STRATEGIC FACILITATIONS, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENTS & EVENT HOSTING
Phil is sought after as for his ability to design and facilitate event outcomes based on his clients’ needs and success measures, from event hosting through to panel discussions and complex stakeholder engagements. Plus, he’s experienced across in-person, hybrid and online formats.
STRAGEIC FACILITATIONS
When facilitation is done well you might not even notice, but you certainly know when it’s not! Internally sourced facilitators carry some advantages but they do not suit all occasions.
Phil is an experienced hand who ensures facilitated sessions run smoothly and deliver results, including the option of designing or co-designing the session with you.
Since leaving his corporate career, he’s worked with hundreds of organisations across all sectors which gives him a level of experience that is seldom found in others and is an accredited ‘master facilitator’ with critical thinking specialists, Janellis.
From his extensive work with companies, non-profits and government agencies, he brings a safe and reliable pair of hands to the task, reducing risk and maximising your return-on-investment in people’s time and availability.
He knows how to deal with and adjust to changing dynamics and situations as they arise, keeping participants focused and on track.
It all starts with planning – the level of preparation prior to an event or project will largely dictate the quality of the outcome.
Phil works with you to understand your objectives and translates into the best approach for the people, audience and stakeholders involved.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENTS
Over the past 15+ years, Phil’s partnered with more than 150 organisations across the private,
public and social / community sectors and a high percentage involve stakeholder engagements.
He has extensive experience navigating complex, multi-party environments – including contentious community issues, collective impact projects, collaborative processes and partnership negotiations.
Recent assignments include designing and delivering a stakeholder engagement sessions for a local government entity, a tailored ‘stakeholder smarts’ working session for a major association and a series of engagement sessions for clients of an employment services provider.
In larger and more complex projects, such as those for NSW Government agencies, he has formulated and delivered several types of engagement sessions to unite and align diverse stakeholder groups around common goals.
EVENT & PANEL HOSTING
Experience counts for a lot when you’re hosting the room from the stage.
Great event hosting doesn’t happen by magic – the host must be fully up to speed on the venue, topic, speakers, audience composition and sponsor’s needs. Conversely, a host or emcee who turns up on the day with no preparation is a pending disaster.
Phil’s approach is to ensure your event objectives are met while minimising risk, working with you to get the most out of your investment in people’s time and energy.
He’s hosted events such as JLL’s TEDxSydney VIP Lunch through to awards nights, off-site day(s) and interviews with distinguished guests. His business, community and leadership background means he can seamlessly curate a wide range of topics and conversations.
Panel hosting requires preparation, pre-work and, on the day, managing the conversation so that contributions from guests are shared around and they each have the opportunity to shine.
You may also want to consider packaging in a keynote, working session or workshop to dramatically lift the quality of the experience at an attractive marginal cost.
I received a lot of positive feedback about the workshop and your facilitation. People seem to be really keen to start implementing their new knowledge.
Our event has been made so much richer because of your experience and approach. You’ve been awesome!
The discussion gave the various stakeholders in the room a broader perspective of the issues we face and how it impacts what our businesses are trying to do.
As a community we have decided to focus on youth unemployment and Phil has helped us engage with local companies to open up their thinking around sustained solutions and win-win outcomes.
Phil helped us think more broadly about business partnerships to identify and explore shared value opportunities in our goal to improve Indigenous health.
Phil’s engaging style, thought leadership and practical case studies added huge value to each delegate and the overarching program. Great stuff!
His ability to engage with people, to challenge and to stimulate new ways of thinking, while providing us with a clear strategic approach was highly skilled.
Thank you so much for the session today. Great feedback from everyone!
Thank you Phil, your simple, systematic approach has made a significant impact in this strategic project.
Phil’s session was excellent – it hit the mark perfectly and got everyone in the room in the right frame of mind for the day ahead.
Your session really set the scene for the critical nature of purpose for our People Lead Team offsite.
Thank you so much for yesterday. Your session led to some really strong conversations and a fabulous team training day.
Phil was an amazing facilitator. He took the time to understand our goals and worked with us to run a series of successful events with businesses. I cannot recommend Phil highly enough.
Thanks to Phil Preston for helping us brainstorm and collaborate in our afternoon session.
You’ve done an exceptional job, valuable personally and in terms of what we can do collectively.
Phil is a fantastic communicator and makes everything seamless. Highly recommend Phil as a strategic thinker and engaging presenter.
Phil guided us through … with questions that caused reflection and vulnerability. Excellent. Thanks Phil!
Phil delivered an insightful and inspiring session on leading through change, with fresh perspectives and practical strategies for our up-and-coming leaders.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with our alumni community today in such an engaging way!
Your opening keynote was pitch perfect in terms of what our over-arching theme was, and that is a testament to your professionalism, diligence, creativity and passion for your craft.
The session was both engaging and immediately useful. The team left with clearer alignment, renewed energy, and actionable strategies we can apply straight away.
Phil led an important project for us and was a true professional throughout.
