Glossary

Terms

Accessibility

The design of materials, meeting formats, and environments so that all community members can use and participate in them. In practice, this means considering language, disability, transportation, digital access, and other barriers before launching any engagement effort.

Accountability

The expectation that the County will be open and honest about how decisions are made, how public input was used, and what happened because of community engagement.

Active Listening

A form of listening designed to make the speaker feel genuinely heard. It involves non-verbal cues that signal attention, open-ended questions to draw out information, and paraphrasing to confirm understanding.

Advocacy

Actions taken to support the interests of specific communities or causes. Community advocates often participate in public engagement processes, and their involvement should be welcomed and documented.

Audience

The population or group of people that staff are seeking to inform or engage. Also called the “intended audience.” Identifying the right audience is a required step before designing any engagement effort.

Barrier

Any obstacle that prevents or discourages participation. Barriers can be physical, linguistic, cultural, economic, technological, or systemic. Staff must identify and actively work to reduce barriers as part of engagement planning.

Brown Act

California's open meeting law (the Ralph M. Brown Act) that requires local government bodies to conduct their business in public. Brown Act meetings are not automatically engagement — they're a legal requirement for formal action, not a substitute for meaningful community dialogue.

Brown Act Meeting

A formal, legally required public meeting at which a quorum of a decision-making body conducts official business. These meetings follow strict procedures and limit interactive dialogue. In many cases, more effective engagement should happen before a Brown Act meeting occurs.

Capacity Building

The process of improving a community's or organization's ability to engage effectively. For county staff, this means building skills in facilitation, cultural responsiveness, conflict management, and equity-centered design.

Closing the Loop

The required practice of reporting back to community members after an engagement process to explain what was heard, how input influenced the decision, and what happens next. Engagement is incomplete without it.

Co-design

A collaborative process in which community members and government staff jointly develop solutions, plans, or policies. Co-design gives community members meaningful influence over outcomes.

Collaboration

A level of engagement on the Public Engagement Spectrum in which the County partners with stakeholders to develop alternatives and identify preferred solutions. Public influence is high.

Common Ground

Shared opinions, interests, or values that exist among people who may disagree on other things. Identifying common ground is a facilitation technique that can move difficult conversations forward.

Communication (Outreach)

The one-way sharing of information with the public about decisions, programs, or updates. Communication informs; it does not invite influence. If an outcome cannot be changed based on feedback, the effort must be labeled communication, not engagement.

Community

A group of people connected by shared geography, culture, identity, experience, or interest. “The community” is not a monolith — staff must identify which specific communities are affected by a given decision.

Community Agreements

A brief set of shared expectations established at the start of a public meeting or engagement event to create an environment of respectful dialogue. Example: “We will listen before responding.”

Community-Based Organization (CBO)

A nonprofit or grassroots organization that serves or advocates for a specific community or population. CBOs are often trusted messengers and valuable partners in reaching communities that are hard to reach through standard outreach.

Community Mapping

The process of identifying and documenting who is affected by a decision before designing engagement. Includes primary and secondary stakeholders, equity considerations, and participation barriers. Required in Step 3 of the Seven Required Steps.

Conflict Management

The ability to recognize and manage tension or disagreement during public engagement processes so that all parties can continue to participate productively. Conflict is not failure — it often means the issue matters deeply to people.

Consensus

An outcome from group decision-making in which participants reach an agreement that all are willing to support, even if it's not everyone's first choice.

Consult

A level of engagement on the Public Engagement Spectrum in which the County seeks feedback on options or draft proposals before a final decision is made. Input can shape aspects of the outcome.

Cultural Responsiveness

The practice of adapting engagement methods, materials, and formats to reflect the cultural values, languages, communication styles, and historical contexts of specific communities.

Decision-Maker

Any county staff member, appointed official, or elected body that holds authority to make a final determination on a project, policy, or program. Staff must clearly communicate who the decision-maker is at the start of every engagement effort.

Design to the Margins

An equity approach to engagement planning that prioritizes those most affected and most likely to face barriers to participation. When engagement works for the most marginalized, it tends to work for everyone.

Dialogue

A structured conversation intended to build mutual understanding between parties. Unlike debate, dialogue doesn't seek to win — it seeks to deepen relationships and surface perspectives that improve decision-making.

Disproportionate Impact

When a decision, policy, or project affects certain communities more heavily than others, particularly communities that have historically been underrepresented or underserved. Identifying disproportionate impact is a required part of engagement planning.

Disparities

Measurable differences in outcomes between specific groups or populations. Disparities in Marin, including those related to race, income, and geography, must be considered when designing engagement strategies.

Diversity

The presence of differences within a population, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, language, ability, income, sexual orientation, and lived experience. Diversity in the room doesn't automatically mean equity in the process.

Empower

The highest level of engagement on the Public Engagement Spectrum, used in limited circumstances where final decision-making authority is placed directly in the hands of the public. Examples include participatory budgeting and voter-approved measures.

Engagement Assessment and Plan

A required document that staff must complete before launching any engagement effort. It ensures that engagement is necessary, appropriately scoped, equity-centered, and aligned with the level of influence available. See Step 1 of the Seven Required Steps.

Engagement Group

Participants in an engagement effort whose characteristics can be compared to the broader affected population to assess whether the right communities were reached.

Engagement Plan

A structured document, required for all engagement efforts beyond informational outreach, that outlines the decision being made, the level of influence, the stakeholder strategy, engagement methods, timeline, roles, resources, and evaluation criteria. See Step 4 of the Seven Required Steps.

