We’re feeling energised as we zoom through the first month of the new year. That’s because we can see what’s ahead, and we’re excited about the possibilities. Are you ready to set sail with us? We’re celebrating what’s been achieved in partnership with people just like you so far, while setting our sights on facilitating more important conversations in more places and having even more positive impact on more communities. We’re ready to embrace where engagement and deliberation are going, are you?
A message of thanks to you - our clients, participants, partners and friends - and hope for what’s ahead. As we head towards the end of a big year of big conversations, our team shares what they’re grateful for, their biggest highlight of 2023 and what’s really lighting them up when they think forward to the new year ahead.
Meet the newest additions to the MosaicLab team: Belinda Lowing and Fox Gillen. Both Belinda and Fox have long career histories that span across interesting and complex roles that have included facilitation and engagement in many forms. Learn more about these two and gain some insights into who they REALLY are through their answers to our fast five questions!
Ever wondered what makes our facilitators tick? Meet the newest additions to the MosaicLab team: Jody Kingston and Aaron Bosch. Both Aaron and Jody have fascinating, diverse backgrounds and have come to MosaicLab and facilitation via interesting pathways. Find out what they love about their work, what impact they hope to have and how they answered a list of fun and probing questions that we like to call The Telling Top 10...
Four language interpreters. Child-minding. Recruitment challenges. Birthday cake and a lot of laughs. These are just some of the unique highlights of our work with Quit Victoria and VicHealth in 2022 on a project to reduce tobacco-related harm in public housing. This case study takes a detailed look at how MosaicLab supported this process with a residents’ panel and sense-making workshops. All to drive improved, long-term outcomes for community and public health.
Conflict - generally feared and constantly mismanaged, it’s one of the biggest challenges you will face in engagement. It’s also the most common challenge our subscribers submit to us. If you anticipate conflict, outrage or emotion ahead, this article is for you. Inside - how to avoid the three biggest errors we see made (and they are made a lot) and some simple, yet effective things you can do instead to navigate the situation instead of making it worse.
Did you visit our carnival stand at the recent IAP2 Conference? If so, you might feature in this post! And if not, here’s your chance to fight the FOMO and have an insight into the bean bag toss fun (and really cool dancing) that happened. We also have some super tips for you from IAP2A Chair Tony Clark around increasing accessibility and inclusion in engagement (spoiler - it’s not always easy, but progress is better than perfection). And we share our program highlights. Let’s dive in!
Deliberative democracy experts and practitioners from across the globe recently descended on Copenhagen for the 6th annual Democracy R&D Conference, ready to explore this years theme ‘Let’s Give Democracy An Overhaul.’ Our directors and co-founders Nicole and Keith were there to soak up new ideas, share learnings from our delivery of more than 40 deliberations in Australia, connect with like-minded people from around the world and deliver a facilitating deliberation masterclass. Couldn’t be there? Never fear. They’ve shared their insights and top takeaways from an event they’re calling a “supernova of deliberative democracy”.
Some problems are 'wicked'. Complex, difficult, politically polarised. Housing affordability is one of those issues. Politicians are stuck in a stalemate, there's no right answer, everyone is impacted and any move the government makes will be subject to intense criticism. MosaicLab is joining the growing chorus of organisations and politicians calling for a national conversation, facilitated through a citizens’ assembly, that would help Australia move forward and tackle an entrenched problem that requires urgent action.
Our free Lunch and Learn webinar in June just got a lot more enticing. Register and attend the online event as it’s happening for a chance to win a digital copy of the big MosaicLab Book, Facilitating Deliberation – A Practical Guide. Plus, all attendees receive a free PDF resource with insights and tips to be shared after the event. Be in it to win it!
Have a big issue that’s just right for deliberation, or a project that’s crying out for genuine engagement? Struggling to get it over the line with decision-makers? We know how hard it can be to get the buy-in you need. But it doesn’t have to be a battle. Learn how to engage your decision-makers effectively and convert them into champions for your process. Come and join us for a free one-hour webinar in April to receive insider tips on how to gain greater support from this important group of stakeholders.
Ever wondered what it’s really like to facilitate a deliberative process? Our Facilitating Deliberation Masterclass graduates experienced a citizens’ assembly and had the opportunity to co-facilitate a live deliberation as part of a special training event run in partnership with the newDemocracy Foundation. Gain insights into their experience - what surprised them, the challenges they faced, their biggest takeaways and more.
The recent MAV Councillor Leadership Conference featured a packed program of speakers discussing everything from ethical leadership, cyber safety and communication behaviours to leading with emotional intelligence, governance and motivating change through values-based messaging. MosaicLab was on board as one of the event sponsors and we value and appreciate any opportunity to connect with local government leaders.
We are thrilled to feature on a recent episode of the Engaging Local Government Leaders podcast called GovLove. Our Directors Nicole Hunter and Keith Greaves had a transcontinental chat with USA-based host Kirsten Wyatt to talk about the book we released last year: Facilitating Deliberation – A Practical Guide. Listen here!
Turns out there IS such a thing as a free lunch. Our monthly Lunch and Learn community engagement webinar series resumes in February. These free sessions run online for just one hour and are presented by MosaicLab engagement experts. Learn, upskill and connect. Open to engagement and facilitation professionals of any level.
