Julie McCrossin
HOW JULIE WORKS
Here's a description of the work Julie does as an MC, facilitator, panel discussion leader and speaker. If you're interested in Julie's media work, take a look at her work history. If you're looking for something more droll from Julie's background, head on over to fun stuff.
EVENT TYPES
HYPOTHETICALS & PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Julie has been running panel discussions and hypotheticals at seminars, public forums and conferences for over 20 years. She is well known for her capacity to involve panel members and the audience in an interactive conversation that addresses complex issues in a lively, informal, witty and yet carefully structured way.
Panel discussions offer the opportunity to hear a range of views from people with expertise or experience in a particular field, while involving the audience through questions and comments.
Panel discussions have a dynamic all their own and their success depends on having a host or leader who is able to stimulate discussion in a lively way, while ensuring all the panel members get an equal say and engage each other in a meaningful way.
The role of the audience is very significant. The leader must have the skills to support the panelists to engage with the audience, while encouraging meaningful and concise comments and questions from as many people as possible. Julie's many years of experience interviewing people from all walks of life on live radio means she has the skills to move seamlessly between the panel and the audience, while ensuring everyone stays on topic and shares the time.
Hypotheticals are also an entertaining way to explore issues and debates. The London-based Australian barrister Geoffrey Robertson QC has made this approach famous on television.
A hypothetical is essentially a case study or story that is used to stimulate discussion among a panel of people. This format requires a confident facilitator with intelligence, flexibility and wit.
Julie has facilitated many hypotheticals on complex and sensitive issues such as child protection, occupational health and safety and sentencing policy in the criminal law.
While it isn't essential to have a legal qualification to run a good hypothetical, it helps. Julie completed a law degree at the University of NSW in 2000 and she has run many hypotheticals and panel discussions with a legal focus.
If you'd like to see comments from people about Julie's work, take a look at Testimonials.
MC
A professional MC, or Master of Ceremonies, can make the world of difference at any event by maintaining the focus of the audience, speakers and performers on the prime purpose of the occasion.
Julie has many years of experience as an MC at a wide variety of occasions, from huge outdoor rallies in Sydney's Domain, to major national awards evenings at Parliament House in Canberra, to intimate fundraisers for community organizations.
Julie will keep your event running smoothly and on time, while building a warm and witty connection between the speakers, performers and audience. Her attention to accuracy and detail in everything she does will help the organizers to relax as well.
For comments about Julie's work as an MC, take a look at Testimonials.
MEETING AND SEMINAR FACILITATOR
Julie is often associated with entertainment and fun because of her five years as a performer on the television media quiz show Good News Week. However, Julie also has extensive experience as a professional facilitator of meetings, seminars and public consultations on subjects requiring sophisticated research and analytical skills' as well as great sensitivity and confidentiality. Take a look at Julie's Events Diary, Testimonials and Work History, including Special Projects to see the range of Julie's experience as a facilitator.
PUBLIC SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Julie is best known for her interviewing skills, which enable her to draw out the views and ideas of others. Yet she is also in demand as a keynote speaker at conferences. Julie's highly varied work on ABC Radio National and throughout the community, as outlined in her Work History, means she has a deep and broad general knowledge in a wide range of subject areas. She has the capacity to investigate a topic or subject area and talk about it in a clear, amusing and engaging way that always focuses on the personal, family and community impact of the issue at hand.
While Julie's subject matter may vary greatly, her presentations always stimulate audiences with wit, warmth and ideas, as her Testimonials indicate.
PROCESS
Preparation
Julie does a lot of different things in her working week but there is one common factor in every thing she does and that is preparation. Before your event Julie will meet with you face-to-face or by teleconference to clarify the overall aims and the key issues for discussion in her session. She is very happy to read any documents or briefing materials you can give her to help her understand the keys issues in your sector.
For over 20 years Julie has participated in hundreds of conferences, seminars and events as an MC, facilitator or speaker. She is very happy to share practical ideas about what works well based on her years of experience.
Panel discussions
If Julie is running a panel discussion or hypothetical for you, she will draft a single-page summary of the overall aims and trigger questions for the session based on the briefing you have given her. You can then distribute this summary to all the panel members in advance so that they have a clear idea what to expect.
Often it is a good idea to distribute this summary sheet to all the participants on the day as well. It is a simple way of making sure everyone understands the key issues for discussion and the questions to explore.
Julie also likes to meet the panel members face-to-face 30 minutes before the event, if possible, to explain her approach and to answer any questions they may have. Julie recommends that the ideal panel size is four to six people with a maximum of eight. She recommends you allow one and a half hours for a panel discussion. This guarantees one hour and fifteen minutes of discussion time, while allowing time for introductions.
Hypotheticals
If you are planning to run a hypothetical, Julie can show you some examples of well-drafted hypotheticals to look at before you write your own. It is amazing how helpful and timesaving it can be to look at a few examples before you start writing your own story line.
