Open Voice Lab Podcast
The Open Voice Lab Podcast is designed for people working in community engagement, consultation, participation and public involvement across the UK public sector, NHS, charities, and VCSE organisations.
Our founders, Alexia and Rachel bring clear, honest, conversations about the realities of modern engagement work – what’s changing, what’s not and what teams need to pay attention to.
You can find out podcast on YouTube or Spotify and we’ve listed them below in order from newest to oldest. We’d love to hear from you with any feedback or if you want to feature on a future episode!
Please remember to give it a like, a follow, or a comment if you enjoy what you hear.
Episode 3, Part 2
Engaging Young People: Lessons from 20 Years on the Ground
Part two of our episode with Scott Williams who brings two decades of youth work experience and NHS engagement practice. We talked about the practicalities of engaging young people: group agreements, reward structures, safeguarding, digital engagement, and how public sector teams can build trust with young people over time.
If you’re trying to shift your organisation from “broadcasting” to real engagement with young people, this episode gives you grounded, usable methods.
Episode 3, Part 2
Engaging Young People: Lessons from 20 Years on the Ground
In this episode, we sat down with Scott Williams, who brings two decades of youth work experience and NHS engagement practice. We explored why traditional public sector approaches fall flat with young people and what teams should be doing instead.
This episode is ideal for anyone working in public sector engagement, consultation, comms, or service redesign who wants to understand how to meaningfully involve younger audiences.
Episode 2
Community Stalls vs Digital Engagement: Is the Era of Stalls Over?
Community stalls and digital engagement both claim to be essential - but are they really equal? This episode covered one of the biggest debates in modern engagement: has the era of community stalls ended, and is digital now the dominant way to reach people?
Rachel argues for digital: reach, targeting, listening, and the ability to adapt quickly. Alexia defends community stalls: depth, nuance, human connection, and the power of face‑to‑face conversations. We explored the realities behind both approaches - what actually works, what doesn’t, and what engagement teams should be thinking about in 2026.
Episode 1
Rethinking summer consultation and engagement
Summer engagement and consultation gets a bad reputation, but most of that thinking is outdated. In our first ever Open Voice Lab podcast, we explored why summer is actually one of the best times to reach people, challenge old assumptions, and rethink how engagement teams plan their work.
We talk digital reach, community events, staff wellbeing, equality impact assessments, paid social, and the myth that you shouldn’t consult over summer. Spoiler: there is no case law saying you can’t.