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Self-selected samples – When consultation respondents might be unrepresentative

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An experienced consultation officer in the NHS recently could scarcely conceal her delight. The consultation had resulted in a 1% participation rate, regarded by her bosses and many others as being a creditable achievement. In the cool light of another day, of course it may look differently. Not only does the arithmetic mean 1% is […]

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Birth of a consultation option. – Once an option …always an option? Or maybe not…!

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A public body we know has spent two years – on and off – examining a wholesale reorganisation of its service. In many ways it has been a textbook exercise. Key stakeholders were identified early; there was open-minded, inclusive engagement, based on truthful data and honest analysis. As time wore on, several possible scenarios emerged,

Birth of a consultation option. – Once an option …always an option? Or maybe not…! Read More »

Consultation interruptus…? – What happens when something unexpected happens during a consultation?

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Not so long ago, a public consultation was a reasonably predictable process. We prepared a suitable document, outlining the problem and maybe a series of possible solutions. It was published and supported by a range of data gathering methods ranging from questionnaires through to public meetings or an online discussion. Not every exercise lasted 12

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Consultation boundaries…? Wisely determining the scope of a consultation is critical to its success

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These are torrid times for those organising public consultations in the National Health Service. And the fallout from their experience will ripple through a wide range of other services where change is the order of the day. Faced with almost daily allegations that corrode people’s confidence in Managers and Inspectors alike, a hapless Secretary of

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Key public engagement issues for large-scale infrastructure projects

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By Mike Bartram Briefing Paper 13 June 2008 Contents Consultation – An afterthought – 2 Where do major infrastructure projects come from? – 2 Defining your project – 3 Forming a project team – 3 Planning the consultation – 4 The challenge of consulting on major projects – 6 Conclusion – 7 Mike Bartram details – 8 Consultation – an afterthought All too

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A career in consultation …? – What was once a haphazardly occasional add-on is now a core capability for many organisations.

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Six months ago, Forbes magazine named ten jobs that didn’t exist ten years ago. Okay, so there’s a flavour of the US about the list but, half way between an App Developer and the Sustainability expert, came two roles that rang bells in the Consultation Institute.

A career in consultation …? – What was once a haphazardly occasional add-on is now a core capability for many organisations. Read More »

Towards an evidence-based profession – The Institute announces a collaboration to launch the Huddersfield Centre for Communications and Consultation Research

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We founded the Consultation Institute ten years ago! And, in that time, we have tried hard to promote best practice – in a discipline that has frankly lacked the kind of academic underpinning that it should have had.

Towards an evidence-based profession – The Institute announces a collaboration to launch the Huddersfield Centre for Communications and Consultation Research Read More »

A single killer question – Will the ‘Friends and Family’ question help cure the NHS? And is this the right way to consult customers?

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Last week, the re-organised NHS in England started in earnest to use a single standard benchmark question. It reads: “How likely are you to recommend our “ward/A&E department” to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?” and uses a five point scale with the results shown as the ‘Net promoter score’.

A single killer question – Will the ‘Friends and Family’ question help cure the NHS? And is this the right way to consult customers? Read More »

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