3. Theme course: the strategy process of the municipality of Onnela

About Course

This course tells a fictional story about the use of Voxit in the strategy process of the municipality of Onnela. Good reading for getting a sense of the whole before planning your next Voxit conversation — and above all your first one.

Course Content

3.1 Deciding to hold a conversation, and on what topic

A real need is what justifies a Voxit conversation
Open participation can give people pause
The key questions that guide planning
A participation process needs broad commitment
The team needs defined roles

3. Theme course: the strategy process of the municipality of Onnela

About Course

Course Content

3.1 Deciding to hold a conversation, and on what topic

A real need is what justifies a Voxit conversation

Open participation can give people pause

The key questions that guide planning

A participation process needs broad commitment

The team needs defined roles

3.2 Planning the message, the goal and the implementation

It pays to sketch out the whole at the start

Putting the purpose of Voxit into a single sentence helps with planning and communications

Setting a quantitative target gives a measure for assessing success

Firming up the schedule sets the rhythm of participation and decision-making

An officeholder decision by the administrative director ties participation firmly to decision-making

The communications plan includes a main message and a promise to participants

3.3 Technical implementation

Open-source software can be run in-house or procured as a service

Planning the technical implementation is a matter of straightforward choices

The look and the instruction text can be adjusted in small ways

The results of the conversation can be made public in real time

It pays to prepare the site in good time

Moderation takes place either before or after publication

Seed statements give the first participants something to respond to

3.4 The message goes out and the conversation opens

The conversation is opened by ticking a single box

Popcorn at the ready — following this is exciting

This is the residents’ moment; the project team can take a breath

3.5 Analysing the material

A suitable degree of source criticism makes the results more usable

The results tell of shared problems and solutions among other things; the number of votes tells of weight

Describing the material in writing helps those outside the process pick up the thread

The visual analysis brings dividing lines to the surface

3.6 Deepening resident opinion and updating the decision proposal

The material is delivered to the administrative sectors

The officeholders prepare the proposed strategy updates

The team and the administrative sectors communicate and invite residents

Residents engage deeply with the results of the Voxit conversation and propose changes

Learning task