In a world where consultation fatigue is a real issue – and organisations have to work hard to get citizens and stakeholders interested – it may be surprising to note how many consultations fall short of offering them anything meaningful to consider.

In the ideal model, the consultor lays out the context for a forthcoming decision, explains the constraints, outlines a number of options (possibly with a preferred one) with their forecast impact clearly assessed, so that consultees can express their views and indicate their choice. There are many advantages to this model – not least transparency. It is well proven, and when professionally executed, can provide organisations with valuable input towards often-difficult decisions.