Navigating Adaptive Challenges in Public Engagement

June 11, 2026 

1:00 - 4:30 PM EST

Navigating Adaptive Challenges in Public Engagement

This interactive online course equips participants with practical frameworks to navigate complex, high-risk public situations that cannot be resolved through technical fixes alone. Grounded in adaptive leadership and ethical public engagement, the course helps participants diagnose emerging challenges, recognize early warning signs of escalation, and intentionally choose interventions that reduce harm and support productive solutions. Participants will explore how fear, identity, power, and uncertainty shape behavior and apply connection-based strategies to regulate tension rather than suppress it. Using real-world scenarios and adaptive design practices, the course builds professional judgment for responding thoughtfully when situations feel volatile and outcomes are uncertain.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Distinguish between technical problems and adaptive challenges in public engagement and organizational contexts.
2. Diagnose early warning signs of escalation by identifying shifts in emotion, trust, identity threat, and power dynamics.
3. Apply adaptive leadership principles to regulate tension, slow reactive responses, and create conditions for learning and dialogue.
4. Select appropriate interventions by distinguishing when control-based responses are necessary and when connection-based approaches are more effective.
5. Use a structured diagnostic framework to make ethical decisions when authority, time, or clarity is limited.
6. Employ adaptive design practices—such as testing small, low-risk actions—to learn forward in uncertain or high-stakes situations.
7. Demonstrate alignment with IAP2 Core Values by supporting informed participation, respecting diverse perspectives, and clearly communicating how engagement input informs decisions.
8. Increase confidence and professional judgment when navigating emotionally charged or politically sensitive engagement environments.

Cost: $200 Members  --  $275 Non Members  --  $125 Student Members. 

PLEASE NOTE: IAP2 USA members must be logged into iap2usa.org as a member to register at the member rate.

Members from other IAP2 regions need a code to register which can be obtained from info@iap2usa.org. 

 — Cancellation and Substitution policy —

Trainer: Rachael Kuroiwa

 Rachael is the Director of Communication and Engagement for the City of Arvada, Colorado, where she leads strategic efforts to build public trust, strengthen civic participation, and improve transparency in local government. With a career rooted in public service, Rachael is known for her ability to navigate high-stakes, high-conflict community issues with clarity, empathy, and innovation.