Accredited CPD training for councils, community groups, voluntary organisations and community-facing teams
Community engagement should be more than a survey, meeting or tick-box exercise, when done well, it builds trust, strengthens relationships and helps communities feel heard, included and involved in shaping what happens next.
Making Community Voices Count: Turning Talk into Action is a practical, accredited 6-hour CPD session designed to help organisations move beyond consultation and into meaningful engagement, clearer communication and shared action.
This session supports teams and community groups to listen well, communicate clearly, involve more voices and turn community conversations into practical next steps.
What participants will learn
By the end of the session, participants will be aware of and better able to:
Understand meaningful engagement
Explore the difference between informing, consulting, involving, collaborating and empowering, and consider how to move engagement towards deeper participation and shared ownership.
Communicate clearly and inclusively
Identify common communication barriers and practise ways to make messages clearer, more accessible and more engaging for different audiences.
Listen more effectively
Consider how assumptions, tone, context and feedback affect communication, and explore practical listening techniques that support trust and understanding.
Map community strengths and influence
Identify local assets, trusted voices, connectors, active groups and missing perspectives within a community.
Choose the right engagement methods
Match engagement approaches to purpose, audience, context, time and trust level, recognising that no single method reaches everyone.
Turn conversations into action
Use practical planning tools to move from feedback and discussion into shared priorities, clear next steps and stronger accountability.
Key details
Course title: Making Community Voices Count: Turning Talk into Action
Format: Accredited CPD session
Duration: 6 hours
Delivery: Full day or two half days
Suitable for: Councils, community groups, voluntary organisations, partnerships and community-facing teams
Focus: Community engagement, communication, inclusion, collaboration and action planning
What to Expect
The training is practical, reflective and discussion-based. Participants will work through tools, activities and real-world examples that can be applied directly to their own setting. This interactive workshop blends reflection, facilitation, and creativity to help participants:
- Communicate so people listen and listen, so people speak.
- Move from informing and consulting to collaborating.
- Map community strengths and voices to see who’s included (and who’s missing).
- Explore practical engagement methods that fit your local context.
- Turn insights into a realistic 3-Action Plan for building collaboration.
Who It’s For
This training is ideal for organisations and groups who work with communities, residents, volunteers, service users or local stakeholders.
Whether you are planning a consultation, reviewing your current approach, developing a community plan or trying to involve people who are often missing from the conversation, this session gives you practical tools to use before, during and after engagement.
It is particularly suited to organisations who want to:
- Improve how they communicate with communities
- Build trust and strengthen local relationships
- Involve residents, volunteers or stakeholders more meaningfully
- Review current consultation or engagement practice
- Develop a community plan or local action plan
- Reach voices that are often missing
- Support staff, trustees, councillors or volunteers with practical CPD
- Move from conversation into collaboration and action
Workshop Format
Full-day, in-person session (9:30 – 4:30)
Facilitated by Bryony Wiffen, community engagement specialist, facilitator and coach.
Flexible delivery available for individual councils, multi-council clusters, or local authority teams.
Sessions can be delivered online, but we recommend the in-person delivery for this session
Welsh language co-facilitation is available by arrangement (course materials currently in translation)
Book or Enquire
To host this session for your council or partnership, get in touch through the contact me page.
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