1 day
Duration
£295+VAT
Public · per delegate
POA
In-house
30 CPD
Credits
Fig. 01 · Running the exercise
01Overview
A good plan still has to survive contact with the public.
Once a consultation goes live, the work shifts from planning to management: promoting the exercise, supporting respondents, fielding questions and dealing with the issues that always arise. Done well, this phase builds trust; done poorly, it undermines everything.
This course covers the whole live exercise: launching effectively, keeping engagement high, staying fair and impartial under pressure, and closing cleanly so the analysis that follows is sound.
02Learning outcomes
What you'll take away
Delegates leave able to manage a live consultation with confidence and control.
01Launch a consultation and drive early participation
02Support and engage respondents throughout
03Stay impartial and fair when the exercise is contested
04Manage questions, complaints and the unexpected
05Keep accurate records that evidence a fair process
06Close the exercise cleanly and prepare for analysis
03The day
Four sessions
A full day on the live exercise, from launch to close.
09:30Launching wellA strong start that drives early participation.
11:00Keeping it goingSustaining engagement across the consultation window.
13:30Staying fairImpartiality and record-keeping under pressure.
15:00Closing cleanlyWrapping up so analysis starts on firm ground.
04Who it's for
For those in the thick of it.
For officers responsible for running consultations once they are live.
Consultation & engagement officers
Project managers
Communications & press teams
Customer-facing staff
Anyone managing a live consultation
Intermediate
Preparing for a Public Consultation
The planning that comes before you go live.
View course →
Intermediate
Data Analysis and Report Writing
Make sense of what the exercise produced.
View course →
Intermediate
Applying Law of Consultation
Keep the live exercise legally sound.
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 ‘Launching well’ and closing with ‘Closing cleanly’. The day is built around practical exercises rather than presentation, so you leave having worked on running a consultation 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 running a consultation 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. If you want the groundwork first, Preparing for a public consultation is a good precursor.
06Who delivers the course?A tCI trainer who specialises in the consultation process 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.