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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 […]

In almost six years of writing these Topics we have probably enthused about consultation without acknowledging that there are times when the best advice is, Don’t do it! Some of these are pretty obvious. If you recently asked people their views but nothing much happened, it’s a waste of time to repeat the exercise. Maybe

There’s nothing quite like a personal recommendation. The opposite applies too. So an individual’s advice not to touch a particular product with a barge pole is also pretty useful. It accounts or the popularity of such websites as the US-based Tripadvisor, where those who’ve stayed at hotels or taken holidays can tell the world about

You can now enter a pharmacy and, over the counter, buy machines that measure your blood pressure. Gone are the days when you have to go to your doctor’s surgery and have it tested by the professionals; welcome to the world of self-assessment. Well measurement anyway…. Some of this is due to smarter technology, but

The Mayor of Bedford died recently. There will now be a fresh election in mid-October and, last week, the Conservative Party held an ‘open primary’ whereby anyone could come along and select their candidate. They didn’t have to be members of the Party; neither did they necessarily have to be supporters. They were allowed to

A camel, according to the famous cliché, is a horse designed by a committee. It’s a terrific image, and makes the point so well. In fact it makes several points. Some people think the phrase is meant to illustrate what an ugly, ungainly animal can result when you start tinkering with a perfectly adequate concept

Some people think that the mega-meeting now taking place in Copenhagen is the most important negotiation that will take place in our lifetimes. Others believe that it has been over-hyped, hi-jacked by certain interest groups and will achieve very little. Whichever stance you take, it is instructive to observe the various attempts that have been

A few days ago, one of our Regional newspapers gleefully reported that ‘political apathy has reached a new low’. The headline said Less than 0.01% of … voters responded to a major consultation on elected mayors. Smack! Another strike for the cynics who despise public consultation! Unfortunately, on this occasion the facts are about as

Critics of current participation frequently point out that much of it amounts to ‘going through the motions’. By this they probably mean that individuals or groups are keen to be seen to be doing something, but that their hearts are not really in it. Half-hearted may indeed be an accurate description. This argument surfaced regularly

Seasoned customer service professionals have long realised that there are occasions when their job is just to listen! Poor service, unrealised expectations, disappointing experiences or even bad luck sometimes push people towards the end of their tether. When this happens, they just need to get something off their chest. This is why we have Rant