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The principal activity of the Public Forum Institute is the planning and organization of public policy forums that bring together elected officials, specialists, and the public to address timely and relevant public policy issues. Events are chaired by members of Congress and other elected officials who have decision-making responsibilities, and are held in local communities across the country. Those who have chaired forums have found them to be a valuable means of providing leadership on public policy concerns in their communities and an effective means of communicating with the public about national policy issues. These one-day forums feature formal presentations by nationally recognized authorities, panel discussions with local leaders, roundtable exercises, and other interactive exchanges between experts and the audience, often using the Forum's audience response system, eFORUM. Events also have integrated live coverage by television networks and cable systems, internet broadcasts, and two-way satellite teleconferencing. All forums are free and open to the public. Forums are designed to facilitate the widest possible dissemination of information and ideas. Forum participants are invited by a personal letter from the chair. Additionally, an extensive invitation list is developed with local organizations, typically including area decision-makers, representatives of business, labor and civic organizations, policy experts, educators, citizen groups and others with an interest in the topic. Attendance at events averages 300 people, and has reached as high as 5,000. The Forum has developed an extensive network of policy experts and opinion leaders across the political spectrum. The Forum conducts a number of broad-based policy summits in the nation’s capital – facilitating the exchange of information and ideas at the national level. In order to bring up-to-date information to policymakers, the Forum organizes regular issue briefings for congressional staff on Capitol Hill. The Forum’s eFORUM audience response system is used to instantly measure the opinions and knowledge of the participants.
To broaden the horizons of elected officials and their staff, the Forum organizes fact-finding trips. In the United States, such visits enable policymakers to gain firsthand exposure to the areas of American life about which they must make decisions. Overseas, delegations gain a greater understanding of other cultures and ways of life that must interface with the United States. Building relationships with other international leaders helps American policymakers make informed decisions on issues ranging from the environment to national security to trade. eFORUM is the Public Forum Institute’s in-house audience response system. The system transforms audience members into fully engaged participants, enabling them to make a valuable contribution throughout the course of our forums. Forum participants are given wireless, handheld units to anonymously respond to questions posed throughout the day by speakers, moderators, panelists, or each other. Results are immediately tabulated and displayed on monitors or screens for all to see – providing instant citizen feedback for policymakers and timely statistics for reporters covering the forum. Keypads
help the Forum turn a dry, one-way flow of information into a
dynamic back-and-forth between hundreds or even thousands of
motivated participants. For example, early in the day, participants
can be asked to guide the course of a briefing by choosing the
specific policy issues they want speakers or panels to address.
In the middle of their presentation, speakers can ask
participants to share their opinions or knowledge of an issue, and
use the feedback as a transition into a new section of their
presentation.
A panel moderator can ask people to express agreement or
disagreement with a statement someone just made.
Further, with a brief brainstorming session, participants can
create their own list of options and then vote to select a course of
action.
When a more detailed examination of the opinions and predictions of Congress is called for, the Forum turns to its network of congressional contacts fostered through more than 300 congressionally-chaired public forums. A representative cross section of members of Congress or staff based on party, region or committee is interviewed to measure attitudes on issues. Each quarter, the Forum hosts one morning event to bring together friends of the Forum with public officials and other leaders to engage in a small, roundtable policy discussion. Each event is co-hosted by a member of Congress and focuses on a specific legislative or public policy issue. The Forum keeps the American public abreast of its activities through a variety of publications, including a newsletter, initiative reports and forum summaries. On a quarterly basis, the Forum distributes its newsletter, The Column, informing readers of its recently completed initiatives as well as those on the horizon. Following its issue initiatives, the Forum publishes final reports highlighting key findings, and following each of its public forums, it posts a summary of the proceedings here on its website, www.PublicForumInstitute.org. |
Explanation of Forum Activities
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