Europe's most popular communications, PR
and media conversation

Fascinating, thought-provoking #commschat tonight on some deep and important questions. Thanks to @albanyassociate + others for insights

Do read more about @albanyassociate‘s work on SLO. It’s really interesting & relevant to most sectors.Thanks again and night all! #commschat

We’ll be back next week with a #commschat on publicity stunts with@markborkowski. Check back for transcript in the morning

Happy to be here. We believe in the importance of SLO not only for corporate sustainability but also as general good practice. #commschat

Just a couple min. left with @albanyassociate. Many thanks for your contributions tonight! Such an interesting area of work. #commschat

If anyone is interested in sharing field experience with SLO issues or corporate/community engagement please direct message us. #commschat

@albanyassociate A reference to Rupert Smith? Love it. #commschat

#commschat Albany’s way to comprehensive comms: http://t.co/3h6XHdcHHv

@albanyassociate What does that entail? #commschat

As mediator @albanyassociate likes to focus on ‘comprehensive comms’ to ensure inclusivity, 2-way dialogue #commschat

Yes, requires power-sharing and openness to negotiation and understanding the other side. Mediators often required #commschat

@albanyassociate maybe, but not in terms of ROI. Each side can benefit, perhaps not in terms of money, but all can achieve value #commschat

Impossible? Probably because the relationship will always be lop-sided in terms of power #commschat

Risk assessment must be ongoing in order to est. reputation of business. That in turn, keeps you safe. Time is key. #commschat

One where everyone gets what they want! #commschat

Just enough time for our final topic: What is the ideal relationship between a company and a local population? #commschat

@albanyassociate Yes, you can work in places like that, but have to spend SO much more time understanding local sensitivities #commschat

@CommsChat It’s important but needs thought: I sometimes wonder if ask ourselves whose/what risk we are assessing often enough #commschat

many won’t work in places ie Somalia because of the risk- but cultural understanding and clear boundaries create opportunity #commschat

Not surprisingly, working closely with locals @albanyassociate. See Having a positive impact on the world,http://t.co/0eRrUbm6Ny #Commschat

In @communicatemag, we wrote about risk assessment in July issue. Can either help or hinder a company operating in unstable areas #commschat

Here’s a new angle on the subject. T5: How important is risk assessment in these situations? #commschat

@jgombita What did @charitywater find most successful? #commschat

When @katiesheppet interviewed @paullyoung re: @charitywater importance of communication/working w/ local communities emphasized. #Commschat

Many extractives have positive results w/ CSR but often don’t have the SLO to ensure safety or longterm success (ie In Amenas) #commschat

Extractives companies may be effective because they have to be in their industry. What other sectors excel? Education? Health? #commschat

+1 (and IMHO this is how it should be!) RT @CommsChat: RT @albanyassociateOften the process taken will determine the end result #commschat

Our research, a survey of the major extractive industries’ approaches to local comms and engagement, focuses on oil/gas #commschat

RT @albanyassociate: Here it would be brilliant to hear from different voices in industry! #commschat

RT @albanyassociate Here it would be brilliant to hear from different voices in industry! #commschat

Here it would be brilliant to hear from different voices in industry! #commschat

Our fourth topic is: What industries are doing this effectively already and which aren’t? #commschat

RT @albanyassociate Often the process taken will determine the end result#commschat

Often the process taken will determine the end result #commschat

@albanyassociate interesting, so the process of getting there > the end result?#commschat

Precisely @CommsChat – yet comms is strongly about the trajectory of travel, not the destination! #commschat

@albanyassociate That does make it difficult for business. Subjective means not measurable, which means no defined ROI #commschat

‘challenge for corps is a social license to operate is a subjective concept, not a piece of paper.’ http://t.co/ayxzKvSxBH #commschat

On T3: how would you approach diff audiences? Politicians are diff from religious leaders, different from labour groups etc #commschat

@albanyassociate Agree 100% re ceding some control and giving those with an interest in project some genuine influence over it #commschat

That’s the part that companies are less happy to hear but know that it’s the truest sense of ‘engagement’ #commschat

Also ‘building partnerships on the ground and ceding a degree of control to local players.’ http://t.co/53LDIfgbtz our piece, #commschat

@albanyassociate That’s where the convo comes in. Gotta know that community wants a school and not an electrical plant or road #commschat

But what if that outreach is not well-received? Simply build a school and call it a day? #commschat

T3 follows on from this: What steps should they take to engage local stakeholders?#commschat

@ncardwell it’s likely they will be, because after all, they are there to do business. And it’s culturally appropro in the west #commschat

@albanyassociate Exactly. Must know what issues are in the place you’re operating in. Otherwise, will integrate into community #commschat

