Who we are
Max Hardy Consulting is a small consultancy specialising in deliberative engagement, facilitation, community engagement and training.
Our focus is on delivering engagement that is considered and authentic. Leveraging on the skills of Max Hardy, who has over 20 years of experience, we help clients with their toughest and most complex projects to achieve positive results.
We work with people at all stages of their projects to understand their unique, and not so unique challenges, and to co-create new ways of responding to those challenges. This has included projects of all sizes and industry sectors across Australia and internationally. Anyone from local councils, government departments and agencies, health authorities and private companies can benefit from working with trained facilitators and engagement specialists on both internal and external issues.
We focus on creating a laid back atmosphere that puts people at ease and allows them to work together at their best.
To learn more, watch Max Hardy's TEDx Talk on asking the right questions.
Max Hardy
Max Hardy is one of Australia’s most sought after facilitators, and a foremost expert in co-design and deliberative process and has designed and facilitated over 40 deliberative panels since 1998. He regularly delivers workshops and master-classes on deliberative processes at conferences and for the professional development programs of the Municipal Association of Victoria, IAP2, Tamarack Institute and Collaboration for Impact.
As a Master Trainer for IAP2 Max co-designed and facilitated two training academies in 2006 and 2008, in Alberta Canada, and Edinburgh, UK respectively. He has co-authored two books, presented papers at numerous international conferences, and is a regular guest lecturer at several universities.
Max is an IAP2 Ambassador, an associate of Collaboration for Impact and regular collaborator with the Tamarack Institute, Canada.
Prue Blake
Prue Blake is a community engagement and planning specialist with over seven years experience designing and facilitating community engagement processes. Her experience includes delivering forums, pop ups, interviews, workshops and deliberative engagement processes within both the private and public sector.
She has extensive experience developing implementable place visions for cities and councils across Australia. Her focus is on ensuring that projects are clear, well planned and managed while maintaining a sense of innovation and joy.
Prue is passionate about using meaningful research to inform projects and has a PhD focused on developing new methods to measure changes in public transport ridership - a topic that was developed through lots of onboard interviews.
In addition to her role with Max Hardy Consulting, Prue is a stand up comedian who recently won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival RAW Comedy competition.