In the Spotlight

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This month we connected with Kirsty to talk to her about her career in P2, being a CP3 and more. Below is some of what she had to share.

How did you get into the field of P2 and into your current position?

I started out in the entertainment industry working in set construction. I also did some volunteer work with non-profits. With experience in private and not-for-profit worlds, I was interested in how government fit into the picture, especially related to building community. 

I got a job at the City of Calgary working as a Community Liaison Officer, in a Councillor’s office, which was the perfect junction between the non-profit world and government. While in that role I participated in a town hall, that was not set-up by the City, and it was what all the training tells you not to do. The loudest and angriest were at the microphone and I was standing at the back of the room where there was this whole different conversation happening that I thought was really important. The organization was missing all this really rich conversation because of what was happening at the microphone. I thought that there has got to be a better way to have these kinds of conversations. 

Serendipitously an opportunity to work in the City of Calgary’s engagement resource unit opened up so I moved over there. After that I worked at an engineering firm in engagement and now I have been with the City of Airdrie as their sole Public Engagement Advisor for the past two years. 

If you could work anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I am becoming a trainer in IAP2 and the cohorts are international. I find the folks in Indonesia are doing cool and amazing public engagements that I would love to be over there to be a fly on the wall for. They are taking some creative approaches to reach decision makers by working with their spouses.

If you could hire someone for your job, what’s the number one quality you’d look for?

Being adaptable and able to meet people where they are at. When I was taking the IAP2 Emotion and Outrage training the instructor, Gale Simpson, said you have to have a good soft shoe routine, which is a style of tap dance. That spoke to me as, at the time, I was newly out of the entertainment world. It has actually been the truest advice that stood the test of time, being able to adapt on the fly and knowing what the moment needs. Being firm when the moment needs you to be and also being able to shuffle (the soft shoe routine), in order to get the best outcome.

Why did you decide to apply to become a CP3?

Being a CP3 has brought a lot to the table for me in terms of being able to help move the engagement needle in organizations. It gave me the frameworks, knowledge and community to draw on. When I am working with teams who are nervous about going out to the public with their project, the fact that I have this grounding in the internationally recognized process really means a lot to them. 

he process gave me a  chance to dig into public participation with other people who are pursuing it and talking about the juicy details about public participation was nice. I really appreciated the actual experience of CP3 and the confidence it brings.    

Do you know someone in the field of public participation who you think should be our next member in the spotlight? Email your suggestions to info@iap2wildrose.ca