Project communication
Public participation and transparent dialogue are crucial, but no guarantee of acceptance

How can communication help to foster support for controversial projects and strengthen public acceptance? Is it possible to inspire people to embrace innovations and projects? What measures are needed to gain public support and get people on board with infrastructure projects?

These and other questions were the focus of this year’s DPRG TakeOff event on 26 January in Berlin. For one day, around 300 representatives from corporate communications, agencies, associations, media organisations and academia came together to explore the theme of ‘Acceptance through Communication’. For our public engagement team, too, the focus was on exchanging experiences and ideas.

Do infrastructure projects have no chance of gaining acceptance today?

There were plenty of opportunities for discussion: during various panels, round-table discussions and panel sessions organised by the DPRG working groups, communications professionals debated the different facets and areas of action within ‘acceptance communication’. Dr Felix Krebber, a consultant at Lautenbach Sass, a Frankfurt-based management consultancy specialising in communication, posed a provocative question in his opening keynote address: Can acceptance for controversial projects even be achieved these days, given that angry citizens, trolls and fake news often successfully stir up controversy – both online and offline – when it comes to shaping public opinion?

Citizens demand participation as a matter of course

Our conviction is that striking a fair balance between loudly articulated special interests and the views of an often silent majority is also a political task that requires not only tact but also skilful communication. We communicators see this as a major responsibility. To Dr Krebber’s question as to whether acceptance can be achieved through communication at all, we answer with a resounding ‘yes’. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that communication can achieve more than just acceptance.

The key to a fair balance of interests lies in the transparent involvement of affected stakeholders in important decisions regarding infrastructure projects. Unlike a few years ago, public participation is now demanded by citizens and is increasingly taken for granted. This is also confirmed by the heads of corporate communications at Deutsche Bahn AG and Munich Airport in their contributions to the discussion.

Many minds, many ideas: using public dialogue as a think tank!

That is why it is important that companies and public authorities do not allow haters and angry citizens to take control of the agenda, but instead take the initiative themselves to provide information, engage in dialogue and involve people. However, providing information and facilitating participation are by no means merely a tiresome formality. 

We advise companies and public authorities to keep the benefits of participatory processes in mind: those who provide information and involve people at an early stage not only are more likely to gain approval, but also tap into the collective wisdom of the citizens involved. After all, when many interested parties contribute their thoughts and have a say, new ideas and fresh impetus emerge, which may well resonate more strongly with the general public than plans and proposals drawn up by companies or public authorities. If project managers are open to ideas from the stakeholders involved, they will reap more than just ‘acceptance through communication’.

Our public engagement experts are getting involved

The DPRG will not stop at merely addressing this topic at the 2018 TakeOff event. Over the course of the year, a working group is set to institutionalise the discourse and the development of ideas in the field of acceptance communication. The lively exchange at TakeOff 2018 and the wide-ranging challenges discussed there give us reason to expect forward-looking outcomes from this working group. It is certainly set to be interesting, as the public engagement team from Kaltwasser Kommunikation will be sitting at the table.

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Service: Public Communication