As we wrap up 2025, we’ve been thinking about the people we’ve had the privilege of working with and the conversations we’ve been honoured to support over the last twelve months. We’re also looking forward, and we expect to see continual shifts in engagement practice in 2026. From AI becoming BAU for enabling more effective conversations to new ways to increase representativeness, shifts are underway. In this post, we share our standout stats for 2025, and a video previewing three of the big trends we think organisations should be thinking about for their engagement programs in the new year.
Improving access to primary health care for multicultural communities was the focus of the North West Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) community panel. Supported by an innovative AI tool, the panel developed practical recommendations and funding ideas for NWMPHN’s federal submission. This process highlighted the importance of genuine community involvement and continues to inform NWMPHN’s place-based health initiatives, showing that addressing barriers to care requires more than policy.
MosaicLab and Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation co-designed a Code of Conduct training that brought values to life. Over a day and a half, staff explored ethics and workplace behaviour through real-life scenarios, cultural storytelling, and hands-on activities - then shaped the Code in their own words, images, and symbols. The process built clarity, connection, and confidence - and ensured the team has a Code that’s lived, not just learned.
We don’t just facilitate conversations - we design them with purpose, strategy, and care. In under three minutes, our new video lifts the lid on what really happens behind the scenes at MosaicLab. It’s not just about what we do, but how and why we do it - and what makes our work different. Come take a look - this time, we’re the story.
Have a challenging issue to tackle but lack the resources for meaningful engagement? ML Giving is MosaicLab’s not-for-profit division and we’re here to help. We support emerging and under-served communities in fostering deeper conversations that drive real change. We believe everyone deserves a voice in shaping their communities. Learn how you can apply to work with us.
Each year through ML Giving, we donate our time and skills to those doing powerful work in their communities. In 2025, we partnered with three groups working tirelessly to make a positive difference. From food relief and local emergency support through to technology for social justice, discover more about these three wonderful organisations, the work they do and the strategic workshops we were honoured to facilitate for them.
It takes time, effort and resources to achieve best practice engagement at the best of times. And right now it’s not the best of times. We’re hearing from many that engaging at all (let alone engaging well) is difficult.
Your organisation may be grappling with how to respond to the crisis, facing reduced revenue and budget cuts, responding to increased demand for community support and services, and wondering how to sustain it all long term. Local government bodies are also working to comply with the enhanced engagement requirements set out in the Local Government Act.
So we’ve announced two new service options designed to help you engage robustly, cost-effectively and appropriately.
Take a peek at some of the online training sessions and workshops MosaicLab has been facilitating over the past few weeks. From community bushfire inquiry meetings to online sessions for the development of wildlife plans and internal training courses - we’ve been very busy in the digital space this past month.
Is your team, department or organisation moving from a shared office to a remotely based workforce?
Because this is a difficult time for every team and workplace, we want to support your transition and help your team navigate the change process.
If you work in the public service, you could win one of two free, facilitated online workshops for your team, staff or department. Yep that’s right, there’s two free workshops up for grabs!
MosaicLab is here to support you and your team as you change and readjust in response to COVID-19. To help you acclimatise, we’ve put together two exclusive, new engagement service options.
We can work with you to help transition your team to working from home through an interactive, online, facilitated strategy session.
We’ve also launched a new training and coaching package - working with individuals or groups to support you to engage and connect with people appropriately through a time of anxiety and upheaval.
When you think about the word ‘play’, what do you imagine?
We’re going to hazard a guess and assume what you don’t see is a group of adults considering important issues or strategic concepts. That’s because cultural norms suggest that play is more at home in a playground than a boardroom.
In this month’s myth buster, we’re going to ask you to put that limiting belief to one side for a moment. We’re exploring how play can be used to achieve positive outcomes and new possibilities in the professional world. Because, as it turns out, adults (even the suit-wearing ones) and organisations (even the big serious ones) might benefit from a little game now and then.
Now and then we hear people say that what you might loosely categorise as ‘warm up’ or ‘introductory’ or ‘getting to know you’ activities are pointless exercises with no real purpose. It is assumed (perhaps?) that they are something facilitators do just because that’s what facilitators do and they like to ‘play games, not because they have any bearing on the issue at hand or any tangible benefit to the group.
We can’t speak on behalf of all these types of activities (perhaps there are some out there that really are annoying, pointless and fluffy!); however, today, with the kind of activities that an effective, experienced facilitator might use in mind, we’re debunking this myth.
The 'Participatory Democracy - Exploring Experiences' session at the IPAA Public Sector Week 2017 featured active, experiential learning and an interactive discussion with a group of diverse panellists.
Attendees experienced a mini, deliberative discussion, answering the question: 'what are the biggest challenges facing the public sector when it comes to gaining trust in the community?'. The group then engaged in an energetic Q&A with the panel which included specialist consultants and public sector representatives with extensive experience in using deliberative engagement to help tackle major public policy challenges.
Facilitated by MosaicLab, the workshop saw great ideas generated and invaluable knowledge shared. The discussion was relevant to anyone working in the public sector (and beyond), so, today we're sharing a snapshot of the ideas generated and a summary of the Q&A discussion - a fabulous, free resource for anyone interested in quality engagement or participatory processes.
Yesterday we had the absolute pleasure of participating in a very creative end-of-year team planning session led by Kate Henderson - a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator. It was a fun, creative, engaging and very different way of discussing important and complex thoughts and ideas - an out of the box approach to drawing out interesting perspectives ...
