Our Work : Doing Engagement

The doing stage involves drawing on the planning we have undertaken and bringing the correct stakeholders together at the right time using the right methods.

Bringing People together

Much of our work involves running facilitated sessions where key stakeholders are brought together to engage in solutions orientated dialogue. We aim to support a consensus building process by paying attention to the following 4 steps:

1. Everyone can participate and get fully involved in the discussions

Fundamental to achieving progress is making sure that all voices are heard. We design sessions to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to put forward their opinions. Good ideas and solutions do not emerge when just the loudest, most confident or most powerful get heard.

2. There is mutual understanding of positions, issues and challenges

Knowledge is power and partial knowledge makes for confusion and disagreement. Making sure that everyone has the same level of and access to information is important.

3. Inclusive and workable solutions are developed by everyone

We help groups to make decisions by consensus. We encourage groups to find ways forward that satisfy everyone’s needs. A decision that is not fully supported will not be a sustainable decision.

4. Shared responsibility is taken for the agreements that emerge.

Not everyone will necessarily get everything they want but we work to ensure that groups feel satisfied that they have reached the best way forward they can achieve in the circumstances and that shared responsibility is taken as decisions move into implementation.

Work examples:

• Local Strategic Partnership – Improvement Plans, Conwy
• Diversity Review, Action Plan – Countryside Agency
• Local Development Framework – Stakeholder Consultations, North Lincolnshire
• A Planning Brief for the City of York
• Liverpool Black and Racial Minority Network (BRM) – Action Planning
• Dads' Book
• Dads' Calendar

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