Consultation Flashcards
Who are stakeholders?
People or organisations who have a direct or indirect interest in a proposal.
Variety of consultation methods:
- information release
- site visits
- information stands
- contact person
- public meeting
- workshop
- advisory committees
- mediation
Variety of objectives for consultations:
- inform stakeholders
- identify values
- generate options
- resolve conflict
Variety of implicaitons from consultations:
- proposal change
- high cost to achieve outcome
- long time to achieve outcome
Key points for successful consultations:
- start early
- devote time and money
- clarify expectations
- have honest intentions
- be a good listener
- learn from mistakes
Special features of pre-industrial (e.g. Maori) perspectives:
- reciprocity between people and nature, gratitude
- view time as circular rather than linear. Cycles in nature and repetition of social crises rather than human progress
- believe that spirits and natural forces influence natural events, human thought, and communication
- empathy with other forms of life
How to avoid a bad consultation:
Do not:
- be too helpful
- withhold information
- dominate public gatherings
- overconsult with squeaky wheels
- try to solve problems before understanding the issue
- ask people how much money they would accept to settle
- use anti-consultation ploys
List different anti-consultation ploys:
- faster is safer
- the stone wall
- divide and rule
- the bogus choice
- markmanship
- the misdirection
- pass the buck
- jam tomorrow, jam yesterday, but never jam today
- the lullaby letter
- the cotton wool wall
- wave a red flag
- the I’m your friend bluff
- the have pity on me bluff
Explain ‘faster is safer’ ploy
Do everything as quickly and quietly as possible, hoping opponents don’t find out until it’s too late. Then plead ignorance of policy or pretend you didn’t realise people would be interested
Explain ‘the stone wall’ ploy
Ignore people and look for excuses that will get the project done before objectors realise what’s up.
Explain ‘divide and rule’ ploy
Split objectors into groups, all at one another’s throats
Explain ‘the bogus choice’ ploy
Remove the options you don’t want people to think about, add a few dummy ones, then offer them to the public as the only options
Explain ‘markmanship’ ploy
Give long winded answers being careful to say nothing of substance. Opponents worried they missed something so will not comment.
Explain ‘the misdirection’ ploy
Pretend objectors point was not clear and give a long, specific response that almost (but not quite) answers the point the objector raised.
Explain ‘pass the buck’ ploy
Crude Buckpassing:
Thats not our reponsibility its the responsibility of…
Refined Buckpassing:
leader says they employ staff to advise, staff says they only implement policy
