Balancing the scales – how community input fits into the bigger picture

When it comes to consultation, we’re all about giving people plenty of ways to share their thoughts – whether it’s popping into an info session, completing an online survey, or just having a good ol’ fashioned chat. But while community input is super important, it’s only one piece of a much bigger puzzle: the decision-making framework.

Imagine decision-making as a set of scales. On one side, we’ve got community feedback – a heavy hitter for sure! But on the other side, we’ve got a bunch of factors to consider, such as feasibility, cost, environmental impacts, asset resilience and even heritage considerations. The trick is to balance those scales, so that the final decision isn’t just good – it is rock solid.

So how do we help the community see the whole picture? Community consultation sometimes need to be more than just gathering thoughts and concerns; it is sometimes also an education piece, ensuring everyone understands how their feedback fits into the larger decision-making process.

How do we help community members see the whole picture? This can often be difficult if they only want to look at the project through their viewpoint.

The education piece doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be as simple as a fun infographic, a quick explainer video or maybe even a flowchart – something that clearly shows where community feedback slots into the larger decision-making process. Or if you’re feeling ambitious, you could even make it an activity in your workshop, giving attendees the chance to see how their input stacks up alongside other factors to shape the final outcome.

By taking this approach, we’re not just gathering feedback, we are building trust. When people see how their voice fits into the big picture, they realise what they say really does matter – even when it is weighted against other critical factors.

At the end of the day, as the engagement professionals that we are, our goal is to make sure everyone feels heard and appreciated. We’re here to balance those scales so that every decision is fair, informed and built to last.