Workshop on Effective Communication and Stakeholder Engagement in Energy and Sustainability

A recent workshop (19 March 2024, Gotland / Sweden) jointly organised by the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Samsø Energy Academy delved into crucial strategies for effective communication and stakeholder engagement concerning energy and sustainability. 

Hosted under the guidance of Clean energy for EU islands secretariat, the workshop garnered insights aimed at advancing clean energy transitions across European islands under the 30 for 2030 call.

The workshop, titled "Strategies for Effective Communication and Stakeholder Engagement on Energy and Sustainability," focused on important aspects such as stakeholder involvement, social acceptability, and communication strategies conducive to societal change. Notably, it incorporated real-world examples from Samsø Island's exemplary clean energy transition.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Stakeholder Engagement and Social Acceptability: Discussions centred on achieving community involvement and social acceptability, emphasising the significance of aligning stakeholder purposes and designing inclusive meetings to foster engagement.
2. Effective Communication Strategies: Participants explored the role of communication in driving societal change towards clean energy, highlighting communication as a catalyst for dialogue, cooperation, and knowledge exchange.

Main Takeaways:

• Community Involvement and Acceptability: The workshop emphasised the "Why-Who-What-How Model," underlining the importance of establishing the purpose ("why") of projects before implementation ("how") to garner stakeholder acceptance effectively.
• Meeting Design for Participation: Participants discussed innovative meeting formats like the I DO ART model and circle seating arrangements to enhance stakeholder participation and constructive dialogue.
• Enabling and Inhibiting Factors: Enabling factors conducive to clean energy transitions were identified, along with inhibiting factors requiring mitigation through effective communication responses.
• Elements of Communication Strategy: A deep dive into the elements of a communication strategy, including stakeholder mapping, narrative development, and communication asset identification, provided a roadmap for effective engagement.

The workshop exemplified a concerted effort towards fostering inclusive, informed, and collaborative approaches to sustainable energy transitions, heralding a promising trajectory for European island communities.