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Online Consultations

Brief Description:

Online consultations utilise the internet to ask a group of people their opinion on an issue (typically a policy in the development stages). An unlimited number of participants can be sent information about the subject or download it online and respond via email or comment on the website.

Description:

Online consultations can take different forms. At its simplest consultation documents can be made available online together with an email address to send responses to.

Online consultation using structured templates is more complex and uses software that is designed to emulate the face-to-face methods used in facilitated workshops. Different templates can be used, for example, to allow participants to brainstorm ideas, identify issues, prioritise solutions, or comment on consultation documents.

The relatively informal nature of online communication can foster both deliberation and build a sense of community. Online consultation enables participants to comment in detail and those commissioning the process to collate responses and present the results back to participants quickly, comprehensively and transparently.

The fact that the participant comments do not need to be transcribed adds real benefit and speeds up analysis.


Used For:

Online consultation can be used to give a large number of people the opportunity to comment on an issue (e.g. a new policy development). It allows information gathering and giving without the constraints that group size or travel can place on face to face events.

Structured Templates allow very large volumes of feedback to be collated, analysed and presented back to participants swiftly and transparently.


Suitable participants:

Electronic processes are very flexible when it comes to the number and location of participants, but do not presume that everyone has easy access to the Internet or that everyone can navigate it with ease. Organisers must ensure that the 'digital divide' does not prevent participation, usually by organising alternative methods of participation.

Cost:

Hosting an online consultation cuts costs for venues and postage but has costs of its own. These can include process design, technology set up, or the cost and effort of getting people to participate in online processes. It is still necessary to find and recruit participants in advance of the process.

Time Requirements:

Most online consultations are only in existence for a few months to discuss a current event or situation. Shorter than two months doesn’t really leave enough time for participants to contribute while letting the consultation become a permanent. Feature tends to transform it into an online forum.

When To Use / What It Can Deliver:

You should use an online consultation when:

  • When you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve;
  • When you are dealing with a large and/or widely dispersed group of participants;
  • When your participants are more comfortable participating online than in other ways;

Can deliver general input to decisions; informal sharing of ideas between participants.


When Not To Use / What It Cannot Deliver:

You should not use an online consultation when:

  • When you cannot ensure that everyone has the opportunity to join in the process or provide an acceptable alternative means of participating;
  • If your primary aim is to build strong relationships.
  • Can’t deliver intensive deliberation, Empowered participants, direct decisions or strong relationships between participants.

Strengths:

  • Allows a large number of people to contribute
  • Gives all participants an ‘equal voice’
  • Can reach people who are unlikely to respond to traditional engagement methods
  • A quick and accessible mode of engagement from the participants’ perspective
  • Allows participants to discuss an issue at their convenience (regardless of location or time);
  • Anonymity of online processes can encourage open discussion;

Weaknesses:

  • If not carefully planned, online consultations can generate unmanageable amounts of material
  • Excludes people who do not or cannot access/navigate the internet
  • The technology can shape the process rather than vice-versa;
  • Written communication can be a barrier for some already marginalised groups;
  • Any perceived complexity, such as registration, can be a barrier to participation

Origin:

eDemocracy

Online consultations developed as face to face or paper based cosnultation was adapted for use on the internet in the 1990s. The structured templates approach were pioneered by Dialogue by Design in 2000


Case Studies:


Related Methods


Restrictions In Use


None

Further Information

Contact: Dialogue By Design
Ambassador House
Brigstock Road
Thornton Heath
Surrey
CR7 7JG
Telephone: 020 8683 6602
Fax: 020 8683 6601
Email: facilitators@dialoguebydesign.com
Web: http://www.dialoguebydesign.co.uk

Web links:

Cabinet Office, –E-democracy Unit: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/

Oxford Internet Institute: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk

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