Using Social Media for Effective Public Engagement

Thu 7 and Fri 8 July, 9am-4.30pm

This course explores the opportunities, challenges and conditions under which social media can be used by public sector agencies to achieve effective public engagement. It provides an overview of the latest international experience and works with practical examples from New Zealand.

Enrolment information:
Date / time: Thu 7 & 8 July, 9am-4.30pm (optional course dinner will also be held on evening of 7 July) Venue: To be Confirmed (Wellington CBD) Prof Dev Course Fee (exc GST): $1390 exc GST (10% Early Bird Discount if enrolling before 9 Jun) For full course information and to enrol visit www.victoria.ac.nz/PEDSh ortcourses/ (course is listed under Public Policy and Management Courses in the Course Catalogue) call 04 463 6556 or email profdev@vuw.ac.nz

Who should attend: Public sector staff with responsibility for and/or involvement in public engagement initiatives Representatives from NGOs and community organizations with responsibility for and/or involvement in public engagement initiatives Political representatives.

Learning Objectives: Identify a suitable strategy for the use of social media in effective public engagement. Compare the use of different social media in a variety of public engagement initiatives, their challenges and conditions under which they can be used. Discuss the differences between online and offline public engagement and learn about multi-channel options for effective public engagement. Learn about New Zealand-based practical examples of effective public engagement Discuss the challenges of achieving effective public engagement and strategies for overcoming these challenges.

Course format:
This course is an interactive workshop format with opportunities for interaction and discussions.

Presenters: Professor Miriam Lips is the first Professor of e-Government at Victoria University of Wellington. Her Chair is sponsored by Datacom Systems Limited, State Services Commission, Department of Internal Affairs, FX Networks Limited and Microsoft New Zealand Ltd. Laura Sommer is an experienced specialist in online public engagement and participation, system-wide improvement and change management in the public sector. Simon Wright is Senior Advisor Consultation and Engagement at Wellington City Council and a Committee Member of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia.