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Glossy Consultations – Are there occasions when this is justified?
One of the most difficult decisions which consultors have to take concerns the “quality” of consultation documents. On the one hand, public bodies need to be scrupulously careful with public…
Read moreOnline discussion forums – vanity consultation? – Are on-line discussion forums an effective and legitimate form of e-consultation? …………or just a self-indulgent form of vanity publishing?
An enthusiast for online discussions recently claimed that the aim was to replicate on the Internet, what he considered the most effective and genuine debates – namely the cut-and-thrust of…
Read moreBeyond the Satisfaction Survey – The Satisfaction Survey goes only so far. It is best seen as a starting point for more dialogue-oriented customer consultation
Among the stakeholders regularly consulted by both public bodies and commercial companies, one category stands out – customers Customer consultation is one of the four consultation environments identified by the…
Read moreBecoming a Consultation “Whizz-Kid”? – Joking aside, now is the time to recognise the skills and expertise of consultation specialists
New technology has its ‘internet geeks’; private enterprise calls the young turks with MBAs and suchlike ‘high-flyers’; Chief Executive’s departments have their fair share of ‘policy wonks’; but what do…
Read moreWhere more means less – The law of diminishing returns applies to consultation
One of the hardest parts of consultation is knowing how much to do. County Councils joining the Institute have recently admitted to undertaking hundreds of different consultation exercises. Some have…
Read morePrecision please – Aspects of Community Engagement are often nebulous – but Consultation is a very precise activity.
Consultation within the public sector – and sometimes in the commercial sector as well – is increasingly being placed in the wider context of community engagement. This expression means many…
Read moreThe Ghosts of Consultation – Scrooge sees the past, present and future of Consultation
Rumour has it that Scrooge lives somewhere in HM Treasury! Seriously, most public bodies have an institutionalised kill-joy ready to shout Bah, Humbug at any form of consultation or public…
Read moreWhat The Gershon Report means for Consultation
The Government has published a Report entitled “Releasing resources for the front-line”, an independent review of public sector efficiency prepared by Sir Peter Gershon. According to an independent survey by…
Read moreConsultation – or just another survey? – Surveys can be useful in gathering information – but do not amount to consultation on their own. Don't confuse "Let's do a survey!" with a true commitment to consult!
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…
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