Consultations

We have a variety of techniques for consultations such as:

iPad kiosks
These are free-standing electronic devices which can be placed in supermarkets, sports centres, libraries or shopping arcades. A series of multiple choice questions can be asked which will give a snapshot of opinion on a particular issue.

Option finder handsets
These use the same technology as the TV gameshow, Who wants to be a Millionaire. This allows participants to give their views quickly and anonymously and generates lively debate. Option finder can be used with small groups or at large conferences and seminars and has proved to be very popular.

Online surveys
Online surveys can be arranged on our website or staff intranet to gather people's views. Online surveys are used where traditional paper questionnaires are not suitable. These surveys have proved very popular with young people who can access computers at school and Universal Connections youth centres, as well as at home.

Focus groups
Focus groups of eight to 10 people are used to gain a better in-depth understanding of people's opinions.

Appreciative enquiry techniques
These aim to encourage people to come up with solutions to problems by focusing on positive achievements and evaluating how we can build on this to improve services. They are particularly useful in consultations where a degree of negativity has surrounded a subject. Appreciative enquiry enables you to work through this and helps build a vision of the right order in which things should go.

The Consultation Unit can also arrange more traditional postal surveys and face-to-face interviews.