Originally published 5 January 2010. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
A public engagement strategy has to respond to many conflicting pressures.
Few things matter more than a good understanding of those people with whom you wish to engage; stakeholder identification is almost always done by or with those who know the thematic area; they often have a history of dealings with key people and may be the obvious choice for holding a dialogue on the subject.
On the other hand, the sheer variability of experience among those with such knowledge, and the need to integrate each listening exercise into a wider programme has led to inevitable centralisation, the introduction of sensible standards and more prescribed processes. Tighter budgets and inflexible deadlines just add to the pressure and the availability of great new technology tools offer cost-savings if we run it all from one place.
So it is heartening to see a growing consensus that is alert to the dangers of running dialogues just from desks, and advocates a policy of deliberately going out into the community – whatever it might be – and sitting down and talking to people. It explains the popularity of exhibitions and roadshows of all kinds. There are many advantages. You can target a particular area; you can carefully manage the information that is presented; it promotes your image as a listening organisation, and helps you access people who might otherwise not participate in your consultation.
Typically, they fall into two categories. In one case, the organisation takes its issue to the streets. Come and tell us what you think of the local hospital; we will be in the market square on Saturday morning. In the other case, we take advantage of an event that will attract large numbers of people, and take exhibition space in order to promote ourselves and our issues. On the basis of sheer numbers, the latter model wins hands-down. If it’s volume or ‘footfall’ you’re after, go to the Village Fete, or the County Show every time.
Think of it as a practical method of seeking that elusive stratified sample. We know how difficult it is with a postal questionnaire; even telephone surveys find it challenging. But going out into the ‘community’ either on the back of someone else’s event, or creating your own mini-event increases your chances of reaching a wide range of people considerably.
At this point, however, beware. Too many of these exhibitions can degenerate into simple PR – public relations exercises. Lavish displays and glossy literature sit uneasily alongside attempts to seek citizens’ views about hard choices, rationed services, or even cuts! You may invite the riposte What should you do? Cut out this unnecessary sideshow for a start!
The other danger is to use the event for general rather than specific feedback. If the cost is met from the PR budget, remember that their key measures may be around overall perceptions of the Council, the Health Trust, the Police or whatever the organisation – (or Partnership) may be. In a consultation, there should be a pretty specific set of issues where public opinion may need to be garnered. Some of these may not be comfortable for local residents; hard decisions are just that. Hard!
It makes it vital that before one marches confidently into that market square, care is taken to think through the data you need to capture. This can help you decide what techniques to use. Is this a case for the smart lady or gentleman with a clipboard and a smile? Or is this where you set up a full-scale Big-Brother style Diary Room to entice youngsters to get their feelings off their chests?
In the planning world, promoters of contentious developments have taken to organising ‘drop-in centres’ where local residents can call and talk to the friendly face of the developer. These are no doubt valuable dialogues, and are best viewed as a series of one-to-one’s. But to work well, they need meticulous preparation, and a very clear insight as to the kind of input that decision-makers are prepared to consider - if they simply become ‘persuasion centres’, then the dialogue is fraud, as one party has no effective capacity to listen.
This shows the perils of rushing to be seen to be out there. It’s still the right overall approach, but make sure it is properly considered.
Trigger points
- To what extent does your organisation go out to meet consultees where they are found – rather than requiring them to come to you?
- What is the relationship between PR and consultation? Do you understand each other’s differing requirements?
This is the 152nd Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement