Victorian councils - don't delay your Asset Plan engagement! Thinking you might rush it through after council elections? If so, it could be time to reconsider. Want to meet Local Government Act requirements, build a plan your decision-makers can stand behind and avoid risks? Then it's almost time to start planning your engagement process. This monthly myth explores the risks of cutting corners, ways to make the most of this golden opportunity, a solution for working around council elections and how to determine the right scale for your deliberative engagement process.  

Making processes accessible for everyone is something we all strive for in the engagement sector. Most people naturally think that this accessibility is most easily achieved in face-to-face sessions where you can see or hear the interpreters. However, in this blog Q&A, we hear directly from two interpreters and two participants about the many accessibility advantages (and some disadvantages) to online workshops that are worth considering.

Deliberative engagement requires time, money and resources and that means you want high returns. Trusted, public decision-making is one (excellent) outcome. However, the benefits can go much further. Here are six ways to generate bigger benefits, longer-term impacts and higher returns on your deliberative engagement investment.

You want the best engagement supplier for the job, so it pays to have a critical eye when assessing that pile of proposals. The easy choice that appears to ‘tick every box’ isn’t always the right one. Here’s our guide to picking the best proposal, including red flags to look out for in the procurement process.

Dealing with tight engagement timelines? It’s not advisable to compromise your process by rushing it through. We’re exploring 7 ways to review your engagement approach, hold tricky conversations with decision-makers and gain the internal buy-in you need to adjust or work around difficult deadlines.

We’re seeing plenty of examples of deliberative engagement that involve one randomly selected group working on one issue over a few days together. That approach can be super effective and powerful when done right. There are lots of other exciting possibilities to explore though. Perhaps, an alternative model might be a better fit for your organisation and community or a more effective way to tackle the problem you’re trying to solve.

We’re sometimes asked if we provide market research services, or if deliberation is a bit like market research. While both areas involve people and information, they involve them in very different ways. The two concepts differ in terms of intent, design and process. This myth post drills down into the key differences between the two, how they might sometimes intersect and why they’re separate, specialised fields.

Our beliefs are shaped by our reality and impact how we show up in the world. In this #MonthlyMyth, we explore how we develop our beliefs, and have the ability to change them. It also discusses why being aware of your personal beliefs is important in community engagement work.

We often hear councillors and staff saying they don’t need to involve the community in deliberation as it is the role of councillors, or any elected official, to deliberate on an issue and make decisions. It is important to note that deliberative engagement does not supersede or dismiss the role of councillors in making decisions.

In this #MonthlyMyth, we discuss the five main ways that deliberation can help decision-makers and add value, rather than take away their decision-making powers.

Since COVID-19 started impacting our engagement world, people have been telling us they’re worried about reaching and including those who aren’t online and/or those they believe are ‘hard to reach’.

Not only are we talking about two different issues or cohorts here, but we’re also exploring a topic that’s prone to myths and misconceptions. Often people we think are ‘beyond reach’ aren’t, and people who we label ‘hard to reach’ are simply waiting to be found.