Skip to Content

Speaker · MC · Facilitator

I help rooms connect, focus and move forward.

Whether I am speaking, hosting or facilitating, I want to understand the room, bring structure to the moment and help people stay connected to why they are there.

Blaise Itabelo speaking at an event
Conferences · civic events · panels · workshops · community and public conversations

01

Speaker

Personal story, community insight, public engagement and practical leadership.

02

MC

Professional hosting with warmth, timing, clarity and control of the program.

03

Facilitator

Structured conversations that make room for people and move towards useful next steps.

The microphone is only part of the job.

What happens before the audience sees me matters just as much as what happens once the program begins.

I do not see speaking, MC work or facilitation as simply turning up and delivering a script. I want to understand the purpose of the event, who is in the room and what the organiser is hoping people will experience or take away.

01

Preparation

I want to understand the audience, program, sensitivities, speakers and purpose before the room fills.

02

Judgement

I pay attention to what the moment requires rather than assuming every audience or event needs the same approach.

03

Presence

I am comfortable holding a room while making sure the event, its purpose and its people remain the focus.

04

Connection

I use clear, human language and work to create a room where people understand why they are there and feel part of it.

Three ways I can contribute.

The role can be as focused as a keynote or panel contribution, or broader support across an event, workshop or facilitated conversation.

01

Speaking

Keynotes, talks, panel contributions and personal reflections that draw together lived experience, community work, public engagement, belonging and leadership.

Keynotes · Panels · Talks
02

MC & hosting

Opening the room, introducing speakers, connecting program segments, managing time and tone, and helping the event move naturally from one moment to the next.

Conferences · Ceremonies · Events
03

Facilitation

Workshops, panels, roundtables and stakeholder conversations that need enough structure to stay purposeful while still allowing people to contribute openly.

Workshops · Forums · Roundtables

Things I can speak about.

These are not fixed speeches. I would normally shape the contribution around the audience, event purpose and the conversation you want to create.

Community

Building trust with communities

What respectful engagement looks like when organisations genuinely want people to participate.

Belonging

Refugee welcome, belonging and opportunity

Reflections drawn from lived experience and years of working alongside communities involved in welcome and settlement.

Participation

Public engagement that leads somewhere

Moving beyond consultation for its own sake and creating conversations that can genuinely inform decisions and action.

Leadership

Leadership shaped by experience

How personal history, professional responsibility and community contribution can influence the way we lead.

Culture

Working across cultures and perspectives

What changes when we pay attention to language, trust, power, context and the different ways people participate.

Facilitation

Holding diverse rooms well

Practical reflections on creating enough structure for difficult, important or complex conversations to remain useful.

Blaise Itabelo participating in a public event
Experience across real rooms. Civic ceremonies, national gatherings, forums, workshops, community events and public engagement settings.

Experience that goes beyond the stage.

My public-facing work sits alongside broader experience in community engagement, national mobilisation, partnerships, leadership and advisory work. That matters because I understand both what is happening on stage and what the organisation behind the event is trying to achieve.

60+ engagement and public-facing activities across FY2025–26
24 online information sessions and engagement events
12+ civic ceremony MC engagements and community events
4+ major symposium, awards and workshop facilitation settings

Where I can contribute.

I am comfortable moving between professional, civic and community settings. The format matters less to me than being clear about what the event needs from the role.

  • Conferences and sector gatherings
  • Government and civic events
  • Citizenship and multicultural ceremonies
  • Community forums and public events
  • Panel discussions and moderated conversations
  • Workshops and stakeholder roundtables
  • Faith and community organisation events
  • Leadership and professional development programs
Blaise Itabelo facilitating a professional conversation

What organisers can expect from me.

I work best when I understand what you are trying to achieve and can prepare properly for the people who will be in the room.

01

A proper briefing

I want to understand the audience, program, purpose, sensitivities and what a good outcome looks like for you.

02

Preparation

I prepare around the actual event rather than relying on a generic script or the same approach for every room.

03

A steady presence

Clear, professional and comfortable in the room without making the event about the person holding the microphone.

04

Follow-through

Where facilitation or engagement is involved, I pay attention to where the conversation needs to go after the room finishes.

Tell me about the room.

Share the event, audience, date, location and what you need the role to achieve. We can work out whether the best fit is speaking, MC, facilitation or a combination.