Meet MosaicLab
Nicole Hunter
FUNNY, UNUSUAL, MYSTERIOUS: MOMENTS FROM 2024

As 2024 wraps up, our facilitation team is sharing their standout moments. From mysteriously missing catering and questionable gong skills to a surprise bush trek under the stars, 2024 had its fair share of laughs, twists, and unforgettable memories.

FUNNY, UNUSUAL, MYSTERIOUS: MOMENTS FROM 2024
Case studies
Nicole Hunter
CASE STUDY: CITY OF MELBOURNE AFFORDABLE ...

The City of Melbourne views affordable housing as crucial infrastructure for maintaining a liveable, inclusive, and prosperous city. With a projected shortfall of 23,200 affordable homes by 2036, immediate action is needed to address this long-standing issue. While there is broad community support for affordable housing, acceptance often wanes at the neighbourhood level. To tackle this, a People’s Panel of 39 diverse community members was established to represent local perspectives.

CASE STUDY: CITY OF MELBOURNE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PANEL
Meet MosaicLab
Nicole Hunter
TEAM SPOTLIGHT: POLO, POLLY & GUS

A support facilitator studying psychology, our first team member based in NSW and a brand new participant recruitment coordinator... meet the newest additions to the MosaicLab team: Polo, Polly and Gus! Learn more about this trio of terrific team members and gain some insights into who they REALLY are through their answers to our fast five questions!

TEAM SPOTLIGHT: POLO, POLLY & GUS
Case studies
Nicole Hunter
CASE STUDY: THE TALE OF TWO ENERGY SECTOR ...

How should we plan for the new energy future while providing affordable services that meet changing customer and community needs? Two representative ‘Voice of the Customer’ panels in Queensland answered this question. Randomly selected, everyday customers deliberated and agreed on recommendations that electricity distributors Ergon Energy Network and Energex used to prepare Regulatory Proposals for the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).  Delve into a tale of two deliberative customer panels, and gain ideas and insights you can draw on for your next project.

CASE STUDY: THE TALE OF TWO ENERGY SECTOR CUSTOMER PANELS
Meet MosaicLab, ML Giving
Nicole Hunter
SUPPORTING CONVERSATIONS WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED ...

We believe in supporting emerging and underserved people and communities to have deeper conversations that lead to stronger democracies. ML Giving is the new name of the not-for-profit part of MosaicLab - a banner for the work we do that gives back. We’re focussing on furthering community inclusion and action beyond just getting input and instead moving into enabling local decision-making. Explore the principles ML Giving will operate under, and the kind of projects and conversations we’re supporting.

SUPPORTING CONVERSATIONS WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED MOST

outrage

10 TIPS FOR ENGAGING THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES & HIGH ANXIETY

10 TIPS FOR ENGAGING THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES & HIGH ANXIETY

Facing community crises at any time is difficult. When there are ‘concurrent crises’ it makes it even more challenging and complex to respond and engage.

Community members can feel disturbed, frightened or anxious. At the same time, organisations are also grappling with how to adjust, change and continue to move forward. There is value in continuous connections.

For those who missed our first ‘continuous connections’ webinar, we’ve pulled our top 10 tips for engaging through difficult times & working with high anxiety into a free, downloadable resource.

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KEEN TO UPSKILL? MIX & MATCH TRAINING MODULES NOW AVAILABLE

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KEEN TO UPSKILL? MIX & MATCH TRAINING MODULES NOW AVAILABLE

Looking to up-skill your team or build internal community engagement capacity? Searching for an online option during the COVID-19 pandemic? We might be able to help.

We’re excited to announce that our recently relaunched, interactive training modules can be mixed + matched, so you can build the perfect training experience for your team or group. PLUS almost all are available online and can be delivered to remotely based participants.

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DILEMMA DISCUSSED: 'HOSTILE' AUDIENCES (PART 2)

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DILEMMA DISCUSSED: 'HOSTILE' AUDIENCES (PART 2)

Late last year we published the first post in a two-part series on dealing with this ‘subscriber dilemma’. In part one we explored how to plan for conflict, outrage and emotion when you know it’s likely to arise. Today, in part two, we’re providing 10 tips for working with high emotion in the moment – when you didn’t expect or plan for it at all.

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DILEMMA DISCUSSED: ‘HOSTILE’ AUDIENCES & HIGH EMOTION

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DILEMMA DISCUSSED: ‘HOSTILE’ AUDIENCES & HIGH EMOTION

This post tackles a big, scary dilemma – conflict, outrage and emotion.  We’re often asked for advice around this topic, because it’s something that worries many people in the engagement space -  even experienced practitioners and facilitators.

Partly, this fear is underpinned by a lack of ‘tools’ or skills. So, we’re going to give you some tips to help you prepare for and/or work with conflict, outrage and emotion in a meaningful way. 

Because it’s a big, difficult topic, we’re going to address it in two parts:  Part one (this post) is about how to plan for it, and in part two (next month) we’ll talk about what to do if you walk into it unexpectedly.   

#MONTHLYMYTH: TRANSPARENCY & RISK GO HAND IN HAND

#MONTHLYMYTH: TRANSPARENCY & RISK GO HAND IN HAND

‘Transparency’ is a key term in the world of engagement.   We all know that it’s central to any robust, effective engagement process.

It’s also a word that, for some, goes hand in hand with risk and a loss of order and control.  That makes sense - because being honest, sharing the problem and providing in-depth insights into an issue can feel scary. 

Today, we're addressing this myth and providing some reasons to be brave, risks to be aware of and key starting points when it comes to transparency. 

#MONTHLYMYTH: DISTRUST IS DUE TO A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING

#MONTHLYMYTH: DISTRUST IS DUE TO A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING

Our May #MonthlyMyth focuses on an assumption that is often made about the community by managers, project leads and technical 'experts'.  

Statements like "if only they understood X, Y or Z, they would see we were right!" are an indication of a potentially risky, yet common assumption that community opposition or distrust is based on ignorance or incapacity. 

11 ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHALLENGES & HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

11 ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHALLENGES & HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

Advisory committees – we love them and we hate them – and we can’t stop setting them up. They're possibly the number one method of engagement in Australia.

When used effectively, these groups (also called stakeholder/community reference groups and a whole host of other titles) can provide an opportunity to gather local knowledge and input, test ideas and proposals and improve communication and relationships.  However, when used improperly, run poorly, or put in place as a substitute for a comprehensive engagement process, they can create more risk than reward.

This post will help you to overcome some of the biggest challenges associated with advisory committees, and ensure that both organisation and group benefits from the experience.