Originally published 20 December 2003. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
Consultation is such a popular idea that the label is increasingly being misused to describe activities which aren't quite ……….
There is already a thin dividing line between some so-called consultation exercises and blatant PR. I have in mind the glossy brochure that effectively says, "We think we're wonderful. Now tell us what YOU think!". An analysis of feedback from such documents might just prove valuable - but consultation? Hardly!
A similar danger exists with surveys. Asking people questions, and getting an instant opinion-poll result is certainly one way of gathering data about what people think.
But it falls a long way short of being effective consultation. The Consultation Institute defines this as ….the dynamic process of dialogue between individuals or groups, based upon a genuine exchange of views, and normally with the objective of influencing decisions, policies or programmes of action.
Surveys are one-way communication tools. They can tell us what people think - but not why. They have limited scope to ask the all-important supplementary question. And their validity is heavily dependent upon the quality of the sample.
With surveys, there is no obligation to listen to what is being said, no commitment to share the findings or to provide feedback on the decisions that a proper consultation is meant to influence. It is scarcely a two-way process.
Next time a chief executive talks of a consultation exercise, try to avoid this being translated into "Let's do a survey". There is far more to consultation than asking a few questions!
Trigger points
- Review all surveys - and check how many form part of a genuine consultation
- Find out more about the Consultation Institute's in-house Workshop 'From Surveys to Successful Consultation'
This is the 1st 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