At this meetup we used two activities to help us think about this issue; appreciative interviews and conversation cafe. 

Her are all the lovely ideas we collected in the chat. Hope there is something useful here for you ?

 

What’s something that helps to support digital engagement with scrutiny?

1. being allowed to hold scrutiny meetings virtually (but livestreamed)
2. making information easy to access
3. Clear understanding of a meeting’s purpose
4. cooperation of all parties, members, officers and members of the public
5. members who are willing to embrace technology
6. IT literate councillors
7. Comms team engagement
8. Need buy-in from Comms to support digital engagement with the public.
9. The organisational culture needs to be open to use of digital
10. Iterative sessions leading to the actual meeting.  Timed slot when people know how long they have and point of their input clarity of what input will inform
11. Public-I has worked really well and supports virtual and hybrid meetings.
12. Proper IT Support
13. Having courage to cast aside the fears and doubts about whether new approaches are too complicated or time consuming
14. knowing what and how to do it
15. Scrutiny needs more support from Senior Leadership and the corporate communications function/team to enable it to effectively engage digitally with the public
16. Sufficient resourcing for staffing of scrutiny meetings
17. Explore new ways to run mtgs, having guests there for their bit and then can monitor the rest of it
18. Its easier  to invovle people
19. Member support for the technology
20. Good member training / development
21. member engagement and good IT support
22. IT support at meetings – including ability to go onto computers remotely to troubleshoot problems.
23. Coms and ICT support…  and knowledge of what is available in the way of digital engagement
24. having cooperation from board, management and panels all on level playing field
25. Member being able to use technology
26. Good planning and preparation including using a procedure at the start of digital meetings.
27. Enough resources to do it properly
28. understand the technology available and where it can best be used
29. A decent level of faith in the community that public points of digital communication won’t be immediately or overly abused – you might get some, but not as much as you think (don’t be a cynic)
30. Thorough briefing of all Officers involved
31. People can take part from the comfort of their own homes
32. explore digital development along with experts IT
33. Relevant scrutiny  topic choices by members
34. Preparation before it’s needed
35. digitally engaged and literate members
36. IT support for members
37. Pre-meetings before actual meetings
38. The right technology and well trained members to maximise the use of the tools available
39. Iterative sessions with residents who want to engage leading up to a bigger mtg
40. engagement from IT, Councillors and the Council team as a whole.  You need to have everyone on board.

 

What’s a practical takeaway, however small, from today’s discussions that you might take back to your scrutiny work?

1. public involvement is essential
2. Introducing Webinars to our scrutiny work
3. Trying to see how we can use social media effectively.
4. webinars to tie into meetings so meetings are qualitative and focused
5. Think about how we can improve online meetings so they don’t just reflect meetings previously held in the Chamber e.g. use of breakout rooms.
6. Continue task groups remotely (and during the day) to aid engagement by members and (often time poor) witnesses.
7. a (seemingly national) consensus among scrutiny members that we cannot afford to lose what we’ve gained in terms of guests being able to dial in remotely, use up less of their time…. engagement is easier and more attractive than ever, can’t lose it
8. It is often easier to promote digital engagement with informal events than formal meetings
9. Rather than just move a traditional round table physical meeting onto a virtual setting try changing the way task and finish meetings take place by using some of the digital tools that are available in a virtual meeting as we have been today (e.g. white boards and chat falls)
10. Digital forms good but how do you promote them, circulate them. Examine Public i for hybrid mtgs.
11. use all methods available
12. Ensuring we build on the advantages of the last 18 months.
13. Clarifying how and when we use digital approaches and when in person is better.
14. Needs discussing with councillors
15. Webinars useful for information sharing to filter what information goes to each meeting – helps prepare all
16. Keep up the paperless office after people return to Offices.
17. Other options for sharing information outside of scrutiny meetings.
18. listen to everyone and communicate effectively
19. Use the technology to the full, not just to replicate formal meetings online.
20. more impetus to push for corporate comms to support scrutiny
21. keep plugging away at the benefits of digital and use of informal online meetings for gathering evidence
22. Use of digital meetings more generally, not just for official scrutiny meetings… just a terrible resource to utilise less than we are.
23. Build on what we have digitally as well as person to person meetings.
24. High profile officers to continue to give evidence digitally at meetings post 21 June.
25. Seeing how scrutiny work can better fit around the work commitments of Members
26. looking at public i hybrid
27. Asking senior mgrs. who are invited to a scrutiny mtg to monitor the rest of the virtual mtg rather than disappear after their item. This works for daytime but not as much for evening mtgs
28. Ask chief officers to monitor the meeting after they have presented in case they need to respond to something in another item – better use of their time
29. Having pre-meetings at least a week in advance of scrutiny meeting
30. Meetings more focussed aiding better focussed outcomes and forward direction of actions
31. looking at developing a digital comms strategy for scrutiny
32. make sure your computer systems up to date and web pages are easy to access and understand by all
33. Need to keep pushing hybrid agenda…cannot lose what was gained with digital meetings in the last 18 months.
34. for all participants to remember they are being recorded.
35. Twitter isn’t a scary place for something as normally non- controversial as scrutiny…
36. working with Comms and Local Democracy Reporter to promote meeting videos and the role of the local councillor in raising issues
37. Talk to comms about promoting scrutiny work.
38. Iterative sessions with contributors on contentious items in advance of the full meeting. Helps take heat out, allows more to feel they’re being listened to.  Makes them focus, choose a spokesperson.
39. Good internet and tech – ‘invest’ in digital media and know how to use it
40. using recordings of meetings to help members reflect on their performance as part of their training and development
41. Having pre-meetings remotely a few days before the meeting to allow members to think about possible lines of enquiry and questions
42. egs of other councils that are making the practicalities of hybrid meetings work
43. Need proper technical support