Hosting over 300 Online Community Consultations, we have learnt a few lessons from our Clients on what makes a great consultation.

2. 300 Forums
120 Clients in 3 Years

3. Section 1:
Great
Topics
The most engaging
topics are both
concrete and
emotional.

4. Hornsby
Housing
Strategy
www.bangthetable.com/
hornsbyhousing
35,300 Visits
9,200 Visitors
1,148 Comments
1,444 Docs Downloaded

5. Newcastle
Rail
Removal
Jodi McKay MP
8,000 Visitors
2,500 Comments

6. Lismore
Rates
Increase
www.haveyoursaylismore.com.au
27,000 Visits
3,300 Visitors
1321 Comments

7. Section 2:
Great
Questions
Great questions can
take many forms
depending on the
topic, the strategy
and the outcome
you are looking for.

8. Scenario
Based
Questions
Scenario based
questions prompt
participants to
respond deeply to
complex issues and
provokes thoughtful
dialogue.
Is an offence that only risks a high level of
harm more or less serious than an offence
that actually causes a lower level of harm?
Scenario 1 David throws a rock off a
freeway overpass into
moving traffic. The rock narrowly
misses the windscreen of a car and
bounces to the side of the road. No
one is physically injured.
Scenario 2 David punches Victor once in the
face, intending to injure him, Victor’s
face is bruised.
www.talksentencing.vic.gov.au
3775 Visits
1440 Visitors
218 Comments

9. Open
Questions
Broken Hill City
Council got a
thoughtful response
to its Aquatic
Centre consultation
by asking a series of
open questions.
Open Question
What are your thoughts on the best way to structure the
entry fee and what do you think would be an
appropriate charge?
Open Question
Do you have a view on the best way for recreational
swimmers, club swimmers and lap swimmers to share the
25m and 50m pools?
Open Question
What new facility would you like to see incorporated into
the complex should extra funding become available?
www.bangthetable.com/brokenhillpool
9,200 Visits
2,800 Visitors
92 Comments

10. Appreciative
Questions
The City of
Melville’s community
development team
asked their
community to think
positively to help
inform their cultural
plan.
Appreciative Question
What are three things you like to do in the City of Melville
and why?
Appreciative Question
What ideas do you have to enhance the quality of life in
our local community?
Appreciative Question
When people visit, what are you proud to show them in
your local community and why?
www.werelisteningmelville.com.au
2097 Site Visits
809 Visitors
146 Comments

11. Place
BasedTopics
Hornsby Shire
Council asked its
community to
respond to the draft
housing strategy by
thinking about the
impact on their
suburb.
www.bangthetable.com/
hornsbyhousing
10,500 Site Visits
3,044 Visitors
1405 Comments
1:6 Comment/Reply Ratio

12. OpeningUp
Discussion
Topics
NSW National Parks
and Wildlife Service
has opened up the
potential of the
forums by letting
their stakeholder
community create
their own discussion
topics.
www.sydneyharbourpom.com.au
10,500 Site Visits
3,044 Visitors
1405 Comments
1:6 Comment/Reply Ratio

13. Forum
asFAQ
Peabody Energy has
demonstrated that it
is possible to use the
forum as a “live”
frequently asked
questions space.
They respond to
each an every issued
raised by a member
of the public.
www.chainvalleymine.com.au
19,700 Visits
3,300 Visitors
1,175 Docs Downloaded
51 Comments

14. Section 3:
Great
Content
Great content makes
the issues accessible
and demonstrates
your commitment.

15. ClearCopy
& Call to
Action
The New Zealand
Government’s
Rethink Online site
demonstrated that
plain English and
straightforward
instructions can
make even the
most complex
consultation
accessible.
“Calling all web teams, vendors and other
experts on government online - we're
looking for ways that New Zealand
government can improve online
information and services, make better use
of our limited resources and keep up with
change.”
www.rethinkonline.newzealand.
govt.nz
3234 Site Visits
1013 Visitors
100 Active Participants
146 Comments

