Design and Plan Deliberative Engagement processes
Upcoming course dates
Date:
Thursday June 25, 2026
Duration:
One day course
Cost:
$595 + GST
Places are limited!
Course overview
Considering a Deliberative Engagement Process or Citizen Assembly?
Want to know how to do deliberative engagement well?
Build your knowledge and skills to confidently implement this growing field of engagement.
Amanda Newbery and Max Hardy unpack what’s REALLY essential in delivering effective deliberative engagement processes.
Deliberative democracy is a growing field of practice. However, the practice is varied and while many have delivered outstanding results, some approached described as ‘deliberative’ are anything but! In this course you will gain a clear understanding about what it is, what differentiates it, and key steps to planning and facilitating a deliberative engagement process.
Communities all around Australasia, and the world, are working together to respond to complex problems: climate change,managing growing populations and development, planning public transport solutions, prioritising capital expenditure fairly, balancingcompeting health demands, or dealing with our waste crisis; – topics where there are polarised views or a high level ofinvolvement of interest groups. Deliberative processes are increasingly being seen as a way of navigating these challenges, where a mini-public can serve as an influential think-tank for decision-makers.
Deliberative engagement methods aim to bring together a group of people who reflect the community. The group of community members are recruited to form a “mini public”, stratified in terms of age, gender, race, language, income, education or other criteria.
Hone your skills and practice processes in this one-day course presented in our virtual facilitated classroom. This course will bedelivered by Amanda Newbery and Max Hardy – the course content developers.
Is this course right for me? Yes, if:
- ^You’ve got some experience with one or two deliberative methods but want to know what else is possible.
- ^You want to do deliberation better.
- ^You want to design a rigorous process.
- ^You a challenging project and think deliberative engagement could help.
- ^You thought there was only one way to do deliberation – a citizen’s jury or deliberative panel – but want to know the full range of methods.
- ^You want to know how to pitch deliberative engagement to your decision makers.
- ^You don’t have any experience but want to learn.
Who is this course for?
- ^Energy
- ^Water
- ^Health
- ^Planning
- ^Councils
What are the course outcomes?
- ^Identify what deliberative engagement is and how it differs from, and can complement, other engagement processes. We will also bust some myths along the way!
- ^Identify and describe the range of deliberative processes, including citizen assemblies, citizens’ juries, deliberative polls and resident feedback registers.
- ^Apply key principles for deliberative engagement, and to appreciate the lines that cannot be crossed to call something deliberative.
- ^Frame a suitable remit for a Deliberative Engagement Panel or Citizen Assembly.
- ^Apply critical steps in planning, commissioning and facilitating a deliberative engagement process.
Who is this course for?
This course is aimed at emerging, new and intermediate level engagers that are looking to develop or sharpen their skills inDeliberative Engagement. It is ideal for those who undertaken a deliberative process, and wish to explore ways to strengthen practice, and for those who see the potential for deliberative engagement to tackle a compelling issue.
Delivery
- ^Date: June 25th, 2026
- ^This is a one-day course, delivered online. 8:30am – 4:00pm (includes 30-minute technical onboarding and breaks).
- ^Cost: $595 + GST
Your trainers
Amanda Newbery
Amanda is Managing Director of Articulous and has been an energetic and passionate IAP2 trainer since 2006. Over the years, she been the co-developer of 6 IAP2 Australasian courses. She specialises in complex, controversial or high-profile projects including major infrastructure, master planning and regional planning,organisational transformation, economic development, ICT, community services and health. Inpractice she has developed industry-leading online engagement projects through to deliberative democracy projects and data analysis.
In the areas of Councils, infrastructure and planning, she has won multiple awards including the 2019 International Projectof the Year Award from IAP2, 2019 Australasian IAP2 Project of the Year, and the 2019 IAP2 Community DevelopmentProject of the year.
She led Australia’s largest community engagement project – Plan Your Brisbane which received more than 114,000 contributions.Amanda has run on-the-ground projects in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, Christchurch andSouth Australia. She is a former journalist and a current ABC radio panellist.
Max Hardy
Max is highly sought after as a facilitator, capacity builder, and community engagement practitioner specialising in complex projects. He has now designed and facilitated over 80 deliberative engagement processes.
Max is a Fellow of the Engagement Institute and co-founder of Authentic Co-design. He is also a regular collaborator withthe Tamarack Institute, Canada, where, in 2019, he delivered training in five Canadian cities. In 2017 Max delivered aTedxTalk, titled ‘Questions Change Everything’, has co-authored two books on community engagement, and now co-produces a Podcast, ‘Lifting the Lid on Engagement’ along with Michelle Weston, Dome Engagement.
With a particular interest in deliberative democracy/engagement, Max has presented papers at numerous international conferences, and served as a Master Trainer for the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) co-facilitating two training academies, in Canada and in the United Kingdom.
Max has won numerous Awards for deliberative processes he has facilitated, and in recent years has assisted 14 councils across Victoria and NSW, as well as 5 water authorities to plan and deliver deliberative engagement programs.
In February 2009 Max co-facilitated Australia’s first Citizens’ Parliament, in Old Parliament House Canberra. During 2013 Maxprovided strategic advice, process design and facilitation services with regard to the development of The Queensland Plan.
Articulous Academy Alumni
All our course graduates are invited to join the AAA! Watch your email in the days after the course for your invitation.
Articulous Academy Alumni is growing group and you receive special goodies:
- ^Monthly email with a detailed case study that you can learn from and apply to your own practice
- ^Early notice and special pricing for all our courses
- ^A quarterly webinar on engagement hot topics
- ^priority access and special pricing for group coaching
- ^And more – we're planning new goodies all the time!
