Not just 'the usual suspects'

I'm not keen on that phrase. But I hear it so often. It's short hand for 'not many people responded to our consultation. Not many people ever respond to our consultations. It's only ever the same few people who respond'. But there's something negative, as if it's the fault of those few people for putting themselves forward.

At the same time, I often hear 'hard to reach'. And almost every time I hear it, or its siblings 'difficult to engage', 'seldom heard' and 'disengaged', it is being used to describe groups of people who are perceived as being difficult for organisations to get hold of or who resist joining the organisation's activities.

I'd like to argue that both types of phrase are used to locate problems with public engagement on the public. Often it's framed as the organisation needing to change because some groups of people have problems engaging. But even then, the people are seen as having a problem or barrier which the organisation has to overcome by adjusting their otherwise adequate way of consulting, so the problemnis still seen as located in that group of people. I hasten to add, this isn't always the case.some organisations realise they need to be inclusive, rather than start from a basis of being excluding and then needing to make adjustments for certain 'problem' groups.

I want to reframe the issue. If 98% of the population do not get involved in consultations on issues that affect their lives - and that they almost definitely discuss at home, down the pub, at the school gate or with friends over coffee -  then I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the organisation not the population.

That lies behind my PhD. And it lies behind my three minute explanation of my PhD. The 3MT (three minute thesis) is a game for academics that could be called 'Can you explain your PhD in three minutes using only six slides?'. If you have four minutes to spare (I added a title slide, explanation and spoke a bit slower for the YouTube version than when I presented it in public when I could wave my arms around and adjust speed based on audience body language), I'd be pleased if you chose to watch this https://youtu.be/LfEHzG79KJk