What clients are saying…
Quick and in-tune with the group
Michelle’s quick mind, attunement to the emotional needs of our diverse group, and personal alignment with the values underlying our interest in starting Community Health Centres, all shone through. I’d not hesitate to engage her to facilitate another planning session.
Andrew Earnshaw
Executive Director, Prima Health Co-operative
Amazing ‘hybrid’ facilitation
Michelle’s meeting facilitation in the hybrid environment was super! Over the last couple of years I have participated in many virtual meetings, and inevitably there are glitches (especially when things get complicated with break out rooms etc). Michelle did an amazing job facilitating the meeting, and ensuring that those of us that were virtual were included and engaged. I highly recommend Michelle!
Tara Kennedy
Senior Risk Assessor and Toxicologist, SNC-Lavalin
Highly Recommend
I found Michelle’s graphic facilitation workshop not only applicable to my work but also relevant to most other areas of life. As a research manager, I’ve been less confidant working with my right brain despite knowing how helpful those right-brained tools can be for public engagement. Michelle provided me with strategies, templates, and a graphic toolbox to assist in conveying sometimes complex research foci to broader audiences. I quite highly recommend this workshop to anyone organizing team meetings, engaging with the public, participating in education activities, or even helping your children with their homework. I’ll be taking it again when offered!
Morgan Sternberg
Research Management, Morrow BioScience Ltd.
Key Architect
I recently participated in a multi-stakeholder dialogue where Michelle was the key architect. The structure of the panel, breakout groups and question sessions provided a great platform for raising awareness and highlighting some noticeable challenges in messaging to the general public. It was very well done.
Thompson Hickey
General Manager, Teck Trail Operations
Outstanding Job
Michelle took on the task of facilitating our first ever online national, multi-stakeholder annual meeting on northern transportation adaptation, which was usually an in-person event.
Michelle ensured she understood our needs. She was flexible about our evolving agenda and developed creative ways of keeping everyone engaged over three+ days of meetings. With participants from six provinces and three territories, there were plenty of opportunities for technological and other glitches, but she and her team were well prepared and had contingencies in place, which meant that 30 presentations and breakout sessions went smoothly (and kept to time!) The positive feedback from participants reinforced that Michelle did an outstanding job.
Thanks again for making our meeting such a success!
Maxine Bilodeau
Transport Canada
Careful Preparation
The graphic facilitation workshop that Michelle and Nancy provided for Alberta Agriculture staff in fall 2011 was fantastic! They began by setting the stage through careful preparation with the intention of the participants knowing it would be a safe place to learn, stretch their abilities and try new things. And it worked. Participants found the workshop to be energizing, fun, and interesting, but most of all useful. Everyone walked away with ways they planned to incorporate the concepts into their daily work to better engage co-workers, partners and clients. From using it in everything from agendas, minutes, flipcharts and handouts; to ice breakers, meetings, and team building; to note-taking, brainstorming and other planning processes; the graphic facilitation techniques are here to stay. A huge thank you to Michelle and Nancy for lighting the fire!
Sharon Stollery
Ag Industry Extension Branch, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
A New and Innovative Method
The graphic facilitation workshop experience added a new and innovative method to my professional skill set. After the workshop, I was offered a job with a community design organization because my skills of community engagement are linked with visual interaction. I highly recommend the workshop to others!
Susan DeBlieck
Community Design Lab, Iowa State University
Exceptional Workshop
Thanks so much to both of you! It was an exceptional workshop and we both got a lot out of it on many levels. You packed it full and yet it felt so fun and energizing!
Paula Beltgens
Consultant and Coach
Graphic Facilitation
I wanted to send a quick thank you for hosting such a wonderful workshop. I had a fabulous time and learned a lot, even though I already took the workshop 4 years ago I was thrilled to have the opportunity to take again. The content is rich, the hands on application powerful, the people genuine and the instructors first class. Being immersed in this creative process for two whole days is an amazing experience, I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about graphic facilitation and how it can help positively transform group process.
Fern Sabo
Community Engagement Consultant
Highly Motivated Professional Facilitator
I have worked with Michelle Laurie on several projects over the past four years and found her to be a highly motivated professional facilitator with an unusual combination of skills. She is a very creative thinker, has excellent organizational skills and is a very effective communicator. She has been particularly successful in motivating communities to the Columbia Basin to take active steps towards mitigating climate change impacts and is one of the leaders in promoting climate change adaptation methods. She is well versed in using innovative teaching and presentation techniques including animation, video production and multi-media tools. She works exceptionally well in multi-stakeholder processes, has considerable international experience and has a very outgoing personality. In other words, she is one of the key people you want to have on your interdisciplinary team.
Hans Schreier
Professor, University of British Columbia
Diverse Skills
Michelle worked in the Global Forest Conservation Programme of IUCN for four years (2003-2007). Her diverse skills were proven with the variety of assignments she undertook from designing the first system to encourage the flow of knowledge across IUCN’s forest portfolio, proposal writing, strategic communications, policy assessment and project management. Her knowledge of community building, networks and ability to see the bigger picture were instrumental for facilitating lessons learning and scaling up innovation across our programme. Michelle is an energetic problem-solver, professional, self-motivated and excels under pressure. I would not hesitate to recommend Michelle as a leader and team player to anyone working in the field of environment and development.
Stephen Kelleher
Former Deputy Director – Forest Conservation Programme, IUCN-International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Skilled Project Manager
Michelle is a skilled project manager (a major climate change initiative for example); excellent trainer (effective meetings and networking for examples); and has the knowledge and expertise to embed ongoing learning into any group or activity she leads or is part of. She does this creatively, with confidence and with a good sense of humour.