NYC Small Business Services: Public Engagement Training for Civic Servants

Category
Professional Trainings, Social Impact Strategy
About This Project

 

Providing the building blocks of public engagement and facilitation to the Department of Small Business Services.

 

The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is committed to driving economic growth and supporting business across all five boroughs. Working with community partners and adjacent agencies, the SBS Neighborhood Planning Team (NPT) develops strategies for localized neighborhood revitalization. Seeking to foster skill development in public engagement and facilitation, SBS sought TYTHE’s expertise to design and lead a five-part training session for the team.

 

OUR STRATEGY

 

TYTHE worked closely with SBS NPT leadership to understand existing initiatives, the team’s gaps in knowledge, and opportunities for future growth. We developed an intensive custom curriculum directly catering to the needs and responsibilities of civil servants that would be applicable throughout the diverse neighborhoods of New York.

Content ranged from agenda development and facilitation techniques to building inclusive environments and room layout, serving as a comprehensive best practices framework for public engagement and facilitation. Each course built on the last, offering opportunities for hands-on modeling in tandem with lectures.

 

THE OUTCOME

 

A Stronger Public Sector

Five workshops provided hands-on experience and modeling practice with comprehensive and actionable techniques for civil servants to lead effective public engagements. The curriculum was catered to the unique responsibilities of civil servants, detailing how to set achievable goals, lead inclusive and productive conversations, and share outcomes with stakeholders.

 

Continued Support

As SBS begins to utilize the skills and techniques in its current projects, TYTHEdesign has supported implementation through coaching and troubleshooting to assist the NPT in engaging New Yorkers citywide. To supplement the workshops and foster continued learning, TYTHE developed an extensive public engagement support guide for SBS, compiling best practices for participatory planning and facilitation techniques.

 


 

Client: New York City Department of Small Business Services

 

Collaborators: Kristina Drury, Grace Moore, Alix Gerber, Mary Kathryn Fisher

 

Year: 2016