Enhance Your Public Participation Skills with Upcoming IAP2 Training Opportunities

The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) is offering two upcoming online courses designed to enhance the skills of professionals in public participation and community engagement. The Designing & Leading Public Participation course (April 14-17, 2025) will help practitioners master the design and planning phases of public participation, including stakeholder analysis, equity analysis, and developing engagement objectives. The Working with Conflict and High Emotion course (April 15-23, 2025) will focus on de-escalating conflict and managing emotional dynamics in public participation processes. Both courses are ideal for professionals seeking to deepen their expertise in public dialogue and decision-making. Read more in the blog post below.

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The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) is offering two valuable professional development opportunities this April for dialogue and deliberation practitioners looking to enhance their skills. These online courses provide essential training for those working in community engagement, public participation, and collaborative decision-making processes.

​Designing & Leading Public Participation

April 14-17, 2025 | 1:00-5:00 PM EDT daily

This Level 2 course introduces practitioners to the design and planning phases of the public participation framework. Participants will develop concrete P2 plans while learning to:

• Develop clear project scopes with identified negotiables and non-negotiables
• Conduct detailed stakeholder analysis, community mapping, and equity analysis
• Establish appropriate roles and levels of influence for key participants
• Create engagement objectives with measurable success criteria
• Incorporate digital strategies and tools into engagement plans
• Develop evaluation frameworks for public participation initiatives

The course provides hands-on experience developing and presenting P2 plans that can secure commitment and resources from organizational leadership. It's especially valuable for practitioners who are leading planning and implementation of public participation processes.
Trainer: Cathy Smith, one of just 15 Certified Public Participation Practitioners in the country and IAP2USA's Past President.
Cost:

• AICP/APA Members: $600
• International IAP2 Members: $550
• Non-Members: $650
• Student Members: $400

Professional Certification: This course is required for IAP2 Professional Certification and eligible for 16 AICP Continuing Education Credits.
Registration: Register for Designing & Leading Public Participation

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​Working with Conflict and High Emotion

April 15-23, 2025 | 10:00 AM-3:00 PM MDT
(Sessions on April 15, 16, 22, and 23)
This advanced Level 3 course focuses on de-escalating conflict and transforming high emotion into constructive participation. It provides practical, tangible approaches to resolve polarized and emotional challenges in engagement processes.
Participants will learn to:

• Assess and address conflict in P2 processes
• Work through stages of conflict escalation and apply de-escalation techniques
• Transform conflict using various strategies
• Reduce conflict in situations involving misinformation and competing facts
• Apply storytelling principles to increase understanding and reduce conflict
• Model integrity and behaviors that defuse tense situations

This course is ideal for experienced practitioners who are managing challenging P2 processes or working in polarized environments.
Prerequisites: Completion of "Fundamentals of Public Participation" or IAP2's previous Foundations Training is required.
Trainer: Cassie Hemphill, Ph.D., who brings over 25 years of experience in designing and leading public participation processes. She holds certifications as an IAP2 USA Certified Public Participation Practitioner (CP3), Certified Mediator (CM), and Certified Virtual Facilitator (CVF).
Cost:

• IAP2 Members: $550
• Non-Members: $650

Registration: Register for Working with Conflict and High Emotion

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Both courses will be conducted online with experienced trainers and offer opportunities to apply learning to real-world scenarios. These trainings align perfectly with NCDD's commitment to advancing the field of dialogue and deliberation through professional development.
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Space is limited for these valuable professional development opportunities, so early registration is encouraged.