Media Hub
Ideas in Motion

Every format.
One conversation.

Podcast episodes, published writing, video talks, thought bubbles and free resources — all of Becky's thinking, in one place.

Listen

The Podcast

Honest conversations with practitioners, leaders and changemakers about the real work of genuine community engagement. No spin. No clichés. Just people doing the work, talking about what they've learned.

Episode 47
EP. 47 42 min Recent

What Does Genuine Participation Actually Look Like?

Three practitioners pushing the boundaries of community engagement share what they've learned, what's failed, and what genuine participation looks like in practice.

Episode 46
EP. 46 38 min

Leading With Vulnerability — A Conversation With Sector Leaders

Episode 45
EP. 45 51 min

Why Most Engagement Strategies Fail Before They Begin

Episode 44
EP. 44 44 min

The Politics of Community Engagement in Government

Becky Hirst holding her book
Published Work

The Book

Showing Up Honestly:
A Practitioner's Guide to Genuine Community Engagement

The definitive guide to community engagement practice — from someone who has spent 27 years doing the real thing. Part framework, part memoir, part provocation. Required reading for anyone who works between organisations and communities.

"This is the book the sector has been waiting for. Practical, honest, and long overdue."
— Professor of Public Policy, University of Melbourne
Written Work

Articles & Thought Bubbles

Becky writes when she has something worth saying. These aren't content marketing — they're ideas.

Article

The Organisations That Will Thrive Are the Ones That Learn to Listen

In a world of noise and speed, the organisations building deep community relationships are the ones creating durable advantage — and it starts with one skill most leaders never learned.

Read Essay →
Article

Why Engagement Theatre Is Worse Than No Engagement At All

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Article

What If We Measured Engagement Quality, Not Just Quantity?

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Article

Holding Space Without Losing Your Voice

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Article

The Five Engagement Mistakes Organisations Keep Making

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Free Downloads

Resources & Tools

Practical tools and frameworks you can use right now. No email required.

PDF Guide

The Community Engagement Health Check

A diagnostic tool to assess the quality and authenticity of your organisation's engagement practice. 12 questions. Honest answers.

Download Free
Framework

The Participation Spectrum Self-Assessment

Where does your organisation sit on the participation spectrum? This self-assessment helps you be honest about where you are — and where you need to go.

Download Free
Template Pack

Community Engagement Planning Templates

Five ready-to-use templates for engagement planning, stakeholder mapping, feedback design and impact reporting.

Download Free
Reading List

Becky's Essential Reading List

The 20 books, papers and resources that have most shaped Becky's thinking over 27 years. Updated annually.

Download Free
Watch

Video & Talks

Selected keynote recordings, interviews and short-form video content.

TEDx Talk
18:24
TEDx Talk

Showing Up Honestly — TEDx Melbourne

Becky's most-watched talk. The gap between engagement theatre and genuine participation — and what it costs us when we get it wrong.

Conference Talk
32:10
Conference Keynote

The Listening Organisation — IAP2 Australasia Conference

Interview
24:05
Interview

In Conversation With Becky Hirst — ABC Radio National

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