HUMAN RESOURCES

Bear traps 

To escape from a 'bear trap' question in an open question-and-answer session don’t try and come up with the perfect answer or solution, advises Blair Mcpherson.

No matter how bullish they may be, they say all PMs  dread Prime Minister's Question Time. It's the fact that they don't know what they are going to be asked but they know the aim is to catch them out with a deceptively straightforward  question. 

There are a number of local authority scenarios where a senior manager can find themself in front of a critical audience of members answering questions. Most are pretty adept at dealing with questions around the proposed changes to services, the rationale for changes in working practices, recent performance figures or the budget situation. However when it comes to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and the overview and scrutiny committee they can start to feel like the PM at PMQs. 

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