UK Consult

Jonno's Twitter Poll - What Makes a Great Podcast?

In an all-time low, Jonno reveals the results of his latest Twitter Poll. 

Special Guest - Caroline Drummond from Study Group

Jonno and Elt are super excited to welcome Caroline Drummond from Study Group onto the Podcast for a guest appearance. Caroline explains how Study Group approaches online learning, and in particular how their global students use EngagementHQ to build a real sense of 'student community'  by using many of EngagementHQ's range of tools. The Art Club, in particular, has been a highlight using the Ideas Tool, encouraging students to upload images of impressive art they've done for others to view and comment on as part of their enrichment programme on their "Prepare for Success" course, preparing students to enrol on a University course with one of their many University partners.

Caroline outlines the challenges they faced, how their partnership with Bang The Table was integral to the success of their overall offering, (particularly the excellent support offered by the Bang The Table team) and challenges around participant single sign on, allowing students the ability to seamlessly access individual EngagementHQ tools/activities through their VLE (Moodle) without having to log in again.

Student generated content is of paramount importance, with peer learning and fun online activities central to Study Group's approach, with fantastic outcomes in abundance. 

Stats of the Week

Jonno explains what the number 62% refers to in the context of societal divisions, taken from this article.

The number 7,000: Elt can't BELIEVE how many contributions Study Group students have made in EngagementHQ since launch. 

Meldrew Moments

Caroline has absolutely no grumpiness to contribute, offering only huge positivity and enthusiasm around what she does and the Education sector. 

Jonno is grumpy about the incessant barking of his ageing dog, and the early morning Seagull serenade he gets each day.

Elt is slightly grumpy about the possible "death of comedy" in the UK.

Video Conferencing Platforms - Which is Best?

In a continuation of absolutely never ever mentioning online video conferencing platforms again, Jonno reveals the results of his "which platform is best?" Twitter poll. 

Distributed Dialogue - What is That All About?

Jonno sheds light on this emerging concept.

Judge Jonno - The Letter E

This week, Elt researched approaches to public consultation and community engagement in Medieval times, which led him to Lausanne in Switzerland. Jonno presides over their "radically inclusive" approach to public consultation. 

We also discovered an interesting course on the subject, offered by the University of Bristol, here > http://www.bristol.ac.uk/english/study/part-time/elce-course/

New Project Launch in EngagementHQ: Highlight of the Week

This week we're inspired by the All Age Carers - 2020-2025 Consultation, launched by Cheshire West & Chester Council. Working with the NHS CCG, the Council wants carers of all ages in Cheshire West and Chester to feel valued, empowered and have access to the right support at the right time.

https://participatenow.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/all-age-carers-strategy-2020-2025-consultation

Link

Stats of the Week

The number 6: Elt can't BELIEVE how angry former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United football legend Roy Keane is. 

Jonno highlights the number 13 billion, before quickly turning grumpy about it. He's even MORE grumpy about the number 13%, and conspiracy theories.

Meldrew moments

Jonno is beyond unhappy with attitudes to mask wearing, and equally downbeat about ill-functioning democracy. The icing on his grumpy cake is the UNESCO online public consultation consisting of 190 questions in a survey.

Elt is really grumpy about The UK Consult not being shortlisted for the National Podcast of the Year Awards.

Lockdown Debate with Anna McKeon, Head of Engagement at Traverse, and Jonathan Bradley, Engagement Specialist and Practice Lead at Bang the Table.

When lockdown started in the UK, massive policy decisions were affecting millions of lives without the time or ability to properly engage with the public. Traverse utilised EngagementHQ to provide a space for people to talk about the crisis and host rapid online deliberation, useful for research purposes, policy and decision-makers in a range of context. 



What we’ll cover:

-How this completely digital consultation differed from previous consultations

-Organisational adoption

-Benefits found using the digital-first methodology

-How they recruited and involved a demographically diverse public in the discussion

-Participant reflections

Tune in as Anna McKeon, Head of Engagement at Traverse reflects on deliberative dialogue in the online space during #LockdownDebate.

Despite saying every single week that they will DEFINITELY not mention Zoom or any other video-conferencing platforms, Jonno & Elt open with a new Twitter poll, following hot on the heels of Marmite's crushing victory over Vegemite last week.

