virtual course: co-design for leaders
what leaders need to know and do to help co-design succeed
🗓️ March 2025 (SOLD OUT - join waitlist or register for July below)
🗓️ July 2025 - register using the form below
We also offer this course privately, for colleagues
Co-design can and should be done well. Leaders have an important role to play. So, learn about supporting co-design with KA McKercher author of Beyond Sticky Notes a widely used book on co-design, Doing Research, together and the Model of Care for Co-design. KA is a designer, ex public servant and co-design facilitator of 13 years. KA has worked with hundreds of organisations to co-design and teaches both nationally and internationally.
By ‘leader’ we mean anyone with influence and resources. You might be a Manager, Associate Director, Director, Executive Director, CEO, Board Director, Team Leader or someone else. Unsure if the course is for you? Get in touch.
about the course
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In a small group you’ll learn:
more about what co-design is and isn’t
about different ways, roles and responsibilities, including as a sponsor or funder
how to set-up and support people leading and participating in co-design
about maximising impact and minimising harm
making wise decisions about where co-design is best, scoping
about the need for cultural and community-specific ways
about checking-in and encouraging a broader culture of curiosity and co-design
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you're aware of co-design but not clear on the specifics or how to support it
you want to make sure your organisation delivers on its promises to co-design and/or co-produce
you need a dedicated, structured and regular space for reflection
you want to connect with others leading/doing co-design and feel less alone
you want to connect with your knowledge, experience and intuition
you want to explore your role in leading/supporting co-design
you want to learn from past mistakes
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Talking about our organisations can come with personal and organisational risks.
So, we'll ask all participants to sign a code of care ahead of the course which includes keeping confidential the specifics of what we hear from each other.
If there's other actions you'd like us to take to ensure confidentiality, please let us know when you register.
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The course includes:
Five x 2-hour sessions every three to four weeks
A 1-hour video (watch at your own pace) after each session
A 1-hour one-to-one coaching call with KA after the course.
The course is limited to 15 participants to prioritise safety, learning and connection.
Typically our courses are made up of people from Australia, New Zealand and North America from across for-purpose sectors.
We typically have a high number of people working in health and social care as well as environmental fields.
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Leaders play a crucial role in co-design, but their responsibilities can sometimes be unclear. If leaders lack the skills and knowledge needed to effectively support co-design, it can result in inadequate support for staff and communities, missed chances for meaningful change, impractical projects, wasted time, reputation damage and even harm.
Co-design is now mainstream. Leaders have a responsibility to:
understand co-design and a few different ways to do it
support decisions about where co-design is best (co-design isn’t right for every project)
notice where culturally-specific and/or community-specific approaches are needed
know how to resource, sponsor and support people leading and taking part in co-design to minimise harm
know how to partner or commission co-design in a way that encourages success from the outset
learn from common mistakes
the dates and topics
Times are Australian Eastern Time. The times generally suit people across Australia, Aotearoa, the Asia Pacific and evening people in Canada and North America.
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Session 1: Tuesday 29th July 11 am-1 pm
Session 2: Tuesday 19th August 11 am-1 pm
Session 3: Tuesday 9th September 11 am-1 pm
Session 4: Tuesday 30th September 11 am-1 pm
Session 5: Tuesday 21st October 11 am-1 pm
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Session 1: Tuesday 11th March, 11am - 1pm AEDT
Session 2: Tuesday 1st, April, 11am - 1pm AEDT
Session 3: Tuesday 29th April, 11am - 1pm AEST
Session 4: Tuesday 13th May, 11am - 1pm AEST
Session 5: Tuesday 3rd June, 11am - 1pm AEST
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Here’s an outline of the themes and topics we’ll cover in each session.
Understanding what co-design is and isn't
Understanding roles and responsibilities, different models for doing co-design, nuance in cultural ways and community-specific ways
how to support people leading and participating in co-design, maximising impact and minimising harm, about failure and accountability
making wise decisions about what co-design is best for, scoping co-design projects, considering internal/external facilitation, delivering on promises
bringing it all together, asking questions, building cultures of curiosity, learning by doing and power-sharing
We may be able to include additional topics.
course cost, scholarships and inclusions
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You get:
a one-to-one conversation with KA to get to know you and your context
five 2 hour live sessions with peers
a one-hour video lesson after each session to watch at your own pace
session materials and templates
the Model of Care for Co-design cards
10% off further training, coaching or consulting (only applies to projects under $20k)
a certificate of completion
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the total course cost is $1,500 AUD + GST
you can pay in total or in instalments (a maximum of three instalments)
domestic card payments include a 1.5% fee and international payments attract a 3.5% fee
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We offer 2 x full scholarships for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Leaders (please fill out the form at the bottom of the page).
There are no complicated eligibility criteria. You'll be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and have a leadership role that involves co-design in some way. If we can't accomodate you on the March course, we'll try to include you in a future course with a scholarship.
Unfortunately we cannot offer additional scholarships at this time.
decide if the course is right for you
Still unsure? Contact us at hello@beyondstickynotes.com, we would love to hear from you
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This course is deliberately not a one-hour session or a one-day training.
So, you'll need time, interest and a willingness to reflect on your leadership and your organisation(s).
This course is for leaders. We won’t turn you into a co-design practitioner.
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The course isn't suited to brand-new leaders looking for generic leadership training.
You should be in a leadership role of some kind, supporting others to co-design (or, work towards co-design). If you don’t have a leadership role, or, people who you support to co-design, this course isn’t for you.
This training has a public sector and not-for-profit focus. So, we don’t recommend and don’t prioritise attendance from people working in commercial, big four consulting or for-profit spaces.
While we explore facilitation, this isn’t a dedicated facilitation course.
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When you register, please let us know about any access needs or learning preferences.
Our course uses a range of learning approaches - ensuring you don’t have to focus on too much or too long and have many different choices in how you engage with the activities and other participants. We give information in different formats and provide information ahead of the sessions to help you prepare.
We don’t believe there is a ‘normal’ way to engage. We actively try to challenge neuronormativity.
If course participants consent, we record sessions to help with accessibility and to support people with other responsibilities who may need to miss sessions. Given this course focuses on leaders, recording may not be possible.
Please note: While we routinely use auto-generated captions, as a small business, we cannot yet afford to provide live closed captioning or interpreter services for all live sessions.
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You’ll need access to the internet, a computer, and the ability to speak and read English.
We ask for your curiosity and willingness to come into the space to share and learn.
We have a zero tolerance policy for racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and other oppressive behaviour. We also acknowledge we're all learning and will give you an opportunity to be called-in.
We expect you to come to all live sessions and understand that might not be possible. We understand you may need to miss the occasional session due to family life, work, cultural commitments, Sorry Business or something else. When that’s the case, we try to record the sessions so you can catch up.
how to register (your responses are private)
If you’re unable to fill out this form email us on hello@beyondstickynotes.com and we’ll find a way to help. Once we have your application we’ll get back to within 5 business days and let you know the next steps.
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The lands we work on are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. We Pay the Rent and support First Nations Futures. We acknowledge Ancestors and Elders past and present and the many traditions of design, creativity, collective care and innovation.