Speaking
As a cross-cultural communication specialist, she draws on a rare combination of lived experience, academic qualifications and extensive experience as a facilitator and consultant.
As a storyteller, she is compelling and dynamic, and can provoke thought and laughter from the most complex and sensitive of topics.
Fiona is in demand as a guest speaker, panellist and facilitator, and provides private coaching on public speaking and speechwriting. She recently began offering a 45 minute keynote speech titled ‘How to win the race against racism.
“Fiona is unique! As a keynote speaker she not only knows her subject, she knows how to engage and move her audience into action. She is an excellent storyteller and expert on multicultural issues that impact a wide range of areas: community, government, education, and business.
Fiona is someone that audiences will long remember after leaving the event!”
Alf Magnano
CPA Australia, and Business Owner
EXAMPLES OF SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
2021-2022
Logitech:
‘Intercultural communication’ (45min panel discussion at DEI virtual conference)
The Huddle:
‘How to win the race against racism’ (45min keynote)
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons:
Master of Ceremonies at Annual Convocation Ceremony
ACAMS Greater Phoenix Chapter February Virtual Event:
‘Multicultural names and KYC/CDD: Analysing cultural differences in naming conventions’ (1hr conference presentation)
Toastmasters Without Borders:
‘Navigating cultural junctions’ (20min speech)
EARLIER SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Access Leadership Network:
‘Making diversity your asset’ (30min keynote)
La Trobe University:
‘A job by any other name’ (20min graduation ceremony occasional address)
Moorabool Library Services:
‘Understanding the Chinese’ (2hr presentation)
Museum of Chinese-Australian History:
Master of Ceremonies at Annual Chinese New Year dinner
“Fiona is an excellent writing and public speaking coach. She is kind, passionate and full of wisdom. She listens carefully, asks powerful questions, and provide insightful tips for delivering impactful workshops and presentation. She is patient and highly efficient.
With Fiona’s help, I was able to not only improve my workshops and presentations remarkably, but also to change the way I work and think. After being coached by her for about 3 months, I’ve shortened my time of preparation by 80%, and improved my presentation skills dramatically.”
Linda Wu
Freelance writer/coach
NEW KEYNOTE: How to win the race against racism
This dynamic, thought-provoking keynote sheds new light on one of the most divisive issues facing the world today. Fiona Price has spent over twenty years giving people practical advice on how to manage the junctions between cultures. In her speech, she draws on her bicultural background, her work in cross-cultural communication and a recent encounter with a Brisbane taxi driver to create a bold exposé on racism: where it starts, how it works, and most importantly, how to reduce it.
Australians today know that expressing racist views is offensive. They learn this from our government, our media and our educators. Yet while we now hear far fewer racist comments in public, racist attitudes haven’t gone away. They’ve been suppressed, not addressed, leaving people scared: scared to mention race, scared to talk about their challenges with cross-cultural communication and scared to engage with people of other races.
There are many problems with this. One is that suppressed racist attitudes are still there, shaping the choices we make when no-one’s watching. Another is that avoiding cross-cultural communication is neither easy nor desirable in a diverse society. As our failure to connect with CALD communities during the pandemic shows, positive, effective communication between cultural groups is essential to the health and wellbeing of our society. Last, and most crucially, fear is a major obstacle to the most effective way to shift racist attitudes: positive, personal engagement with people of other races.
- A clear, neutral explanation of how racism works
- Evidence that racist attitudes and behaviour can be changed
- An overview of the best way to achieve this change
- Practical tips for individuals and organisations on how to address racism, rather than suppress it.
“Fiona delivered her insightful and engaging keynote to our staff at the Huddle. Such a valuable session, with great practical advice on how to better challenge and change racist attitudes and behaviour. Highly recommended this for any organisations looking at ways to more fully understand how and why racism occurs and what should be done to address the issue more effectively.”
John King
Project Manager at The Huddle