@albanyassociate The $1m Question. For me, those changing the status quo e.g. developers, should be proactive and engaging #commschat

A clear cultural sensitivity is required along with attentiveness and the ability to listen instead of merely transmitting info #commschat

RT @albanyassociate: @ncardwell who approaches whom first? #commschat

@ncardwell who approaches whom first? #commschat

Because in our current research we’re finding companies (esp extractives) focus heavily on CSR over authentic participatory comm #commschat

I’ve often found best approach often to let stakeholders tell us how/what/when they would like to be communicated with #commschat

Would be great to hear examples from the field #commschat

The US and UK militaries got a crash-course in this in Iraq and Afghan. #commschat

My background is in conflict studies so for me, engaging local communities is really impt. in unstable political environments #commschat

@bartoszkusy warto śledzić RT @CommsChat Tonight’s #commschat is all about engaging local stakeholder communities and risk assessment.

Hi Pawel, good to have you joining in tonight #commschat

RT @CommsChat: Hi all, Brittany here. Tonight’s #commschat is all about engaging local stakeholder communities and risk assessment.

RT @antoniosamp: Useful to think local communities are not just observers or obstacles, but stakeholders. #commschat

Who do they engage? How? What strategies do they use? #commschat

RT @CommsChat: Well what would we consider stakeholders in this context? Local politicians, labour unions, etc? #commschat

Is anyone representing a company (ie oil/gas) who works in places where ‘stakeholders’ takes on a whole new concept and culture? #commschat

Our second topic tonight goes a bit deeper into SLO: How should companies investing in developing markets approach local comms? #commschat

RT @antoniosamp: Useful to think local communities are not just observers or obstacles, but stakeholders. #commschat

Useful to think local communities are not just observers or obstacles, but stakeholders. #commschat

Returning to communities we trying to understand – think places where people are as likely to have AK47s as they are contracts #commschat

@PamelaWelsh I do understand your point, though. When I want to annoy my Mrs I remind her she’s a stakeholder in our marriage #commschat

I think ‘Stakeholders’ is OK but imp. that we don’t let ‘high-level’ jargon creep into our actual communications on the ground #commschat

Well what would we consider stakeholders in this context? Local politicians, labour unions, etc? #commschat

@PamelaWelsh @albanyassociate I agree with Pamela – ‘stakeholder’ is impersonal#commschat

@Communicatemag though I am just about to get my tea, so I might have to come back to this later when I have a full belly #commschat

@Communicatemag maybe. i do think comms needs to heed its own plain English advice though. Stakeholder communities turns me off. #commschat

Hi @ncardwell glad you returned this week #commschat

@PamelaWelsh I guess just shorter way of defining a number of different audiences/publics/stakeholders rather than naming each #commschat

Good evening all, I’m Neil. Joining #commschat a little late – apologies. Looks an interesting discussion already though!

The communities we consider in SLO are those with traditions or grievances that might not gel with a company’s LO via govts #commschat

MT @albanyassociate Companies can’t necessarily ‘work around’ or appease w/traditional CSR but must listen & engage and respond #commschat

Meaning companies can’t necessarily ‘work around’ or appease with traditional CSR but must listen and engage and respond #commschat

@PamelaWelsh I think in the US they would use the word ‘publics’. You could use term ‘audiences’ I guess. #commschat

Who comprises that community @albanyassociate? #commschat

Maybe the community ‘around which’ a company works is not a contract holder but they certainly have an interest #commschat

I think stakeholders may be one of the more accurate phrases in comms jargon. They hold an interest in a company’s actions #commschat

Relevant because of the act of engagement with locals (which is the term we prefer as it goes beyond traditional stakeholders) #commschat

@albanyassociate I think they are meaningless words. Who are ‘stakeholders’? I consider them jargon, personally. #commschat

@PamelaWelsh what do you think is distasteful about the term ‘stakeholder communities’? #commschat

First want to clarify that SLO is most relevant in places of political and social turmoil. @PamelaWelsh interesting point #commschat

We have tweetchat back tonight, so don’t forget to use the #commschat tag when tweeting

@CommsChat hi #commschat. I’m Pamela. Not being picky, but wonder if ppl turned off comms cos we use words like ‘stakeholder communities’

So our first topic tonight is: What is the ‘social licence to operate’? @albanyassociatecan tell us a bit more. #commschat

#commschat Hi happy to be here. Albany is interested in this issue of Social License to Operate and hoping to hear from others’ experience.

We’ll discuss everything in the realm of risk assessment and local community engagement #commschat

We’re joined by Marissa from @albanyassociate. Find out more about her work here: http://t.co/4qmCtKdcPF #commschat

Hi all, Brittany here. Tonight’s #commschat is all about engaging local stakeholder communities and risk assessment.