In this Olympic year, it may be timely to reflect upon the styles adopted by some of the world’s athletes and other sportsmen. Some make a virtue of huffing, puffing and emerging battered from the fray. Others give interviews as if they had just crossed the street for a relaxing conversation. What distinguishes a Tiger Woods or a Roger Federer from the rest is how easy they can make it look. In athletics, anyone who saw the American 400m runner Michael Johnson glide effortlessly over the track could only marvel; in his early days, Cassius Clay would emerge from a fight looking as if no glove had been laid on him.

Without pressing the analogy too far, there is a case for organisations to question whether, on occasions, they aren’t making heavy weather of public and stakeholder consultations – and if the overall effect might not be better if they didn’t try too hard to impress. Look at us; look at us – we’re actually consulting you!!! is the unintended message that screams out of some of the PR that accompanies attempts to engage with the public. They might as well add some complementary sentiments such as Aren’t you lucky? or Now will you stop complaining that we ignore your views?