THE CONSULTATION INSTITUTE

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CE-102Intermediate · Virtual workshop
Engagement

Planning & delivering a project for better participation.

Success isn't only how many people take part. It's who. Plan and deliver engagement and consultation projects designed from the outset for the representation that makes them credible, good practice.

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A collaborative project-planning workshop in practice
1 day
Duration
£295+VAT
Public · per delegate
POA
In-house
30 CPD
Credits
Fig. 01 · Planning for participation
01Overview

Better participation is designed in, not hoped for.

For some projects success is measured by how many people take part; for others, by who takes part. Good practice is both: and it rarely happens by accident.

This practical course helps you plan and deliver a project that achieves the representation it needs. You'll start with why better participation matters and what 'better' looks like in different scenarios, then work through how to reach different groups, what persuades people to take part, and how to keep them involved.

Through exercises and deliberation, you'll leave with clearer priorities for participation on a project-by-project basis, and a practical grasp of making sense of the data your engagement produces.

02Learning outcomes

What you'll take away

By the end of the day, delegates can design a project for the participation it needs, and turn what they gather into credible evidence.

01Decide what 'better participation' means for a project: the numbers, who takes part, or both
02Reach different groups and profiles, and choose forms of engagement that work for each
03Understand what persuades people to take part, and what keeps them involved
04Gain consent to hold participants' data and re-involve them, and treat them well afterwards
05Handle quantitative and qualitative data, including weighting and basic measures of error
06Combine, synthesise and report evidence to a recognised model of best practice
03The day

Four sessions

A full day of practical instruction, exercises and open deliberation.

09:30Why better participation?What 'better' looks like in different scenarios, and how to think about participation from the outset.
11:00Reaching the right peopleReaching different groups, what persuades them to take part, and gaining consent to involve and re-involve.
13:30Working with the dataData types, weighting and error, and techniques for analysing qualitative responses.
15:00Synthesis & reportingCombining quantitative and qualitative evidence and reporting it to a best-practice model.
04Who it's for

Anyone who designs or runs a project.

For anyone planning or delivering an engagement or consultation project who wants it to reach, and represent: the right people.

Consultation & engagement officers
Communications & engagement teams
Policy & strategy leads
Community & stakeholder managers
Project & programme managers
05Continue learning
All courses →
Intermediate Preparing for a public consultation Scope, plan and design a consultation that stands up before you go public. View course → Intermediate Conducting a public consultation Run a live consultation well, from launch to close. View course → Intermediate Do more with less Deliver effective engagement when budgets and time are tight. View course →
06Before you book

Common questions

Anything not covered here, ask us. We answer the same day.

01How many CPD points do I earn?Thirty tCI CPD points. Every virtual and face-to-face course carries 30, and points are logged against your record when you attend. Members can download a CPD statement from the membership portal at any time, and this course counts towards the taught element of a tCI qualification.
02Is it virtual or face-to-face?Open places run as a live virtual workshop, delivered in real time by a tCI trainer, never a recording. Groups stay small enough that everyone can speak, and you work in breakouts as well as listening. The same course runs face-to-face at your own offices as an in-house session.
03How long is the course?One full day, 09:30 to 16:30, in four sessions with breaks between each, opening with Why better participation? and closing with Synthesis & reporting. The day is built around practical exercises rather than presentation, so you leave having worked on better engagement rather than only having heard about it.
04Can you run this in-house for our team?Yes, and it is the usual choice for teams of six or more. In-house delivery works from your sector and the consultations you have in front of you, so the better engagement exercises use your own material. We can run it in person or virtually, and split it across two half-days where a full day is hard to protect. Ask us about bespoke for a quote.
05Do I need prior experience or other courses first?No prior course is required. It is pitched at intermediate level, so it suits people who have run or commissioned engagement already. Newer practitioners do well on it too. You will simply cover some foundational ground faster than others in the room.
06Who delivers the course?A tCI trainer who specialises in engagement practice and works in it, not only teaches it. The named trainer for each date is shown on the course calendar and confirmed in your joining instructions the week before. You can put live problems to them on the day and expect a straight answer.

Bring this workshop in-house for your whole team

The same course, reworked around the consultations your team is running.

Book this course → Enquire about bespoke
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