Coffee & a Cake Client Discussion:

Jonno is delighted about the inaugural Bang The Table UK event which brought together existing and new Bang The Table clients from local government, the NHS, Environment Agency and Consultants to share experiences and approaches to online public consultation and engagement using EngagementHQ.

New Project Launches in EngagementHQ: Highlight of the Week

This week we're inspired by the Sussex Health and Care Partnership project launch in EngagementHQ titled "Sussex Covid-19 BAME Disparity Response Programme" which will involve the community in improving healthcare services to protect BAME communities and address health inequalities.

https://yoursaysussexhealthandcare.uk.engagementhq.com/sussex-covid-19-bame-disparity-response-programme?tool=story_telling_tool#tool_tab

Stats of the Week:

The number 22 - Is Elt angling for his P45 again or is there an alternative story behind this stat that could save him? 

Jonno reveals the results of the Vegemite vs Marmite Poll!

Meldrew Moments:

Elt is grumpy about false advertising by a leading video-conferencing provider whilst Jonno is bemoaning "Method Madness".

Unofficial Battle for the Ashes

The Ashes might not be officially being played this summer but Judge Jonno presided over an Ashes battle of his own on Twitter as he launched a controversial Vegemite Vs Marmite poll. What was the outcome?

New Project Launches in EngagementHQ: Highlights of the week

Dorset Coast Forum Projects

https://www.dorsetcoasthaveyoursay.co.uk/

One of the FIRST global EngagementHQ sites to pilot the new cutting edge Bang The Table Appearance Editor functionality.

Tower Hamlets Council: Liveable Streets Bow consultation

https://talk.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lsbow

Elt & Jonno are super impressed by Tower Hamlets Council's approach to engaging the community and keeping them informed about a multi-million pound borough-wide street and public space improvement programme.

Stats of the Week

240% - the percentage increase in the sale of board games in March 2020, year on year, as a result of lockdown hitting the UK.

25,179 - the number of visits on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority - Your Voice EngagementHQ site. Who said online/digital wouldn't take off eh?

172 - the number of live discussion forums going on in the UK this week ALONE in EngagementHQ.

Meldrew moments

Jonno is grumpy about the Government's "Build, Build, Build" approach, clearly lacking a strategy to consult with the public.

Guess the Grumpy? Elt challenges Jonno to guess the nominated Mr Grumpy this week with a terrible attempt at a Northern accent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk87a7r0V60

Shoutout to Ella!

Ella Pairman, our Senior Specialist, Graphic Design & Branding, publishes 8 Steps to a Well Designed Site to make it easy for EngagementHQ visitors to access the information they are looking for.

https://www.bangthetable.com/blog/8-steps-to-a-well-designed-site/

In an exclusive first for the UK Consult weekly podcast, Jonno and Elt invite the owner of Fan Insights UK, Kevin Rye, on to talk about the crossover between football fan engagement and broader leadership and building trust approaches taken by the football world.

Kevin outlines best practice fan engagement and his work with clubs across the UK to identify with fans as stakeholders and parallels between the leadership shown by certain clubs and local government approaches.

Failure to listen is identified as a key theme more broadly in public consultation approaches and methodology and Fans' Parliaments go some way to addressing this in the sporting world.

Tune in as Judge Jonno presides over Elt's research into Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) approach to community engagement.

With football back in action but no fans in the stands, Jonathan Bradley and Elton Daddow discuss this new normal in sports and how fan engagement can benefit clubs during this time of change.

Last week, Judge Jonno challenged Elt to take a deep dive into birdwatching engagement and share his findings. Find out what Judge Jonno thinks about one organisation’s multimedia approach for bird enthusiasts sharing bird sound bites to identify, comment and engage together in an online forum.

Project Launch of the Week in EngagementHQ:

Your Say South Essex 2050 - Work Advance Consultancy working with the Association of South Essex Local Authorities to engage the communities in South Essex on a range of pertinent issues as they develop a vision and plan working together across government, businesses, residents and the voluntary sector. https://www.yoursayse2050.co.uk/

Stats of the week: Trust in local government and the number 36.

Tune in to find out why June 2020 provides such an important statistic for trust in local government and hear how one organisation successfully launched 36 digital engagement projects in a week with successful participation.

