Consultation is a dirty word (Part 3)

By Susan Ong

Part Three of a Three Part Series

In the last two parts we outlined the barriers that are faced by folks in community consultation and how that can cause harm.

So, what can we all do? 

Well, it depends on where in the equation you sit - for this last article, we’ll be speaking directly to those of you who are responsible for running consultations. Below are six broad principles and ideas to improve your processes. In no particular order:

Co-create the consultation process - aim for the ceiling, not the floor

As aforementioned, the needs of communities will look different. The way a message is delivered is often just as, if not more important than what the message is. Different people have different values, priorities and barriers. So why should consultations always look the same? They often do look the same because changing things up can be difficult, expensive and time consuming. But remember, we’re aiming for quantity or quality!

At QuakeLab, we conduct discovery sessions with community leaders before launching into public consultation. During these sessions, we get a good sense of what the community needs and where to course correct before we’re too far in. But discovery sessions means expending relational capital to get the right information to properly consult. Existing relationships can be damaged if the advice is not followed through upon, so be mindful about what you’re asking for and how you’re asking for it. So if those conversations lead to advice about how consultation should occur, be prepared to commit to that format and make it happen or have a really good explanation for why it won’t. 

Meet people where they are - No really, go there!

Meeting people where they are is a social work principle that means not only meeting people in the physical space they are at, but also understanding that we can’t wish people to be how we want them to be. Fundamentally, meeting people where they are means working to remove all barriers that may be in their way.

There are also pitfalls here and careful design here is required. For example, trying to engage food bank users on food bank day isn’t going to work. It is already a situation where people are vulnerable and maybe even experiencing some shame. Here is where leveraging the best advice of community leaders is critical.

Continue to reach out and engage, even when you don’t need something from them. 

Put it this way - nobody would like a friend that only called them when they needed something. People running consultations are increasingly becoming the needy friend that wants a ride, but doesn’t ever pay for gas! In the same way, genuine relationship building has to occur even outside of formal consultation periods.

Pay people for their time 

In the current economic climate, this one is bound to be controversial but we’re going to say it anyway: pay people for their time. Seriously. Market research firms pay people to test soups, give their opinions, and participate in skincare trials all the time. Yet, public consultation remains a situation where not only do citizens pay property taxes or transit fees etc., they are also asked to do additional work FOR FREE. Considering the monetary value of time is one way to get better involvement from people.

Accessibility requirements are the floor, not the ceiling. 

If you genuinely want to hear from those you don’t normally, you need to understand why they never volunteer themselves in the first place. The barriers in front of them may be seemingly too high for them to bother: The meeting is at 7pm but is there food? The meeting is at 1pm in the afternoon but is there childcare? Is there a hearing loop in this room for people who have hearing aids? Is there sign language interpretation? Is there other language interpretation?

And we want to be clear, this is not to say that every meeting has to have childcare, food and interpretation. Rather it’s a call to refer to the first principle - co-creation in design is very critical. What do these folks need, to be able to participate fully?

Are you being forward leaning with making those accommodations? Simply stating on your poster that someone should email you to tell you what they need is not meeting that need. Talk to group leaders, preplan beforehand.

Bureaucracy and cost will always be a factor, we’re not naive to that - our systems often want to form the path of least resistance. We’re sure you’re familiar with the usual stopgaps: “The cost of childcare provision for a meeting is too high.” “We can’t give out food because we don’t have the money.” “We don’t have insurance for this.” “Real time interpretation is too expensive and disruptive.” “We don’t have the resources (aka. money or people).”

However, we’re going back to the first principle here - doing the same thing hasn’t yielded very good results. So maybe it’s actually costing us more money than it should, and it’s time to try something different.

Allowing ample time for consultation planning, preparation and execution

All of this takes time. Too often, arbitrary deadlines are imposed because consultation was left too late. The false sense of urgency is just that - false. Genuinely consider what is more important - getting quality input, or getting any input at all, before your deadline. If it was so important to get this input, why wasn’t it sought out sooner? Plan and allow for what is required, allow for delays, allow time for thoughtful discussion. None of this works if everyone is in a rush.

We hope this series has been thought provoking, useful and informative. QuakeLab is passionate about being in service to people who need a voice, and for making systemic change within companies, organizations and communities. If you’re ready and committed to making changes to your consultation processes, please get in touch with us so that we can start to co-create and design solutions together!