local government agencies. E-mail: .; Professor of managerial communication at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. As a Dee Smith Research Fellow, he publishes articles on management and communication topics for working professionals. He provides communication and management consultation and training for business and government organizations. E-mail: .; Professor of business administration and Century Institute Scholar in the Goddard School of Business and Economics at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He holds a doctorate in business administration and marketing from the University of Georgia. E-mail: . |
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| Abstract: | Although public hearings are the most common form of citizen input, they often fail to achieve their objectives. This nationwide survey of city administrators identifies factors that contribute most to successful public hearings. The most successful hearings have (1) a greater number of prehearing educational methods, (2) more media types and greater media frequency in the formal presentation, (3) more control over speakers' presentation time, (4) greater use of open follow-up meetings, and (5) more use of newspaper and direct mail to communicate posthearing decisions to the public. The qualitative data reveal city managers' 10 critical factors that are essential to the success of public hearings: effectively notifying and educating the public before the hearing; carefully planning the meeting; giving a clear, media-rich presentation of the issues; properly facilitating the meeting; and conducting appropriate follow-up. |
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