Julie recommends that the opening scenario for your hypothetical is no more than half an A4 sheet long, followed by two or three short plot developments that each raises a new issue in a clear and simple way. Julie will also offer feedback and advice on your draft storyline.
Audience participation
Julie is very skilled at engaging audiences and involving them in a discussion through questions and comments. Julie's style is relaxed, friendly and informal yet focused on the key issues. Her natural wit and humour bring warmth and fun to everything she does, even if the topic is sensitive. Participants at seminars and forums facilitated by Julie are often surprised at the open and frank contributions she elicits from the audience and panel.
On the day
Julie arrives at least an hour early on the day or evening of your event so you can brief her on any last minute matters. It also gives Julie time to do a sound check or a technical run through or to meet members of the panel and audience.
Technical requirements
Julie prefers to use two cordless, hand-held microphones, rather than a lapel mike. Cordless, hand held microphones generally deliver a better quality of sound and they enable Julie to engage the audience directly by walking amongst the audience for question time. When Julie is running a panel discussion she recommends that the panel members do not have individual microphones. Instead she asks for one or two cordless, handheld microphones for the panel members, depending on the size of the panel. Julie will ensure the microphones are passed rapidly between the panel members.
Keeping to time
Julie is well known for her capacity to keep events running smoothly and on time. In fact, she often finishes 5 to 10 minutes early because she believes in the motivational power of the early mark. As an MC she is tactfully able to keep speakers on time. Wherever possible, Julie is keen to provide the audience with the opportunity for questions and comments. Keeping the program running on time is the key to ensuring this happens.
Evaluation and feedback
Julie values feedback very highly. If you provide an evaluation form, Julie will ensure participants complete it during her session and she is keen to hear the comments about her work. Julie is also happy to provide her own feedback sheet. If you would like to speak to Julie after your event to discuss what worked and what could be improved, she is very happy to do this.
SAMPLE BRIEFS
The following briefs are samples of Julie's approach to facilitating two panel discussions.
Health Consumer Forum
Format: Panel discussion
Title: Strategies for Genuine Participation: Two Case Studies
Facilitator: Julie McCrossin
Panel Members: Names and titles
Aims:
- Identify what makes genuine public participation in health decision-making possible.
- Focus on both individual and community-wide decisions.
- Discuss two real life case studies to keep the discussion practical and focussed on real-world systems and situations.
- Enjoy a lively interactive session with audience participation.
The Case Studies:
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
In July this year an expert committee convened by the Therapeutic Good Administration recommended the updating of product and consumer information relating to HRT after wide media coverage of new US research.
The panel will discuss- what has happened since July to help ensure women and health professionals are able to make good decisions together about HRT;
- what more needs to be done; and
- who is primarily responsible for fostering well-informed and effective participation in health decision-making?
- Prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Similarly, what practical strategies are we taking to achieve the best possible decisions and results?
Panel trigger questions - for both case studies:
- Who is responsible for making sure the public and professionals are getting the information they need to inform good decision-making? For HRT? For prostate cancer? Please give brief specific examples of effective strategies. What more needs to be done? Please note: examples may relate to the NSW Health Department; community and consumer organizations; professional colleges; pharmaceutical companies etc etc.
- What are the key practical challenges we face in getting the right information to the right people at the right time? Please give specific examples to illustrate your point.
- Is information enough to ensure good participation or is more needed? Examples to illustrate?
- Which organizations have primary responsibility to ensure health professionals of all kinds are properly informed? Could they do more to involve and inform the public as well? Examples?
- What role do consumer and community organizations play in supporting informed public participation in decisions? Examples? Could they do more to involve and inform health professionals? Examples?
- What are the one or two critical factors that make genuine public participation possible? Examples?
Rural Allied Health Professionals
Format: Panel discussion
Title: Achieving the best results for patients, their families and ourselves
Facilitator: Julie McCrossin
Panel Members: Names and titles
Aims:
- Share practical ideas about how to meet the complex needs of patients and their families in rural and remote areas.
- Share examples of success.
- Clarify precisely what made these successes possible.
- Enjoy a lively, interactive session with lots of audience participation.
Panel trigger questions:
- Describe an example from your own experience of successfully overcoming big challenges to achieve a good result for a patient, or group of patients, and their families. Please specify the 2 or 3 key challenges and the 2 or 3 key strategies used to achieve good results despite these challenges.
- Why is it important to identify community networks and to build on them? Please give a specific example to illustrate precisely how community networks can be used to achieve better results for the patient and health team.
- How can health professionals in rural and remote areas maintain and develop their own skills and knowledge? Please give a specific example to illustrate how this can be successfully achieved.
- Is it possible to deliver a quality service in rural and remote areas despite all the challenges? Examples?
- What is the single most important thing you need to do to maintain your own well being? Is a decent quality of life for the health professional necessary to ensure a quality service for patients?
