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Resources
Below you will find a collection of resources and protocols created both internally by the CEI, and externally by partners and experts in community engagement. For additional information on where these resources and protocols fit within various frameworks, view our interactive resource guide below.
CEI Community Engagement Self-Assessment
Use the button below to access the CEI Community Engagement Self-Assessment Tool. This tool can be used to gauge a site's culture and relationships as they relate to community engagement.
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- All
- Capacity Building
- Communication
- Data-Driven
- Relationship Building
- Self-Assessment/Reflection
- Shared Decision-Making
- Shared Leadership
- Transparency
CHARTING OUTCOMES USING A TIMELINE
A group activity to develop and build consensus on a timeline and necessary action steps associated with a project or plan. Best used when collaborative planning of a project is needed.
DECISION-MAKING WITH DOT VOTING
An interactive group activity to explore and come to agreement. Can be used to officially vote on one or more options or to see where a group might have shared preferences. This protocol is an alternative to traditional voting.
GETTING CONSENSUS WITH THUMBS
Getting consensus differs from voting. Consensus decision-making has a greater chance of success than other types of decision making. In this protocol, all participants support, agree to, or can live with a decision.
GROUP VOTING WITH ELECTRONIC POLLING
This decision-making protocol is used when participants need to see immediate responses and make a collective decision. When consensus is difficult or too time-consuming, voting is an option for decision-making.
DEVELOPING A COLLECTIVE DEFINITION
An interactive and collaborative activity used to create a common definition and greater understanding of a key topic or term. The protocol leads to better quality teamwork around the topic or term.
TEAM PRESENTATIONS
An interactive activity that allows a team or group to develop a formal presentation and share information with others. It builds leadership and will enable participants to grow in their presentation skills. Topics may vary.
FISHBONE DIAGRAM ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
A critical part of addressing a problem of practice in community engagement, is identifying the root causes before trying to solve the problem. This protocol provides a framework to capture a group’s ideas about the causes of a problem.
FIVE WHYS ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
A critical part of addressing a problem of practice in community engagement is identifying the root causes before trying to solve the problem. The Five Whys Protocol helps teams uncover underlying causes by drilling down into the reasons.
Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions
This protocol uses Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions to support relationship building among people. Dr. Aron’s research showed that people who shared responses to the questions became closer and built stronger more trusting relationships.
Conocimiento
Conocimiento is an inclusion and self-reflection activity most often used at the opening of a meeting. Participants use the time to reflect and share experiences with one another setting the tone for the meeting and building relationships.
DEVELOPING A TEAM CHANT
This protocol builds rapport and strengthens relationships among team or group members by asking them to develop and perform a chant.
Power Ball
This protocol builds rapport and strengthens relationships in a fun and interactive process incorporating movement, music, and quotes. It focuses a group on their collective “superpower.”
NEVER HAVE I EVER
This simple protocol builds rapport and strengthens relationships through participant responses to fun questions.
SOCRATIC SEMINAR
A protocol that allows for expanded communication by exploring questions and statements and engaging in collaborative discovery through discourse. (This protocol is adapted from AVID Press resources).
Collective Dialogue Through Question & Answer Spotlight
In a group, teams are frequently asked to present information or practices. This protocol is appropriate after a team has presented information. It allows listeners to ask questions and get clarification on what was presented. It deepens communication bet
ILLUSTRATING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
This protocol expands communication and understanding between participants as they collaboratively develop an illustration of what community engagement means to them. This protocol is also one that contributes to relationship-building.
GALLERY WALK
A structured protocol used to engage participants in exploring and discussing multiple exhibits or displays. It encourages transparency through shared information, active learning, collaboration, and reflection.
EXPLORING CHALLENGING TOPICS (BUDGET)
A structured protocol that opens discussion and improves transparency within the group as they examine a challenging topic or concern, such as budgets or finances.
CIRCLE KEEPING
The Circle Keeping protocol is ideal for deepening relationships, processing difficult experiences, and restoring groups, teams, and communities after a rupture. While it falls into the Transparency group, it also supports effective communication, capacit
GUESS WHAT? HERE’S WHAT! SO WHAT? NOW WHAT?
This protocol provides a structure for examining data. It allows participants to reflect on and interpret data, share their observations, and make collective meaning. It leads to decision-making based on the data and protocol experience.
ORID DATA CONVERSATION
This protocol provides a structure for examining data. It allows participants to reflect on and interpret data, share their observations, and make collective meaning. It leads to decision-making based on the data and protocol experience.
ULTIMA PALABRA
Ultima Palabra (Last Word) is a self-reflection activity that allows groups to reflect and respond at the end of the meeting or session. It will enable the group to identify takeaways, build shared understanding, and increase connectedness.
SQUARE CIRCLE TRIANGLE REFLECTION
Square Circle Triangle is a self-reflection activity that allows participants to reflect on a meeting/session by identifying specific ideas/concepts that align with their thinking, essential points they want to remember, and remaining questions they might
CREATING GROUP WORKING AGREEMENTS
Creating working agreements (sometimes called norms) is critical in building accountability and a foundation for a safe, collaborative, equitable space. This protocol provides a process a group can use to develop their mutually agreed-upon expectations fo
IDENTIFYING A SLOGAN
This protocol helps participants see their unique role in making changes and improvements. It highlights that all types of participants bring value and leadership to collective decisions and initiatives.
CREATING A NEWSPAPER FRONT PAGE & HEADLINES
A creative and interactive protocol that engages all members in shared leadership as they create a newspaper front page with headlines representing the vision for their work together.
BUILDING A BLOCK TOWER
This simple group protocol focuses on all participant's essential contributions and leadership. The tower of shared leadership represents how individual members contribute to the success of the whole.
BALL OF YARN NETWORK
This protocol demonstrates how a group is building a shared leadership network to conduct its work. It is an example of how shared leadership and connections to each other contribute to the group's success.
HOW TO START A MOVEMENT
This protocol is a fun way to demonstrate how a group builds a movement for change as it conducts its work. It builds upon a TED Talk to help participants feel shared leadership in something greater than themselves.
PUZZLE QUILT: EVERY PIECE MATTERS
This protocol demonstrates each participant's unique and vital contribution to the success of the group, initiative, or project.
Jigsaw Style Document/Article Review
A collaborative learning process used to review an article or document so all participants leave with strong understanding. A strategy developed initially by Elliot Aronson in 1971 for use in multicultural classrooms.