Join Elton Daddow and Jonathan Bradley as they explore Airport Engagement, digital consultations with impressive returns, and find out what’s coming soon to EngagementHQ!

Airport Engagement: 

Judge Jonno presides over an approach to community engagement and public consultation taken by a UK Airport.

EngagementHQ UK Project Launch of the Week:


Only a week after launching their Safe Streets for Walking and Cycling project, West Yorkshire Combined Authority has received nearly 1000 public contributions on their interactive mapping engagement tool, Places.
https://www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/safestreets/maps/safestreets  

Stat of the Week: "In 2020, 3.5 billion people don't have access to the internet!" The internet has been a lifeline for millions of people during the coronavirus crisis. This startling statistic brings to light the need for more awareness of this digital divide. World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee brings this topic to the UN.

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/in-other-news/120620/world-wide-web-inventor-tim-berners-lee-wants-everyone-to-have-interne.html

Meldrew Moment: A rough end to 'Social Distancing' for Elt in East Sussex

Tune in next week and find out what Elt discovers about Birdwatching Engagement. It should be a hoot!

How does organisational leadership effect community participation, fan outreach, and the success of local projects and sports clubs?

With football season kicking off soon, we explore how Fan Engagement is different than general sales and marketing, and what that means for sports organisations. Learn how positive and bold approaches from leadership within the organisation lead to less commercialised outreach, and puts more emphasis on involving fans in improving the program, as well as its impact on community.

We also discuss barriers of change and the unique opportunity we have right now to create a better public consultation experience for our communities. As lockdown has changed the way we communicate with each other, a hot topic recently is the idea and genuine experience of Zoom fatigue. As Councils move their public meetings online, we share reasons why effective public consultation is not a Zoom meeting.

Projects to Watch:

See how these two Councils are conducting effective and inclusive community engagement with the use of digital tools on EngagementHQ.

Tower Hamlets is including residents in discussions around the safest and most effective ways to begin reopening public areas in their community. Over 1400 contributions have been made to the Places tool on Let’s Talk Tower Hamlets. Community members are dropping pins on the interactive map, as well as sharing Ideas where walking, cycling and social distancing can be made easier in their area. https://talk.towerhamlets.gov.uk/streetspace

In BeFirst London - It's Time To Lift The Curfew project, Council has drawn up exciting new plans to give Barking’s 500 year old Curfew Tower a makeover. They are engaging residents around plans of decluttering the approach to the tower, radically improving the landscaping, and introducing displays that explain its historical importance. Visit their project to see how BeFirst London is using digital engagement tools and multimedia assets to educate, inform, and work with their community on the redevelopment of this historical site. https://yourcall.befirst.london/curfew-tower?tool=survey_tool#tool_tab

Tune in to this week’s episode of THE UK CONSULT podcast for a deeper dive with Elton Daddow and Jonathan Bradley, and find out what’s made Jonathan grumpy this week.

Hardwired engagement is being woven into new industries and organisations to create a cohesive environment. We explore how organisations and healthcare programs are using employee and patient engagement to hardwire staff into their organisational culture and keeping people engaged in company mission and vision.

With sustainability and wildlife conservation becoming a major topic in the 21st century, we are seeing the importance and impact community engagement has on conservation initiatives. A study in Tanzania found positive ecological outcomes when analysing areas where local community are more involved.

Another emerging concept coming out of digital engagement is the idea and strategy of “on your couch engagement.” Technology has enhanced engagement by providing convenience and ease of participation for the public. Participants can view multimedia content to help them understand and engage on topics that interest and affect them. This convenience drives higher participation numbers and improves the quality of peoples answers.

Tune in for ideas on how to design your online engagement initiatives to coincide with this idea of “on your couch engagement.”


Projects to watch:

Southend on Sea Borough Council has launched with a new project called Good Neighbours, a place where people are inspired by good news stories and community supporting each other. See how they are using online engagement to spread the good news.

https://yoursay.southend.gov.uk/goodneighbours

NHS South Central & West Commissioning Support Unit. 1300 skilled professionals are providing expert support for over 80 NHS customers on a national, regional, and local level. Leading on the care and digital transformation, care analytics, and organizational development programs. See how they have used online engagement to create a safe space for staff to engage, support, and work together.

https://jointheconversation.scwcsu.nhs.uk/nhs-south-central-west-csu