The Delib Team

A digital democracy company. Public participation, community engagement, deliberation. Makers of Citizen Space.

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Delib is pleased to announce an update to Citizen Space that further expands the horizons of what’s possible within the platform.

Users can now use pre-designed templates to set up additional pages in their site - with no coding knowledge required.

https://t.co/bSu8dktYPP

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Effective consultations capture data from a range of demographics. To get the most out of this data, you need a user-friendly platform that makes it easy to spot user trends & patterns. Find out how Citizen Space helped Norfolk Council with data analysis:

https://t.co/erFAe3Zkd7

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

The Onion Collective was founded by a group of mums with a keen desire to make their town a better place to grow up for their kids. In episode 20 of our podcast, we spoke to director and co-founder Georgie Grant about community action and shared visions:

https://t.co/ELcSWZmbUJ

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

For residents in highly populated areas like the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, parking can be an emotive issue - which is why it's so essential for consultations to be easy to find, understand and engage in:

https://t.co/3pOA3QRgYa

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Want to understand your community's priorities? Simulator is an online tool that lets the public try making complex decisions. Our client Victoria University used it to learn what services students wanted their annual levy spent on:

https://t.co/JvQ7113aPP

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

"The spirit of engagement means conversing with citizens, not because it’s your statutory duty, but because it’s the right thing to do in terms of democratic legitimacy."

- Why community engagement isn't just about the legal minimum. Read more:

https://t.co/RPcQsO4HrJ

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Accessible consultations mean people with disabilities can share their views. This is why The Independent Review of Learning Disability and Autism in the Mental Health Act chose Citizen Space, which is compliant with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards:

https://t.co/p7bZ4qmHZX

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

What it isn't:

❌ Talking over the community
❌ Only listening to the most vocal people
❌ Ticking boxes because you legally have to

What else would you add?

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

[Thread] Community engagement - what it is:

✅ Mutual decision making
✅ Building long-term relationships
✅ Representing the interests of the community
✅ Seeking out the voices of those who wouldn't usually take part

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

In episode 18 of our Practical Democracy podcast, we speak to @JuliaWagemann, founder of @geospatialwomen, about unconscious bias, glass ceilings and working in a male-dominated field. Listen to the full episode on our website:

https://t.co/Oco1MplIHK

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

When engaging on difficult issues like violence against women and girls, a one-and-done approach isn't enough - it needs a commitment to continuous listening, learning and change. Edinburgh Council are listening to women's experience in multiple stages:

https://t.co/PO54pxhjI8

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Often, stakeholder engagement is extremely technical. But not always - UKRI are asking stakeholders for their views on two new definitions for types of funding. The activity & the definitions are really easy to follow, making stakeholders' lives easier.

https://t.co/QJngkJsHW6

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Asking the right questions in a consultation means you'll get better-quality data. But it's not just about what you ask - HOW you ask is just as important. Watch our webinar on good question design to find out more:

https://t.co/NcUSuE59Xk

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Consultations don't always have to be about fixing problems - sometimes they can be about making great things even better. Aberdeen Council is consulting residents about its hugely popular Summer in the City programme:

https://t.co/7QhAhYmkpN

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

When done right, community engagement can increase understanding and reduce stigma around controversial subjects. For example, Edinburgh Council is using Citizen Space to assess the impact of community service for people who commit crimes:

https://t.co/dEq3ZvklTD

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Playing outside does wonders for a child's physical and mental health, but most children have far less freedom than their parents did. In episode 21 of our Practical Democracy podcast, we learnt about an initiative that aims to change that:

https://t.co/Pt2AkojVXd

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Online engagement isn't 'better' than offline - each method has its benefits & citizens need to access engagement in different ways. Perth & Kinross Council use Citizen Space to facliltate a blended approach, which is important for climate conversations:

https://t.co/mkelDtgcKp

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Operational budget cuts are never an easy thing to explain to the public. When the Isle of Man government needed to save £25m in 5 years, they used our platform Dialogue to facilitate open, considered discussion around how to do this:

https://t.co/POkk3ddUHu

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Want more great tips like these? Subscribe to our newsletter The Practical Democracy Post to get them delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.co/sndcJHan6p

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

THREAD: Community engagement only works if the community trusts you enough to engage with you. In order for citizens to share their views, they need to know they are being listened to and taken seriously. Here are some tips on building trust: 🧵

[The Delib Team @DelibThinks]

Do you have a plan for closing the feedback loop? People aren’t just sources of feedback and they don’t want to be treated as such. Use their names & correct pronouns, thank them for their time and tell them what actions are being taken.