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There’s a real debate about the role that consultation plays in achieving significant social or political change. Some say that going to consultation is a sure-fire way to slow down progress. Produce a radical idea that challenges existing vested interests, and howls of protest manifest themselves in all kinds of ways – including responses to […]

Consultation is used to fulfil many objectives…….probably far too many; it’s one of the problems that leads to unwarranted expectations. One role, however, that is seldom exploited sufficiently, but may be poised for greater significance, is that of acting as a check upon the executive. Here’s how. In the last ten years we’ve seen a

The practice of publishing web logs or blogs is one of the most rapidly expanding phenomena of the new technology age. Stated simply it refers to individuals publishing their reflections on the web, usually as a kind of online diary. Estimates of numbers vary widely, but one source quotes 15,000 new blogs being written every

In the dozens of Consultation Strategies received by the Institute there are countless lists of reasons for undertaking consultation exercises. On average there are six to ten objectives, often liberally sprinkled with the latest fashionable buzz-words. Yet one of the most persistent reasons why people undertake consultations is seldom ever mentioned. It is literally taboo!

If the term “broken links” means anything to some of us, it is likely to be in the context of the internet. It refers to that infuriating moment when you click on a button, an icon or even a web address and you receive that wonderful piece of Microsoft prose: The page cannot be displayed

A woman I know is a Samaritan. Whether by instinct or by training, she is remarkably good at listening. People want to tell her their feelings; they will readily unburden before her. And although she seldom offers solutions, her ability to respond empathetically often makes her confidante feel a lot better. Like others in many

At one our recent Seminars on Engaging the Hard-to-Reach, one participant was heard to complain that if you added up the numbers identified in each of the separate groups thought to fall into this category, you exceed the population of the UK by about 250%! In other words, by the time you’ve made special provision

We’ve just passed the 2005 deadline for e-enabling the citizens’ interactions with Government and its agencies. Beyond the predictable and competing claims of success by the programme’s supporters and carping criticisms from its opponents, it is worth remembering that the whole e-government initiative has been a journey into the unknown. In historic terms, five years

Law-makers have switched on to the idea of consultation, with the result that our legislation is becoming very prescriptive, and requires all kinds of public bodies to consult a vast range of stakeholders. At one level, this is undoubtedly good news. It recognises that too many decisions taken by well-meaning quangos or civil servants took

Listening effectively to the public, through professionally-organised consultations is a challenge. If decision-makers are to do better than just respond through knee-jerk reactions to opinion-poll data, care is needed to select consultation methods that provide the most useful and meaningful insight into the issues. There is no shortage of methods. At the last count, the