The Field Guide - Session Four: Listening, Belonging and Local Story

How to engage people, understand place and build shared ownership

What is it?

This day is about listening deeply, understanding place and helping people move from participation to ownership.
It brings together the Field Guide chapters on listening, belonging, agency, place, story and identity. The day is especially useful for people designing consultations, community engagement, regeneration projects, place-based programmes or creative work with communities.
It asks: who are we listening to, who are we missing, what stories shape this place, and how do we turn listening into action?

Who is it for?

This day is for:

• Councils and community engagement teams 
• Regeneration and place-based partnerships 
• Artists and creative producers 
• Community organisers and facilitators 
• Local charities and civic organisations 
• Funders and infrastructure bodies 
• Researchers and evaluators 
• Anyone working with communities to shape future plans 

What will we cover?

• Listening as an ongoing practice, not a one-off consultation 
• How to ask better questions 
• Formal and informal listening methods 
• How to close the feedback loop 
• How people move from curious to participant to contributor to co-owner 
• Mapping local stories, hidden assets and dominant narratives 
• Understanding power, gatekeeping and who “holds the keys” 
• How to work with the rhythm of a place rather than imposing a process 

What will you take away?

Participants will leave with:

• A Listening Map for their own organisation, project or place 
• A Place and Story Audit they can use locally 
• A clearer understanding of who they are hearing from and who is missing 
• Practical ways to invite deeper participation 
• A plan for turning listening into action 
• Stronger language for community engagement that feels honest and useful