Steps to build a social licence – communicate and engage

Once you have clearly articulated your project and have analysed your stakeholders according to issues and opportunities you can identify appropriate communication and engagement methods.

Using your stakeholder mapping insights, you will have mapped stakeholders according to interest and influence. The outcome of this mapping is that you will understand which stakeholders you need to communicate and engage with more frequently, less frequently and the degree of detail needed.

The types of messages and the way of communicating and engaging with stakeholders will depend on their level of interest, influence and the anticipated effect of the project within the community and for specific stakeholders.

There are a variety of ways to engage with stakeholders, from generalised communication via social media, news media and flyers to personalised communication via focus groups, community advisory groups and one on one meetings. Richer and more detailed information is often gathered in more personalised communication methods. Don’t underestimate the power of a cup of tea conversation with individuals in community.

Using your stakeholder mapping insights, you will create a communication and engagement plan that outlines the key messages, methods and frequency for each stakeholder group. Remember that some stakeholders will need more detailed information at specific times of the project, whereas other stakeholder groups may only require more general information. Timing is a very important element for any communication plan, and to build a strong social licence, you should aim to communicate with a level of detail and frequency that aligns with the needs of each stakeholder group.

Social licence is a continual process, so once you have begun communicating with stakeholders you need to receive feedback, address any concerns, evaluate your process and continue engagement.

Anyone trying to build social licence must also be aware of the engagement that has come before their project. The Australian Government’s Community Engagement Review Report to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy in 2023 revealed that landholders and community members are generally dissatisfied with engagement from renewable energy projects. Understanding the context of a community is, therefore, extremely important.

_{© Deakin University. Adapted from Community Engagement Review Report to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy under CC-BY 4.0}

Your task

Discuss your understanding of how the specific context and previous engagement experiences of a community could enhance the effectiveness of your communication and engagement strategies in building a social license for your hydrogen projects? What engagement and communication methods might you use and why?