Community engagement,
made easier
Foxtrot & Echo is a small community engagement consultancy based in Victoria, Australia. We work primarily with local government, helping councils and communities navigate the conversations that shape local places, projects and services.
Being a small consultancy means we can be flexible, responsive and closely involved in every project. We take the time to understand your organisation, the community and the context, then shape an approach that fits – because good engagement is never one size fits all.
We bring to every project experience, an independent perspective and a practical pair of hands. We work alongside project teams to make engagement clear, manageable and worthwhile, from working out what the community can influence to reaching the right people, making sense of what they tell us and reporting back clearly.
Our approach
Making engagement easy to deliver, understand and be involved in.
We believe good community engagement shouldn’t be unnecessarily complicated.
Our job is to make the process easier for everyone involved — from your project team and decision-makers to the people you’re asking to participate.
Easy to deliver
We build engagement plans on clear objectives, thorough stakeholder mapping and risk assessment, so your project team has something practical and considered to work from.
Easy to understand
We turn technical or complex material into plain English, presenting information and instructions in ways that make sense to the communities we’re engaging.
Easy to be involved
We go to where the community is, at the right time for them, and offer different ways to participate so people can choose what works best for them.
Easy to follow up
We close the loop with engagement summaries and project updates, so participants know what we heard and how their input shaped the outcome.
Meet Emily
Founder of Foxtrot & Echo
I’ve been a facilitator and community engagement practitioner for almost 20 years – I’ve worn the hats and walked in the shoes.
Before starting Foxtrot & Echo in 2019, I spent more than 12 years working in community engagement within local government, delivering projects, building organisational capability and helping teams understand how meaningful community input could shape better decisions.
Since starting Foxtrot & Echo, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a range of local governments on projects from straightforward information sessions to deliberative community panels. I’m experienced in designing and facilitating online and in-person workshops, survey design, online engagement, analysis, reporting and staff training.
I love making complex things easier, helping people have better conversations and seeing community input genuinely contribute to decision-making.
Why Foxtrot & Echo?
At twenty, I began my career in the travel industry with dreams of cheap airfares and a passport full of stamps. While working in London, that dream came true on a few memorable occasions (hello, Reykjavik!).
One of the parts of those roles I loved most was planning itineraries that helped people make the most of their time. Understanding which experiences deserved a full day, which could be enjoyed in a few hours, how long it took to get from A to B, and when to leave space to pause and enjoy the moment.
That same attention to detail shapes the way I approach engagement today. Planning a workshop, consultation or engagement program requires understanding the journey, knowing what needs to happen when, and creating an experience where people feel comfortable contributing.
I also loved using the phonetic alphabet. It felt like a secret language. So when it came time to name the business, Foxtrot & Echo felt like the perfect fit – F & E for facilitation and engagement.
The Engagement Collective
More expertise when your project needs it.
Foxtrot & Echo is a proud member of the Engagement Collective, a trusted alliance of independent engagement, communications and research specialists.
Together, we collaborate on projects that draw on a broad mix of expertise, including facilitation, communications, deliberative practice, cultural and creative engagement, research, evaluation, issues management and strategic planning.
When a project needs a broader team or complementary skills, we can draw on the Collective to build a project team that’s matched to the brief — without the overheads of a large agency.
We’ve delivered dozens of projects together across local and state government, not-for-profit and community organisations.
Let's have a conversation.
Whether you’re planning a new project, working through an engagement challenge or simply want to talk through an idea, we’d love to hear from you.