16. Embedded
Slideshows
Embedding
slideshows in the
discussion forums
made it easy for
participants to
appreciate the
competition entries
for St Kilda
Botanical Garden
gates designs.
www.haveyoursayportphillip.
net.au
2773 Site Visits
957 Visitors
267 Document Downloads

17. Audio
Tweed Shire made
great use of audio
files to talk through
the detail behind
the Community
Strategic Plan
consultation
www.ourtweedvision.com.au
3,696 Site Visits
595 Visitors
248 Comments
295 Document Downloads

18. Video
Vox Pops
Grafton Shire made
great use of video
vox pops with
community
members to get the
rest of the
community
involved in the
Library Service Plan.
www.bangthetable.com/
new-grafton-library
5,049 Site Visits
944 Visitors
176 Document Downloads

19. Video
Invitation
Warringah Mayor,
Michael Regan,
issued a personal
invitation by video
to Warringah
residents to get
involved in the
consultation about
their housing
strategy.
www.bangthetable.com/
futurehousing
8,400 Visits
2,800 Visitors
167 Comments
242 Document Downloads

20. Section 4:
Great
Management
Great management
can make the
difference between
good consultation
outcomes and a great
consultation
outcomes.

21. Demonstrable
responsiveness
The Lake Macquarie
Council waste
management team
made 62 comments
on their own forum
to either respond,
thank or follow up on
participant
comments.
www.haveyoursaylakemac
.net.au
5968 Site Visits
1966 Visitors
286 Comments
“Hi Chookman,
A 2 bin system achieves the same
reduction to landfill as the 3 bin system -
it recycles the general waste and turns it
into a compost through an alternative
waste treatment system. The benefit
with a 2 bin system is people don't need
to sort their food waste from everything
else in their general kitchen bin, it
remains business as usual, which caters
to those people who are reluctant to
make the effort to do this sorting.”

22. Knowledgeable
Facilitators
Knowledge specialist
facilitators prompted
participants to dig
deeper in the Yarra
Ranges Art in Public
Places Consultation.
www.yarrarangesviews.com.au
2,400 Visits
600 Visitors
248 Comments
8 Average per Participant
28/220 Comment/Reply Ration

23. Independent
Facilitation
The ACT
Government brought
in an independent
facilitator to respond
to forum participants
and tease out issues.
www.bangthetable.com.au/
actconsultations
8,000 Visits
2,500 Visitors
538 Downloaded Docs

24. Submission
Sharing
The Office of the
Australian Minister for
the Arts used the
library to share more
that 22,500 of its
public submissions
with 3,800 people.
www.nationalculturalpolicy.com.au
13,245 Site Visits
12,227 Visitors
3,835 Downloaded Docs
22,545 Document Downloads

25. Section 5:
Great
Strategy
Great strategic
planning drives more
participation over the
long term.

26. Community
Building
By launching with
two high profile
issues Hastings
Council was able to
quickly build a
community of
interest around its
consultation site.
www.pmhclistening.com.au
29,526 Site Visits
7,767 Visitors
10 Forums

27. Parallel
Issues
Blue Mountains
Council has run nine
consultations online
in quick succession
and in parallel to
drive traffic from high
interest issues
through to lower
interest projects.
www.haveyoursaybluemountains
.com.au
16,364 Site Visits
3,780 Visitors
46,816 Page Views
428 Comments

28. Parallel
Processes
Warringah Council
got great results by
using replicating their
“Talk of the Town”
process online.
www.yoursaywarringah.com.au
1,300 Site Visits
500 Visitors
49 Comments

29. Archiving
Consultations
Logan City Council
has created a
dedicated newsfeed
page listing each of
its eleven archived
consultations.
www.haveyoursaylogancity.
com.au/completedforums
17,593 Site Visits
4,756 Visitors
6 Forum Topics
610 Comments

30. Responding
to Sentiment
Lismore City Council
received a loud and
clear message from
the community that it
was overwhelmingly
opposed to a rates
increase. It responded
by maintaining its
existing rates
schedule.
www.haveyoursaylismore.
com.au
27,000 Site Visits
3,300 Visitors
1,321 Comments
15,000 Agrees & Disagrees