David Wilcox

David Wilcox specialises in the development of innovative models for engagement andcollaboration, and the communication systems to support them. He has over 30 yearsexperience in the development and support of cross-sector partnerships, and community- based initiatives to deliver regeneration projects. During that time he has written anumber of guides to participation and partnerships, and worked with Drew Mackie todevelop games and simulations to design and support engagement. He now specialises inthe use of social media for engagement and collaboration.David spent the first 12 years of his working life as a journalist, mainly with the LondonEvening Standard, writing on housing, planning, transport and property. During the1980s and 1990s David worked as a regeneration consultant, and helped set up some 20local partnership organisations in England and Scotland, and establish national support programmes for community-based regeneration, including working with the Groundwork Trust network.In the early 1990s David concentrated on distilling models of good practice for nonprofitorganisations, and writing publications including the Guide to Effective Participation andthe Guide to Development Trusts and Partnerships.He and Drew Mackie have developed games, simulations and other innovative workshopmethods to facilitate partnership working, and to help people understand the potential of new technologies. David and colleagues have used these games in Australia, NewZealand, the US, Spain and Russia.They collaborated on the development The Regeneration Game, published by NIACE, tosupport community engagement in regeneration programmes, and also The EngagementGame. The latter enables stakeholders to plan together engagement processes likely to bemost effective for their communities.In 1996 David helped develop UK Communities Online, a pioneering network for earlyinitiatives to promote local online networks, centres and projects for communitydevelopment. Funders and sponsors included the Department for Trade and Industry, BT,IBM and Marconi.Over the past ten years David has worked extensively in new media to provide onlinecollaboration system for partnerships and networks. He and colleague Terry Grunwalddesigned and developed

the community channel for Learning and Teaching Scotland,providing ICT advice to community groups. David has written a guide to the ways inwhich social landlords can use new technologies to improve their services.

He is now practising and promoting the role of the “social reporter” - someone whocombines the best of journalism with facilitation and the use of social media. At eventsthis involves blending the use of video and other digital tools with facilitation processes,to create both a record of the event and enhance the experience of the event for