THE CONSULTATION INSTITUTE

ESTABLISHED 2003 - 5,000+ PROFESSIONALS TRAINED

EP-102Intermediate · Virtual workshop
Engagement

Making community engagement meaningful.

Move beyond tokenistic consultation to engagement that reaches communities, including the voices most often missed, and earns real trust.

A practitioner standing in an open-plan office looking towards the camera
1 day
Duration
£295+VAT
Public · per delegate
POA
In-house
30 CPD
Credits
Fig. 01 · Reaching the seldom-heard
01Overview

Engagement that communities can feel the point of.

Too much community engagement reaches only the usual, confident few. Meaningful engagement is deliberate about who it includes, honest about what can change, and built on relationships rather than one-off exercises.

This course explores how to design engagement that communities value: reaching the seldom-heard, building trust, being clear about influence, and closing the loop so people see what their input changed.

02Learning outcomes

What you'll take away

Delegates leave able to design engagement that reaches and respects communities.

01Recognise who is typically missed and why
02Design inclusive methods that reach seldom-heard groups
03Build trust with communities over time
04Be honest about the scope and limits of influence
05Close the feedback loop so people see the impact
06Avoid the tokenism that erodes trust
03The day

Four sessions

A full day on inclusive, trusted community engagement.

09:30Who gets missedUnderstanding under-represented voices.
11:00Inclusive methodsPractical ways to reach the seldom-heard.
13:30Building trustRelationships that outlast one exercise.
15:00Closing the loopShowing communities what changed.
04Who it's for

For engagement that means something.

For anyone who wants community engagement to reach beyond the usual respondents.

Community engagement officers
Consultation officers
Voluntary-sector partners
Public health & wellbeing teams
Anyone working with communities
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 ‘Who gets missed’ and closing with ‘Closing the loop’. The day is built around practical exercises rather than presentation, so you leave having worked on community 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 community 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. If you want the groundwork first, Facilitation skills is a good precursor.
06Who delivers the course?A tCI trainer who specialises in community 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.

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