Equity

Recognizing that different communities have different circumstances and that resources and opportunities must be intentionally allocated to support equal outcomes. Equity is not the same as equality — it requires identifying who's most affected and designing processes that give them meaningful access.

Ethnicity

An individual's shared cultural or national background. A distinct concept from race.

Facilitation

A structured process used to help groups have constructive dialogue on complex or contentious issues. A skilled facilitator creates conditions where all participants feel respected and able to contribute.

Hard-to-Reach Communities

Communities that are less likely to engage through traditional outreach channels due to historical mistrust of government, language barriers, work schedules, immigration status, or other systemic factors. “Hard to reach” often reflects barriers the county hasn't yet removed, not lack of interest.

IAP2

The International Association for Public Participation, a global professional organization that develops standards and frameworks for public participation, including the widely used Spectrum of Public Participation that informs the County of Marin's Public Engagement Spectrum.

Inclusion

More than diversity in numbers — inclusion means that all participants, particularly those historically excluded, experience authentic and meaningful opportunities to participate and influence outcomes.

Influence Statement

A required statement, included in all public-facing engagement materials, that clearly communicates what is open to community input, what is not, who makes the final decision, and when the decision will be made. See Step 2 of the Seven Required Steps.

Inform

The baseline level of engagement on the Public Engagement Spectrum. The goal is to provide the public with clear, accurate information. Public influence is none. If an outcome cannot be changed, the effort must be labeled informational, not engagement.

Input

The feedback, opinions, and perspectives collected from community members through an engagement process. Input must be documented, considered, and reported back on.

Intersectionality

The recognition that people hold multiple overlapping identities (race, gender, income, immigration status, disability, etc.) that interact and shape their experiences, including their experiences with government.

Involve

A level of engagement on the Public Engagement Spectrum in which the County works directly with affected communities throughout the process. Community concerns and ideas actively shape the direction of the work.

Language Access

The provision of translation and interpretation services so that community members whose primary language is not English can meaningfully participate in engagement processes. Language access is a legal obligation and an equity imperative, not an optional add-on.

Listening Session

A structured engagement format designed to hear from community members about their concerns, priorities, and experiences before decisions are made. Listening sessions are two-way and dialogue-based, not informational.

Marginalization

The systematic exclusion of certain people or communities from resources, decision-making, and opportunities to participate.

Noticing

The process of formally informing the public about engagement opportunities, project updates, or public meetings. Legal notice requirements may apply under the Brown Act or other state and local laws.

Participatory Budgeting

A democratic process in which community members directly decide how to allocate a portion of a public budget. An example of the Empower level of engagement.

Plain Language

Communication that is clear, direct, and free of jargon so that community members can understand it the first time they read or hear it. Plain language is a requirement for all public-facing engagement materials.

Public

Anyone with a stake in county decisions, including residents, workers, renters, visitors, service recipients, and business owners. A person becomes a member of the public the moment they're in a setting that is open, announced, or convened to collect input that informs a decision.

Public Engagement

A structured, intentional process in which community members have a meaningful opportunity to influence a decision, shape an outcome, or inform the direction of a county project, program, or policy. Engagement is two-way and requires follow-through and reporting back.

Public Engagement Spectrum

The County of Marin's framework for defining and communicating the level of public influence in any given engagement effort. The five levels are Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate, and Empower.

Public Outreach

One-way efforts to inform the public about County projects, decisions, or updates. Also called communication. Outreach is not engagement unless community input can meaningfully influence the outcome.

Public Participation

The broader process through which people receive information from and provide input to decision-makers. Public participation includes both outreach and engagement.

Race

The social grouping of people, often based on physical characteristics, national origin, or sociocultural background. Race is a social construct, not a biological one.

Report-Back (What We Heard)

A required summary produced after engagement efforts at the Consult level or higher. It documents what was heard, how input influenced the decision, what couldn't change and why, and what happens next.

Representation

The inclusion of diverse voices and perspectives in public processes so that decisions reflect the actual range of people affected, not just those easiest to reach.

“Same Twenty People” Syndrome

The tendency for public engagement processes to consistently attract the same vocal, organized, or well-resourced participants while missing those most affected by a decision. Equity-centered engagement actively works to break this pattern.

Situation Assessment

The process of gathering information to determine what kind of engagement is needed, who the key stakeholders are, what level of influence is available, and what risks exist. Completed as part of Step 1 of the Seven Required Steps.

Social Inclusion

The process of improving conditions so that individuals and groups can fully take part in civic life, including public decision-making processes.

Sponsor Agency

The department or team responsible for designing and conducting engagement on a specific project, policy, or program.

Stakeholder

Any community member, organization, or institution that is affected by or has a stake in a county decision. Stakeholders include those who support, oppose, or are indifferent to a proposal.

Stakeholder Mapping

The documented process of identifying who is affected by a decision, who may be excluded without intentional outreach, and what barriers to participation exist. Required in Step 3 of the Seven Required Steps.

Structural Exclusion

Systems, policies, and practices, often historical in origin, that have intentionally or functionally excluded certain communities from civic participation. Acknowledging structural exclusion is foundational to equity-centered engagement.

Transparency

Providing community members with honest, accessible information about what the County is doing, why, what's open for input, and how decisions will be made.

Trust

The foundation of effective community engagement. Trust is built through consistent follow-through, honest communication, and genuine responsiveness to community input. It can take years to build and can be lost quickly.

Underrepresentation

The condition in which certain groups are not proportionately included in engagement processes relative to their presence in the affected population.

Vulnerable Populations

Communities that face heightened risk of harm from decisions, often due to economic disadvantage, racial inequity, lack of access to services, disability, or other systemic factors. Engagement planning must account for and prioritize their inclusion.