At a glance

1:1 conversation

The Community Conversations approach was developed for Dorset with The Point of Care Foundation. It’s about listening to what people’s lives are like from the moment they wake up in the morning to the moment they go to bed at night. It explores, through open questions, what impacts on people’s health and wellbeing, from their own perspective.

Conversations are transcribed, coded and themed, identifying what is important to local people in connection to their health and wellbeing. We are investigating AI solutions for translation and analysis.

This approach was first used to carry out 100 Conversations with people who wouldn’t usually take part in engagement meetings, focus groups or surveys, and provided rich lived experience data. It has since been used as a key part of the discovery phase of the #PortlandTogether programme.

About this approach

Useful for talking with

Anyone in Dorset. Can cover a large range of people (see 100 Conversations project) or focus on a particular area or demographic (see Community Conversations Portland). Conversations have been had using this approach with the support of translators and signers.

Purpose of this type of conversation

To inform service change and strategy planning.

Type of conversation

Semi-structured. Uses open questions, but useful to have a conversation guide or list of topics to cover. Lets the person guide the conversation rather than the interviewer.

Training requirements

Interviewers are trained to help people tell their stories in a non-leading way, with gentle prompts and clarifying questions as appropriate.

Budget requirements

Budget will depend on the scope of your project but could include provision of refreshments and travel expenses for participants. Funding is also essential for project support and analysis.

Time commitments

Interviewers should allow a full day for training.

Conversation length can vary, but allowing one to two hours per conversation is advisable.

Conversations are held within the person’s community to help them feel at ease, so travel time should also be taken into consideration.

Community Conversations

Where we’ve used this locally

100 Conversations

The 100 Conversations project involved staff from across Dorset’s integrated care system speaking to people from all walks of life across Dorset, with a focus on people that might not usually fill in a view-seeking survey or take part in a focus group. The themes from this work were used to inform our integrated care partnership strategy, Working Better Together.

Learn more about the project and read the full report and a summary report of the findings on the 100 Conversations website.

Community Conversations Portland

We wanted to complement existing insight gained through the #PortlandTogether project by having open and honest conversations about what people’s lives on Portland are really like. The conversations allowed participants to share their unique perspectives and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of their lives and use of local services.

Learn more about the #PortlandTogether project, read the full Community Conversations Portland findings report and stories from people who took part on the Our Dorset website.

Community Conversations

Use this approach