Al for Changemakers
Training and support for changemakers exploring AI.
Build your confidence and capability without losing the human thinking, reflection and connection at the heart of your changemaking efforts.
AI is here
ChatGPT launched in November 2022. By July 2025, 18 billion messages were being sent each week by 700 million users, representing around 10% of the global adult population. For a new technology, this speed of global diffusion has no precedent.
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Rural, regional and remote communities already face gaps in digital access and skills. Without the support and capability they need to use AI strategically, the rapid evolution of AI threatens to further widen these gaps.
Prompt: Create a grayscale sketch image of rural Australian changemakers gathered around a shared laptop in an outdoor setting. Backdrop shows wheat crops ready for harvest, scattered eucalypt paddock trees, low hills.
A time of change for changemakers
Beyond access and equity, there are deeper questions about how to use AI well - and ethically - when you're working with existing constraints around time, funding and capacity.
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Many changemakers are uncertain about AI and concerned about losing the human touch that makes your work meaningful and not "AI Slop". Further, tech hype and FOMO creates pressure to adopt tools without a clear understanding of when they help, when they don't, and worse, when they can prove counterproductive. More output is never the answer, but strategic use of AI capabilities can help you think clearly and communicate effectively, leaving time and energy for the things that matter.
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A different approach
AI for Changemakers helps you navigate AI from a position of capability, confidence and curiosity. You'll learn to use AI as a thinking partner while maintaining the judgement, values and reasoning that makes community change work meaningful - and human.
Adapting to the AI transformation - with a firm footing in human perception and reasoning
I've spent 30 years helping people understand how language shapes thinking, behaviour and change. As a communication scientist with training in linguistics, behavioural neurobiology and ecology, I've always worked at the intersection of how humans process information and how we can communicate more effectively. Now I'm extending that work to help people understand how to communicate with AI tools, and how these tools can support and extend (rather than replace) your thinking and communication work.
This training is designed specifically for rural, regional and remote changemakers, non-profits and people working in purpose-led organisations and agencies. It recognises the digital and access gaps that already exist, and aims to close those gaps rather than widen them.
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This approach is about getting AI to work with you as an ideation, thinking and reflection partner. For people working in isolation (which stops many good ideas before they start), AI can offer a way to externalise thinking, test ideas and gain momentum.
Prompt: Create an image of Rural Australian changemakers having an a-ha moment while attending an AI for Changemakers webinar.
AI for Changemakers
Build your curiosity, capability and confidence to use AI tools to support your community changemaking
Who's it for?
People and groups curious or cautious about AI, and changemakers wanting to build essential skills and capacity in an evolving tech landscape. Particularly valuable for researchers, community leaders, advocates and communicators in rural, regional and remote areas who want practical guidance on using AI for communication and changemaking work.
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Training for individuals and small teams exploring AI, is offered at two levels:
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AI for Changemakers 101: Foundations
Start here if you're curious about AI but unsure where it fits in your work. You'll learn the fundamentals of prompting with tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity, grounded in how humans actually learn and process information.
We'll explore what AI does well and what it doesn't, using examples from changemaker work. You'll discover when to use AI for genuine time-saving and when your full human attention matters most. You'll learn to recognise automation bias (that tendency to trust polished AI output without questioning it) and build confidence in your own judgment.
This level helps you stay connected to your role as storyteller and guide while exploring what AI can offer. You'll leave with clear boundaries: what AI can generate, and what only human insight can judge and refine.
AI for Changemakers 102: Extended
This level is for people ready to work with AI strategically. You'll learn advanced prompt engineering using concepts from language-driven change: conceptual metaphor, values priming and activation, and strategic framing.
These aren't just technical tricks. They're ways to guide AI so outputs genuinely reflect your values, context and strategic intent. You'll learn to use AI as a co-strategist for reflection and reframing when decision fatigue sets in, and craft prompts that capture your tone, values and nuance for communications that feel authentically yours.
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Delivery and support options
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Introductory webinars and short workshops
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Multi-session training programs for teams and organisations
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One-on-one coaching and advisory support
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Custom programs for rural leadership groups, research centres and regional networks
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Group facilitation combining ideation, reflection and peer learning
Additional offerings:
AI Synthesis and Pattern Finding
Use AI to analyse datasets, reports and documents to surface patterns, outliers and insights. I'll work with you to develop effective prompts for synthesis work and help you evaluate outputs to ensure accuracy and relevance.
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Master Prompts and AI Interaction Guides
Custom development of master prompts and AI interaction guides for your organisation or project. These tools ensure AI outputs align with your strategic purpose, values and communication standards, creating consistency across your team's AI use.
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What this is not
This isn't generic productivity training or corporate AI skills for efficiency's sake. It's not about getting AI to do your work, or outsourcing your thinking to automation.
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When this work helps
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You're curious about AI but unsure where to start or what's worth your time
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You're concerned about maintaining quality and human judgment in your work
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You want to explore AI without hype or pressure to adopt tools that don't serve your goals
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You need support applying AI to real challenges like grant writing, message development or strategic thinking
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You're leading others and want to build AI capability across your team or organisation
What you'll take away
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Confidence to experiment with AI tools relevant to your work
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Practical skills for crafting prompts that reflect your values, tone and strategic intent
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Understanding of where AI supports thinking and where human judgment remains essential
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Frameworks for recognising when to trust AI output and when to question it
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Strategies for using AI as a reflection partner while maintaining your own capacity for critical and creative thinking
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Language guidance to keep your communication values-based and human, even when AI assists the process
Why Words for Change?
Why Words for Change?
Because AI works best when it supports human thinking rather than replacing it.
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I bring over 30 years of experience in communication, linguistics, ecology and behavioural science to this work. I understand both the science of how we learn and think, and the real-world contexts where rural and regional changemakers operate.
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My approach builds capability, not dependency. You'll learn to use AI strategically and ethically while strengthening the judgment, values and human connection that make change work meaningful and impactful.
