ICMA is committed to providing workshops that are affordable, accessible, and designed to meet the specific needs of local government professionals. By partnering with localities, state associations, and universities in the delivery of these programs, we are able to reduce travel costs and provide high-quality workshops.

Half-day workshops: $3,960 for states with a signed affiliation agreement with ICMA for up to 50 participants. Non-affiliated states pay an additional fee.
 

Workshop: Informed Policy Making: Engaging Elected Officials in Performance Management

Scorecards and performance benchmarks help elevate the discussion among managers and department heads, but they often remain on the sidelines of key policy-making discussions with elected officials.  How can you put this data to most effective use with your board without leaving them bored?  How do you move beyond the budget crisis of the day to consideration of broader outcomes?  What happens if those elected officials are also in charge of departments?  Explore how you can engage these key stakeholders as part of your efforts at continuous organizational improvement. (Practice group: 7 – Strategic Planning)

Workshop: Gauging Public Opinion The Right Way

Local government leaders get a mass of resident opinions every day. From traditional public comments at council meetings to social media and digital town halls, vocal residents are always finding ways to express their opinions about their cities and towns. But is reacting only to those “squeaky wheels” enough to truly benefit the entire community? The truth is, opinions provided in these formats don’t often represent all residents. That makes it easy for thousands of constituent voices to go unheard.  Fortunately, there are more effective, inclusive and systematic ways to harness resident opinion. In this workshop, experts from National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) will share tried-and-true public engagement methods – including surveys (mail, phone and web), focus groups and panels.  You’ll even discover ways to use existing technology such as your website, Nextdoor and other social media platforms to engage residents in cost-effective ways that do not rely solely on the leanings of a vocal few. This workshop will not only cover the methods to capture resident opinion, but also how to use this crucial resource of resident opinion to move forward on strategic planning, performance measurement and policy analysis. Join us and other local change-makers in making communities better places to live for all residents and stakeholders. (Practice Groups:  7– Strategic Planning; 11- Technological Literacy) 

Workshop: 360 Degrees of Data 

Right now, you are sitting on a wealth of data about your community. Or maybe you’ve become so paralyzed by the numbers that you can’t see your way out. Luckily, overwhelming volumes of information don’t need to become an obstacle to making evidence-based decisions and moving your community forward in longer-lasting ways. This workshop will teach you data trends affecting local government and skills needed in your staff to thrive in the era of Big Data.  Experts from National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) will help you identify the optimal methods to gather, assess and analyze the data you already have at your fingertips. Learn to determine what’s working, what isn’t and how to move forward. Join us for this interactive workshop experience, and leave ready to transform that pile of data into a meaningful, 360-degree view of your community that provides the groundwork for strategic planning and other endeavors.  (Practice Group: 7– Strategic Planning) 

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