How surveys and consultations differ

A survey is an information collection exercise. As such, information travels in only one direction (to you). Consultation , on the other hand, is a collaborative process, in which information passes in both directions (you inform those you are consulting and they tell you what they think) so that, hopefully, some degree of consensus is reached. At its best, consultation is a shared planning process, in which the officers responsible shape ideas together with those who stand to be affected.

It's important that you're clear about which of these activities is appropriate to the task in hand before you start. In particular, it's essential that you don't present a survey as consultation because that's only likely to provoke resentment.

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