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Self-defence! – Consultation is like justice. It must not just be done – it must be seen to be done!
The famous Welsh Rugby coach, Carwyn James (famous for his work with the 1971 British Lions) is remembered for once having urged his players to “get your retaliation in first”…
Read moreCounting the cost of consultation – The basic laws of arithmetic apply to consultation as well!
Public consultation is not traditional accountant-territory. Few consultation projects are formally budgeted, and many of the costs involved are normally funded from larger departmental or functional budget allocations. If you…
Read moreThe REAL cost of consultation – It is easy to forget that the biggest commitment of resources is by consultees – not consultors!
Tuesday Topic 6 tackled the thorny issue of budgeting and funding consultations. It recommended that organisations take steps to improve their accounting and monitor value for money. But this isn’t…
Read moreThe Consultation Window – Unless there is sufficient time to undertake a professional consultation, it might be better not to do it at all!
“Chris! I’ll need you to organise a consultation on this issue……..” “So how long have we got ?” “Oh, don’t worry about it – you’ll get your three months –…
Read moreThe second rung of the ladder – The role of consultation in the famous Ladder of Participation is not always understood
Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation (and its variants) is well known to many people who work in the field of public or stakeholder consultation. It starts with information giving at…
Read moreEaster Bunny – Your Time is Up! – Time to dispel some urban myths!
If spring is a time of re-awakening, it’s also time to get real and shed the cosy myths with which we surround ourselves in the dark days of winter. Indeed…
Read moreCareful with Questions! – The art of structuring a quality consultation exercise lies in the skilful drafting of the questions you want answered…..
With talk of referendums in the air, we will all hear the old adage that the answer will of course depend upon the way the question is formulated. The suggestion…
Read moreTherapeutic consultation – The very act of mounting a consultation can sometimes achieve more than you think………
Stand by for a dose of pure heresy…. For anyone who truly believes in high-quality consultation, it is axiomatic that it must have integrity; that the consultor genuinely wants to…
Read moreLet's go fly a…… Kite-mark? – Is it time to establish a quality standard for Public and stakeholder consultations?
There comes a point in most areas of life where the amateur gives way to the professional, and where the rich diversity of people re-inventing the wheel every time yields…
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