Transparency, Risk Communication and Stakeholder
Engagement for a Diverse Audience in the 21st Century
Ruth Hull & Josephine Archbold
Intrinsik Environmental Sciences Inc, Toronto, Canada
May 16th, 2012
Presentation Outline
•
•
•
•
•
Transparency
Risk Communication
Stakeholder Engagement
Tools and Approaches
Conclusions
Risk
communication
Transparency
Stakeholder
engagement
Effective Stakeholder Participation
in Decision-Making
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Transparency
• Transparency is critical to fostering TRUST
“Trust arrives on foot and departs on horseback”.
Alexander Pechtold, Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations, The Netherlands
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS ABOUT HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Very
concerned
Somewhat
concerned
Not very
concerned
Impacts on the
environment
40
44
16
Impacts on
water quality
35
40
25
Lack of
disclosure
56
32
12
%
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Source: Energy Institute, Univ. of TX@ Austin, Feb,. 2012
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Transparency – Case Study
• Smelter risk assessments: two very similar risk
assessments, in two jurisdictions (different regulators,
different industrial companies)
• No disclosure of data to
public until study complete;
• PAC (selected);
• Adversarial positioning;
• Lack of trust between
stakeholders.
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•
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•
Full disclosure of data
throughout the process;
PAC (open), TAC;
Co-operative positioning;
Broad trust and support from
stakeholders.
Risk Communication Resources
ATSDR. 1993. A Primer on Risk Communication: Principles and Practice.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/risk/riskprimer/index.html
Bennett and Calman. 1999. Risk Communication and Public Health. Oxford
University Press. New York.
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011. Gateway to Health
Communication & Social Marketing Practice.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/Risks/index.html
Fitzpatrick-Lewis et al. 2010. Communication of Environmental health risks: A
systematic review. Environmental Health. 9:67
Health Canada. 2006. Strategic Risk Communications Framework.
http://www.riskcommunications.gc.ca
Risk Communication
• Key principles:
• Delivered by trusted source
• Tailor messages to audience(s)
• Based on best available evidence
• Use visuals and text
• Use multiple channels to reach audience(s)
• Provide opportunity to interact (Qs and As)
• Clear and accessible language
Fitzpatrick-Lewis et al. 2010. Communication of Environmental health risks: A systematic review. Environmental Health. 9:67
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Stakeholder Engagement
National Institute of Health. 2011. Principles of Community
Engagement. 2nd Edition.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/index.html
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. 2008. Public
Participation Guidance. http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/
Health Canada Public Involvement Policy and Resources. 2007.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/public-consult/res-centre/polieng.php
International Association for Public Participation. (IAP2).
www.iap2.org
Stakeholder Engagement
Core Values:
• Those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in
the decision-making process.
• The public's contribution will influence the decision.
• Promotes sustainable decisions by recognizing and
communicating the needs and interests of all participants.
• Seeks input from participants in designing how they participate.
• Provides participants with the information they need to participate
in a meaningful way.
• Communicates to participants how their input affected the decision.
• Seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially
affected by or interested in a decision.
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International Association for Public Participation.
Stakeholder Engagement
“It’s not about silencing the vocal minority, it’s about raising the
participation of other stakeholders…sometimes the hard to reach
groups are easily overlooked”.
Amelia Shaw, President, IAP2 Canada, 2011
• Stakeholders are diverse
• Know your audience
• Be sure to reach vulnerable subpopulations
• Use multiple approaches
• Independent facilitator
• Focus on the goal (desired outcome)
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Tools and Approaches
• Traditional channels
– Nothing can completely replace
traditional channels and the value of
face-to-face dialogue when building
relationships, trust and tackling
challenging issues.
– e.g., newsletters, newspapers, public
meetings, focus groups, advisory
committees, workshops, phone in,
advertisements, tours, surveys, feature
article, journal publication
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Engaging in the 21st century
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Engaging in the 21st century
Go to where your stakeholders are:
• Traditional approaches still have their place
• On-line and social media expand reach and scale
• Social media
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•
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•
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Creating community
Dialogue and transparency
New opportunities for relationships
Facebook, wikipedia, twitter, LinkedIn, blogs
On-line
• YouTube – entertaining
• On-line surveys and feedback
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Conclusions
• Need to use a combination of approaches to reach
diverse stakeholders
• Guidance exists for traditional “best practices”
• Be open-minded to new approaches
• Tailor each strategy to:
• the objectives of the outreach,
• the audience(s), and
• the unique circumstances of the program/project.
• Keys to success - Transparency, clear and frequent
communication, and strategic engagement
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