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Consultation fatigue: how do you communicate effectively with a demotivated audience?

Written by Janneke Mol | Aug 13, 2025 1:41:29 PM

I live in Serbia, the land where (construction) projects just happen. No-one warns me of road closures, power cuts or noise. One day it is quiet, the next they are tearing up the street. Occasionally, I will come across a post on Facebook about something the municipality has managed to complete, if I am lucky. More often, the algorithm leaves me completely in the dark.

 

This stands in stark contrast to how residents are engaged in other countries, such as The Netherlands and the UK. Yet, consultation fatigue is a term that increasingly comes up in conversations I have with Publiq users about stakeholder communication. And the specialists I speak to almost always agree: consultation fatigue is an emerging threat for community management.

 

This intrigued me: can you actually communicate too much, and what are the consequences? Is asking for engagement too often just as harmful as not engaging enough? What is the ideal level of engagement, that keeps people interested without overwhelming them with information and questions? Should people not simply be satisfied about being kept in the loop? Or would they prefer a situation like here in Serbia, because that does not make anyone happy either.

 

I wanted to know more, so had a closer look at the phenomenon that is consultation fatigue. To do so, I spoke to several communication specialists from The Netherlands and the UK. My conclusion? There is a fine line between communicating too little and too much. The key is to communicate effectively, but that is easier said than done.

 

Consultation fatigue according to the specialists

It was Ellen de Waard who introduced me to the concept during our interview for my Nobian client case. 

 

Consultation fatigue refers to the point where stakeholders grow tired of all information, announcements, questionnaires, and progress updates. They lose trust in anything meaningful being shared, simply because they were engaged too often or in the wrong way. They have lost the confidence that something useful is being shared, simply because they are engaged repeatedly and with little outcome.

 

Consultation fatigue affects stakeholder engagement, but its roots lie in the sheer volume of communication people receive nowadays. Terms like engagement and support are used across many areas of communication and receive widespread attention. For stakeholder engagement specialists, that means they are dealing with an audience that is already overstimulated, and still need to find a way to keep them interested.

 

Ellen de Waard: “In the past, people were more willing to get involved, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage them. You see it at your sports club, for example. Ask for volunteers, and everyone turns the other way.”

 

Jim Loxam of VolkerStevin regularly works in the Lake District, where 45% of the homes are holiday rentals. He has made it a point to give this group of what he calls the “silent members” a way to follow his projects and thus provide input. This is a complex task which requires a nuanced approach to a diverse and changing audience. So it is no surprise that he, too, understands the realities of consultation fatigue all too well:

 

“You can post too much and turn people off, but do not post enough, and you lose them entirely.”

The key is to communicate enough, but that on its own is not sufficient. The way in which you communicate can also lead to consultation fatigue. This is something that has already crossed the mind of Paul Parsons of Olovus:

 

“Consultation fatigue is a risk, and the fault lies with the communicator. You have to keep your communication timely, relevant, and digestible. If the audience gets tired of your messages, it is a sign you have to change your plan of action.”

 

The consequences of a tired audience

When consultation fatigue sets in, you start to see fewer responses, the number of active followers drops, and messages are no longer taken seriously. Communication specialists should notice this right away, by lower attendance at resident meetings or fewer replies to a poll, for example.

It is like you are still communicating, but not reaching anyone. And that is exactly what is happening: residents swipe away notifications or turn them off entirely. So when something is communicated, it is either ignored or met with distrust. The trust you worked so hard to build slowly starts to fade, and this often happens because of a lack of feedback.

All of this directly affects the image of the person or organisation doing the communicating. They are simply no longer taken seriously, which defeats the purpose of communicating in the first place. And once the project is complete, fewer residents will walk away from the experience feeling positive. In other words: you do not just lose support, you lose your reputation and your ambassadors too.

Preventing consultation fatigue

To prevent this, it is important to first understand the root causes. These will vary depending on your audience, as people typically become fatigued for personal reasons.

