“Becky was an absolute hit as a keynote speaker at NCEIF 2022. The feedback from our attendees was excellent. She owned the room with energy and presence, and her content was absolutely on target!”
— Donna Groves, NCEIF founder
Connecting People Everywhere: Becky Hirst, the Expert in Bringing People Together
Driven by an unparalleled passion for engagement across diverse landscapes, Becky Hirst stands as the unrivalled expert not only in community engagement but also in igniting involvement across multifaceted domains, from employee and customer engagement to the realms of community interaction. Her prowess in engagement strategies extends far beyond traditional boundaries, making her a creative genius adept at fostering connections in various spheres.
For two-and-a-half decades, Becky has been a trailblazer, transforming the engagement landscape. Her expertise doesn't just revolve around community involvement but extends to nurturing participation in workplaces, customer experiences, and beyond. Her fervent belief in the power of involving people, whether in a local neighbourhood, within an interest group, or within corporate structures, as a means to foster harmony and progress has been the cornerstone of her impactful journey.
Often labeled as 'fingerpainting,' Becky's work in engagement isn't childish; it’s a mastery of skill that many leaders in politics and business struggle to attain. Her arsenal comprises the hard skills of empathy, authenticity, active listening, and a genuine dedication to prioritise people's needs—an essential yet often overlooked aspect in today's leadership landscape.
Becky's dynamic presence as a speaker electrifies audiences, leaving them enlightened and motivated to enhance their methods of involving people in decision-making, whether within their organisations or local communities.
“Through her strong storytelling ability, Becky brings focus, energy, creativity, curiosity, and thought provoking conversation to her keynote delivery… Becky left our audience educated, and inspired to improve community engagement practices in their communities.”
— Jodie Prosser, DCM Institute
Previous global speaking engagements
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIETY, AUSTRALIA
Opening keynote for the Local Government Professionals Australia Community Managers Network Conference, Adelaide, 2023.
FINDING YOUR WHY & CONNECTING WITH YOUR WHO, AUSTRALIA
Keynote speaker, Grow Your Group Seminar Series 2019 & 2022, Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board.
FOR THE LOVE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AUSTRALIA
Keynote speaker at the PDO Communications Network Forum for communications & engagement practitioners working across Queensland for the Department of Transport & Main Roads.
ARE CULTURALLY & LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES EASIER TO EMBRACE OR IGNORE? YOU DECIDE. AUSTRALIA
IAP2 Conference 2009, Perth. Becky spoke of her experiences in engaging typically ‘hard to reach’ communities, and reflected on the need to engage beyond the vocal minority.
21ST CENTURTY ENGAGEMENT & THE CHALLENGES WE FACE, NEW ZEALAND
Opening keynote for the Auckland Council Engagement Network relaunch event, 2022.
UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIETY, CANADA
Keynote speaker for the IAP2 Wild Rose Chapter AGM event, Canada.
IDEAS ON THE FLEURIEU, AUSTRALIA
Keynote speaker and panelist at the Ideas on the Fleurieu event held at Goolwa Wharf, January 2019, speaking on the need for community-led localised health care.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN LIBRARY DESIGN, AUSTRALIA
Keynote speaker at the Public Libraries Victoria & State Library Victoria virtual conference called Libraries by Design.
BEYOND THE SPECTRUM, AUSTRALIA
Keynote speaker, Community Engagement Summit, Perth. Becky spoke on alternative models for community engagement, exploring a range of theoretical perspectives over the last 50 years.
SUICIDE PREVENTION FORUM, AUSTRALIA
Becky was invited to be a guest speaker at the 2022 States in Focus conference, organised by Suicide Prevention Australia. Her presentation focused on the strong role of community in suicide prevention.
CONSUMER PARTICIPATION & ENGAGEMENT MASTERCLASS, NORTHERN IRELAND
Keynote delivery for the Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) Team masterclass, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland.
INFORM, CONSULT, CLICK! AUSTRALIA
IAP2 Conference, Sydney 2011 - a lively and explorative journey through a range of online tools available for community engagement, in the context of the IAP2 spectrum.
ENGAGING COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS THROUGH COMMISSIONING SERVICES, UNITED KINGDOM
Speaker at the Kensington & Chelsea Social Council Commissioning Conference, held at the Natural Histroy Museum, London. 2007.
STEPS TO BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES, AUSTRALIA
Delivering presentations during 2021 in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne for Retirement Living Village Managers via the DCM Institute’s Village Summit conferences.
“Becky has the niche skill of taking the audience along with her story and teaching them some important lessons through her key insights. Becky is a real force in the consumer and community engagement sector in Asia-pacific and I highly recommend Becky, for the love of community engagement.”
— Shyamsundar Muthuramalingam, SAHMRI
Speaking topics.
Each of these topics can be expanded upon to address various aspects of engagement, collaboration, and driving change within diverse settings, be it communities, organisations, or broader society.
The Engagement Revolution: Reimagining Relationships for Collective Progress
The Human Side of Leadership: Engaging Hearts and Minds in Change
Elevating Engagement: Elevating Leadership in a Connected World
Empowerment through Engagement: Fostering Ownership in Decision-Making
Strategic Listening: The Foundation of Effective Engagement
Breaking Down Silos: Encouraging Cross-Functional Collaboration
Empathy as a Catalyst: Understanding Others to Drive Collaboration
The Power of Inclusive Decision-Making: Engaging Every Voice
Building Bridges, Not Walls: Creating Collaborative Environments
Harnessing Diversity: Empowering Collaboration in Today's World
Cultivating a Culture of Engagement: Keys to Sustainable Change
Leading Through Connection: Driving Change with Engaged Communities
Innovation Through Engagement: Driving Change and Creativity Together
Collaborative Decision-Making: Embracing Uncertainty for Shared Success
Learning to FOC – A Story of Insights from Transitioning from Face-to-Face Facilitation to Online Engagement.
Becky was invited to speak at Turn It Up - A Virtual Community Engagement Conference, hosted by Capire. Tune in to hear Becky share her insights and lessons learnt from transitioning from face-to-face facilitation to facilitating online conversations in 2020! This presentation included -
Throwing the rule book and risk register out the window
Energy and pace in the online world
Tales of panic - and how authenticity saves the day
How in 2020 we've grown our community engagement toolkit for the better - and there's no going back... or is there?
The Role of Government in Creating Change.
Collab4Good’s April 2021 Lunch & Learn on 'The role of government in creating change' featured panelists Mary-Anne Healy, Natasha Rees FGIA, Matthew Edward Taylor and Becky Hirst.
”We heard from leaders who work within Federal and State Governments to create positive change for community, as well as a community engagement specialist with loads of experience in ensuring the community voice is heard in government policy decisions.
We covered what role governments can, and should, play in creating change through policy and practice, how effective governments are in enabling change, and what we can do to influence change from the grassroots level.”
Carclew Creative Consultants
It was my pleasure to chat with the Carclew Creative Consultants last week about all things community engagement, entrepreneurialism and life!
I love this footage of the event, put together by the very talented Holly Winter - Filmmaker who is one of the Creative Consultants.
