• Hire a knowledgeable moderator to start the process, although a community member with some background in community development could readily pick up the key concepts through the 'kit' which is sold by the Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation.
• Assemble the three-dimensional model of the neighbourhood from lightweight material and in easily-transportable sections (ask volunteers, a local club, students, or others as a way to involve key people). The model is usually best at a scale of 1 to 200 or 1 to 300, which allows people to identify their own home.
• Use the model to publicise public meetings, by taking it around shopping centres and community meeting points for about two weeks to generate interest and begin the process of identifying problems and opportunities.
• Begin training sessions with a few local residents to familiarise them with the process.
• Hold public meetings where cutouts are placed on the model as a way to identify issues of concern to the community.
• Form small, ad hoc 'working parties' around these issues, for example, Traffic, Shopping Facilities, Play Areas, Work Opportunities, Coastal Zone Management and Planing etc. These working parties then meet to work out details and to negotiate between conflicting interests and priorities, using a 'Now, Soon, Later' chart as guide.
• Plan a series of activities to develop a momentum that continues into specific practical proposals. Sufficient time is needed for an effective exercise. Three months is suggested for the initial stage of mobilization, setting up a steering group, building the model and publicizing the sessions.
• Circulate steps taken in local newsletter and/or media.