1. Trust – can be earned in a number of ways,
mostly through introductions by people
who already have established trust with the
community and/or key stakeholders. Shared
action and working together on a sustainable
basis will generate trust provided the
additional principles are applied.
2. Mutual respect – commitment to respect
should be communicated through verbal
and non-verbal behaviour and through
action, such as setting up ground rules for
engagement in the initial meeting.
3. Clarity of roles and responsibilities
– roles need to be communicated in a
number of forums including at meetings and
in written or video material.
4. Agreement to listen – there needs to be
a commitment from all players to active
listening. This can be conveyed in a group
setting through the establishment of
ground rules which are determined by the
participants.
5. Power sharing – structures and agreements
have to be put in place to acknowledge how
power will be shared between partners.
6. Accessible and transparent decisionmaking
structures – decision-making
structures need to be agreed, respected and
communicated by all participants through
a variety of mediums being sensitive to the
learning needs of the community.
7. Empowerment – provide an environment
where there is conscious sharing of activities,
decision-making, advocacy, and recognition
of human rights.
40 Engaging Queenslanders – A guide to community engagement methods and techniques
8. Training, skills development and
education for all partners – through skill
development in the areas of collaboration
and leadership meaningful community
capacity can be harnessed and supported.
Concrete contributions to personal,
organisatio