Prepare a consultation people can take part in
Fictional example: Northbridge Community Services is exploring possible opening-time patterns for a neighborhood drop-in. Ask about choices genuinely open to influence, and explain how participants’ input will be considered.
Set the question and its boundaries
Make clear what is open, what is constrained, and what is outside this consultation.
Question being explored: Which possible opening-time pattern would work better for people using the neighborhood drop-in, and why?
In this example: The team is exploring opening-time patterns. The service location and current operating model are not under discussion. Say this before inviting comments, so participants can focus on the actual choice and are not led to expect decisions outside the session’s scope.
Before inviting participation, identify the decision-maker, the choices they can consider, known constraints, and how input will be used. If a point is outside scope, acknowledge it plainly and explain the appropriate organizational handoff rather than treating it as a decision this session can make.
Illustrative 60-minute session agenda
Sample timings for planning; adjust to the consultation’s purpose and participant needs.
| Time | Activity | Facilitator purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 min | Welcome and access check | Explain the session format and invite participants to raise access needs through the available, appropriate route. |
| 5–12 min | Scope and decision boundary | State the question, what is open to influence, and what is outside the discussion. |
| 12–20 min | Silent reflection | Give people time to consider the question before group discussion. |
| 20–40 min | Discuss trade-offs | Invite reasons, different experiences, and views about who may be affected. |
| 40–52 min | Review themes and gaps | Read back a neutral summary and ask what is missing or inaccurately represented. |
| 52–60 min | Explain next steps | Describe who will consider the input and how the response themes will be shared, without promising an unconfirmed date or outcome. |
Prompts that invite useful, balanced input
Ask one question at a time; leave room for people to disagree.
- What works now? Which parts of the current opening times are useful to you, and what makes them work?
- What is difficult? Are there times when getting to the drop-in is harder? What gets in the way?
- Who may be affected? Which people or circumstances might make one opening-time pattern easier or harder?
- What trade-off matters? If no option works equally well for everyone, what should the program team understand about the trade-off?
- What have we not heard? Whose experience or point of view may be missing from this conversation?
- Replace leading wording Instead of “Would later hours solve this?”, ask: “Which opening-time pattern would work better for you, and what would it change?”
Facilitate, check, and hand off
Use the same clear sequence in a room, a remote session, or a written discussion.
-
1
Explain the scope
Name the question, the decision boundary, and how the input will be considered before asking for views. -
2
Invite reflection before discussion
Offer a quiet moment to think or write. Make spoken and written contribution routes clear when both are available. -
3
Capture views neutrally
Record the idea and its reason in plain language. Separate what participants said from the facilitator’s interpretation. -
4
Check the summary
Read back the emerging themes and ask participants to correct omissions or wording that does not reflect their contributions. -
5
Explain the handoff
Tell participants which role will consider the findings and where the organization will share its response, if that route is established.
Make participation easier across settings
Use the organization’s approved accessibility and safeguarding procedures where they apply.
Use plain language, short prompts, and readable materials. Explain unfamiliar terms before discussion.
- Put the main question and decision boundary near the start.
- Show options in a consistent format.
- Read key information aloud when useful.
Where the consultation supports it, make spoken and written participation routes visible and give people time to reflect.
- Allow a pause before inviting responses.
- Offer a quiet reflection period.
- Record access requests through an appropriate, neutral method.
Write themes without manufacturing agreement
Worked example: opening-time discussion
Neutral summary: “Several participants preferred a later option because it could fit around work; others emphasized keeping an earlier option for people with morning availability. The discussion surfaced a trade-off, not a single agreed preference.”
This wording preserves different views and gives a reason for each. Do not describe a theme as a consensus unless the consultation method and the input actually support that conclusion. Keep the distinction between participants’ comments, the facilitator’s synthesis, and the program decision-maker’s eventual response clear.
The consultation lead coordinates the session record and prepares themes for the responsible program decision-makers. The program owner determines how findings are considered and communicates the response through approved organizational channels. The record should make clear when a point is outside the consultation’s scope rather than implying that it was resolved.