Facilitation - Mendleson

Our facilitation approach creates energy, brings people together to work collaboratively and builds ownership of the outcomes.

Our aim is to create a respectful space where all voices can be heard, distil clear directions to inform decision-making, ensure that our client’s objectives are met and community satisfaction is enhanced.
We regularly facilitate processes to enable deep consideration of complex and sensitive issues that result in innovative approaches, build trust and deliver solutions that are supported by the community.

We have many years’ experience facilitating a wide range of engagement methods.

We facilitate team planning workshops to create enjoyable sessions that help participants to think creatively and spark new insights, while following a disciplined process that will guide the team to share information and plan effectively.

Developing a solution for ongoing odour at Merricks Estuary in Somers

Nicola facilitated a deliberative process and successful collaboration with community representatives, Melbourne Water, DEECA, Mornington Shire Council and Southern Rural Water to address the long-term issue of odour at Merricks Creek in Somers which was resulting in significant community concern and complaints.

A key issue was that each of the government agencies had responsibility for part of the estuary management making it a difficult situation to resolve. Nicola worked with the project partners to develop Terms of Reference for the working group and recruit the community members.

Over a series of five meetings the group:
– Received information and presentations from experts
– Developed a problem statement
– Briefed a coastal engineer who developed several options to trial and deliberated on the options.

The community members were empowered to select the option to be trialled. Both community complaints and the odour have significantly reduced since the process.

Developing a solution for ongoing odour at Merricks Estuary in Somers

Pacific Hydro

Developing and implementing a process for community funds distribution

Nicola delivered a deliberative process where a rural community decided how to distribute funds available from a wind farm being constructed in their area.

Neighbours had opposed the wind farm during the development phase. Enabling the community to decide how the funds would be spent was potentially a high-risk engagement strategy which required extreme care in the delivery. It was important this process had community ownership and was trusted.

A Community Partnerships Group met eight times in 2017. It was made clear at every meeting that the community had ownership of the process and how the funds would be allocated.

During the process the group:
– Established a community fund where local groups could apply for funding
– Developed a terms of reference, criteria for funding, how the fund would be promoted, the application and voting process
– Considered how the group would operate and refresh members over the following 24 years
– Allocated the first year’s funds by consensus despite many more applications than money available
– Promoted the fund by letterbox drop, putting up posters and encouraging local groups to apply.

In the post-project evaluation, all members said that their objectives and expectations for participating were achieved. They said the project had facilitated an effective, simple and smooth process that had empowered them to make good decisions for their community.

Developing and implementing a process for community funds distribution

Melbourne Water and Banyule City Council

Banyule Flood Forum

Nicola designed and facilitated a forum to provide information to residents who were very concerned about repeated flooding in their area.

The forum provided information as well as direct contact with representatives from the local council, SES and Melbourne Water.

Although only around 30 attendees were expected, over 130 people came. Good planning and facilitation, and great teamwork on the day from all parties resulted in a calm and well-structured event where all attendees were able to speak to a relevant person to discuss their concerns.