Being awkward - Is the ‘Awkward Squad’ an inevitable feature of a contentious consultation?

Experienced organisers of consultations are familiar with many caricatured groups of people.

The phrase Usual Suspects is often used to describe those who can be relied upon to appear in all weathers and offer their views with enthusiasm on even the most boring subject. Many a consultor has forgiven them their foibles just because their presence avoids the embarrassment of empty halls or inadequate samples. But they have to be treated with some caution as they are rarely representative of the other group we identify as The Silent Majority!

Somewhere between these two extremes lies The Awkward Squad. They are not ever-present, because unlike the Usual Suspects, they need some kind of trigger – an ill-defined threshold beyond which they become interested in a particular cause. Whereas those who participate (or possibly over-participate) often establish a rapport with those who manage public engagement, and soon become forgiving of occasional lapses, The Awkward Squad eschews any such sympathies, and is usually defined by a reluctance ever to see any viewpoint save their own.

Consult a dictionary and you will discover that awkward can be defined as ‘lacking skill or dexterity’ and in some consultation situations, this may be what we see. Engaging the public often calls for communication skills of a high order. Not everyone has them and we have all witnessed dialogues where one party or both parties struggle to express themselves. Indeed there are groups of people who, lacking natural facility with language or other skills, need help to express their arguments. In our Seminars on Engaging the Hard-to-Reach we have heard magnificent case studies from specialists working with children having learning disabilities or older people with dementia. There is brilliant work being done to engage with such people despite it being technically awkward.

But when we hear that The Awkward Squad is in town, we think of something else. We imagine a small group of dedicated disrupters setting out to make life as difficult as possible for the organisers of a consultation. Anarchist-like, they will examine every line of every document looking for flaws or errors. They will attend meetings with more interest in criticising the process than contributing to the argument. They will rejoice in the woes of a wobbly website and feign to find fault with a Focus Group. And all this is because they wish to discredit the process.

Of course this is an extreme and maybe unfair description. We may be talking about passionate supporters or opponents of one side or another of the debate. It’s just that they have chosen to attack, or to leverage the process, as their means of pursuing their goals. So they will attempt to use the media creatively; they will consult lawyers and mount a legal challenge if they believe there are grounds for a case. Alternatively they may play political hard-ball. No wonder conscientious public engagement professionals would prefer it if they weren’t around!

So will the Localism Bill and the other moves towards more direct democracy offer The Awkward Squad even more opportunities to flex their muscles?

Until last week, the Bill appeared to invite the most awkward Councillor to demand a Referendum - and other provisions provided much scope for mischief-making. Could we have a maverick Police & Crime Commissioner determined to pursue some idiosyncratic objectives? Or might a group of GPs focus local NHS priorities in entirely new directions? The Government will argue that it has adequate checks and balances to avoid unforeseen consequences ... and a few days ago amended the Referendum provisions to allow Councils to refuse the vote under certain circumstances.

But the general public can also be awkward. It was awkward about the Forestry proposals earlier this year; key stakeholders were awkward about the NHS reforms, and the Courts have handed down a series of judgments on the legality of consultations – challenged by the awkward squad.

So they won’t leave the stage; there will always be some who choose to work against the system rather than with the grain of the process. Should keep us all on our toes!

Trigger points

• Are you monitoring the likely impact of the Localism Bill on your organisation? Are elected members adequately briefed?
• Dealing with passionate or difficult consultees requires experienced facilitators. Consider the Institute’s Registered Facilitator Scheme.
• Court cases are still coming thick and fast; our next Session

This is the 190th 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