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.
Engagement processes must be accessible if diverse voices are going to be included. One of the many ways we can achieve this is through the use of interpreters (both for online and face-to-face engagement). If you’re working with interpreters it’s essential to collaborate with them and think carefully about how the session will be facilitated. We spoke to Bruce Song, a Mandarin interpreter whose worked with us previously.
The financial year is closing fast. Your training budget doesn’t need to go to waste. Lock in some great learning for your team before the calendar flips to 1 July. MosaicLab Academy courses are delivered by experts in the field of engagement, deliberation, facilitation and conflict. Our training caters for all skill levels and can be delivered online or face-to-face. Our learners leave with greater skills, confidence and stacks of useful resources, templates and guides. Invest now in your team’s future learning and build your organisation’s engagement capacity.
Elevate your engagement skills for free! We’re kicking off a new series of free lunchtime learning sessions in September. Our first lunch and learn webinar is all about conflict and outrage management and navigating the “outrage seesaw”. Facilitated by specialist MosaicLab engagement practitioners, these interactive, online, 60 minute training webinars are for anyone wanting to engage more effectively with stakeholders, communities, customers or internal audiences. Grab skills you can immediately apply to your project or role and connect with other professionals across Australia and beyond.
They came, they conversed, they launched. A very international gathering assembled online to celebrate the arrival of the MosaicLab book. Keynote speakers at the launch - Art O’Leary from Ireland and former SA Premier Jay Weatherill - shared exclusive insights into the impact of deliberative democracy on their careers and communities. Watch a recording of the event and download a free resource that captures revealing reflections and bold ideas from the thought-leaders and deliberative engagement devotees that gathered on the night.
Are you trying to engage with people that are highly emotional or resistant to participating and collaborating? Many of us are experiencing fear and anxiety. We’re living in a world where communities are facing change, uncertainty, natural disasters and more. Engaging around any issue can be challenging. This post prepares you for hard conversations, giving you tips that will help you work with outrage, prepare communities for big events and help them to process and recover from previous trauma.
We’re overwhelmed and excited by the early response to MosaicLab’s new book Facilitating Deliberation – A Practical Guide. Hundreds of people from all over the world have bought a copy and RSVPd to our online book launch, plus we’ve received some (humbling) high praise from esteemed industry leaders. REMINDER: Early-bird gifts and specials are ending soon and there’s only one day left to RSVP to the book launch. Join us to celebrate and meet speakers from around the globe including a special, surprise guest.
MosaicLab’s big book of facilitating deliberation is fresh off the press! Be among the first in the world to get your hands on a print or digital copy of Facilitating Deliberation – A Practical Guide and make the most of early-bird specials before they run out. We’re also hosting an online book launch in July with prizes, giveaways and incredible international guest speakers. You’re invited! Event details and RSVP link inside …
Get ready, facilitators, engagement professionals and deliberation devotees! Something big is coming. It’s a book. But not just any book. It’s THE BIG BOOK on facilitating deliberation. Our three directors have poured decades of experience, expertise and knowledge into every chapter and it’s all set for release in July.
Three of our most popular MosaicLab Academy training courses are coming to you live and online this August. Enrol now to experience Engagement Planning, The Art of Facilitation and/or Virtual Facilitation delivered in-person by MosaicLab facilitators. Plus, you could win a free (virtual) seat to one of these interactive sessions – valued at $395!
We’re seeing plenty of examples of deliberative engagement that involve one randomly selected group working on one issue over a few days together. That approach can be super effective and powerful when done right. There are lots of other exciting possibilities to explore though. Perhaps, an alternative model might be a better fit for your organisation and community or a more effective way to tackle the problem you’re trying to solve.