 

Here are a few examples:

 

  • No feedback is provided after requesting input
  • Not all messages are relevant to everyone
  • Input is requested too frequently, or for minor issues
  • There is too much repetition and not enough variety
  • Only negative updates are shared

 

I could name a few more, but the point is: to avoid consultation fatigue, you have to understand what your audience actually wants to hear from you. And to do that, you need to understand them.

Once you do, there are several ways to sidestep consultation fatigue. These are my four favourites:

1. Follow up and involve

A major reason for consultation fatigue is the lack of feedback. People are excited when their opinion and input are requested, only to realise that little or nothing will come of it. Consultation only becomes meaningful when you demonstrate what has been done with it (or not, in which case you explain why).

 

Feedback is therefore vital. It gives people the feeling that they are heard and that their voice matters. It creates a sense of involvement and encourages engagement in the future.

 

There are excellent examples of how valuable feedback can be. Ellen and Paul actively involve residents in the design process, and refreshing and improved ideas come out of it. For instance, residents suggested Ellen repurpose an empty barn for the project to preserve the surrounding area. By hearing and implementing such ideas, where realistic, Ellen acknowledges the importance of local opinions and concerns.

 

 

2. Acknowledge your blind spots


Using consultation means making yourself vulnerable. You are not the expert on the area, the community, or local concerns. Instead of speculating, you can ask for input through consultation. It is a way to complement your knowledge and make it more location-specific, helping you run your project better. It prevents those “Why did you not just ask us?” moments down the line.

 

Acknowledge that you do not know the area like the locals do. You have a team of experts at your disposal, who can tell you exactly how things work in that area. Treat them as such, and by admitting that you need help, you give them recognition and value.

3. Use consultation as a tool to communicate honesty


As Jim Loxam put it so well: “People do not mind the inconvenience if they understand the ‘why’ behind it. However, if something catches them off guard, that is when complaints come in.” 

Consultation often happens at an early stage. Paul communicates plans to residents long before they are implemented. By the time construction begins, they know what to expect.

 

Consultation is not just about feedback and involvement. It is also a way to prepare residents for what is to come. Early, honest, and transparent communication is appreciated, especially when people are invited to suggest ways to mitigate the impact. That reduces the number of complaints when the project starts.

4. Communicate even during quiet periods


After the consultation phase, there is often a period of silence, especially in construction. The plans have been reviewed, input has been requested and collected, and then a phase begins during which little of interest seems to happen from a resident’s perspective. Behind the scenes, contractors and other parties are hard at work adjusting designs, finalising details, and preparing for the implementation phase. This process can sometimes take years.

 

If you do not communicate during this time, you risk losing the support you built during the consultation phase. Always let people know that a period of quiet is coming, and be transparent if you are not yet sure what will happen next.

 

At the same time, this is the perfect opportunity to give residents a look behind the scenes. They are already involved, and therefore interested. Show them how their ideas are being discussed and incorporated, what steps are being taken to ensure the smooth start of the implementation phase, and what goes into that preparation. This will help maintain the trust and support you have already built, until you need to actively engage your residents again.

 

Do what you are good at

Many issues can be avoided with the right tools. Follow up and show that you value what residents think. Acknowledge your blind spots. As Ellen aptly says, “Who knows the area better than the residents themselves?” Involve residents in the design process early on to build support, manage expectations, and prepare them for any inconveniences your project might bring.

 

Publiq offers several features that support consultation. Think of the translation function for non-native speakers, the ability to segment your audience for more selective messaging, and the poll feature to quickly gauge sentiment. These tools give both sides an opportunity to respond and provide feedback, reinforcing that residents are not speaking into a void.

 

Consultation fatigue is real, but it is also a challenge. It is your audience’s way of saying: “This is not working, you need a different approach to keep us interested.” You cannot change the fact that people are demotivated and overstimulated, but with efficient communication, you can surprise them, and show them that being consulted can be worthwhile.