Download pdf - Wie funktioniert Risikokommunikation? Zwischenergebnisse eines Forschungsprojekt zu PR für Geothermieprojekte

How to communicate risk technology? Third Geothermal Review , 2013, Mainz

How to communicate a risk technology? Results from a research project on public

rela:ons for deep geothermal

Marcus Brian


Content

What is risk communica/on?

Geothermal -‐ a risk technology?

Results from a research project on public rela/ons for deep geothermal


Geothermal – a risk technology?

  It‘s not because of an extraordinary risky technology   It‘s not the opinion of the experts   It‘s the percep:on of the popula:on

OCen opposi:on and/or lack of acceptance

Necessity of risk communica:on


Research project Evalua:on & Op:misa:on of PR for deep geothermal

Phase 2 -‐ Communica:on concepts One concept for a star/ng project and one for a project in opera/on

Phase 1 -‐ Analysis of four geothermal projects Media analysis Stakeholder analysis Analysis of public rela/ons

Phase 3 -‐ Manual Manual „Public rela/ons for geothermal projects“

Funded by

2011

2012

2013


Phase 1: Analysis of four projects   Selected projects

  Unterhaching, Landau, Brühl, Bruchsal

 PR analysis   Interviews with project responsibles   Analysis of PR acivi/es

 Media analysis

  Analysis of 450 ar/cles (mostly 2010 and 2011)

  Stakeholder interviews   29 interviews alltogether

  Gave an impression of how the project is perceived by the popula/on


What is risk communica:on?

1 | Basics und necessary condi:ons

  The percep/on of risks should be taken serious

  Risk communica/on is not guaranteeing success

  Ques/ons of risks are maYers of dispute – be ready to nego/ate

  Risk is a construct


Bruehl project: It‘s hard to communicate aCer risk construc:on is completed

 Two thirds voted against the project in a poll  Heavy and con/nuing opposi/on, existen/ell fears  Professional PR and Risk management since 2011

 But popula/on does not register any altera/on

What happend?

 Messages are not taken effect, because the efforts to par/cipate on risk construc/on were too late

 No real par/cipa/on of the popula/on   Closeness to major, already polarised in earlier projects

Case exam

ple


What ist risk communictaion?

2 | Substanial elements

  Risk communica/on must be designed on the ques/ons and sorrows of the popula/on. These have to be known before you start

  Risk communica/on is not unidirec/onal but is dialogue

  Risk communica/on is rela/onship building and seeking for trusaulness


Bruchsal power plant: Little relationship, no trustfulness

 Almost not known, the abtude is indifferent

 PR was consis/ng almost only on founda/on stone ceremony and celebra/on of official beginning of opera/on

Causes for the indifference of the popula:on   LiYle efforts on public rela/ons   Inconspicuous loca/on, liYle noises, no smell   No nega/ve experiences, long las/ng boreholes

What‘s the problem?

 Missing rela/onship: Indifference can turn into opposi/on

 No interpreta/on offer due to the lack of posi/oning

Case exam

ple


What is risk communica:on?

3 | Key points for realisa:on

  Descrip/ons and informa/on should be qualita/ve rather than quan/ta/ve

  Risk communica/on is a management task

  Benefit is reducing the percep/on of risk


Unterhaching: Municipal project with tangible benefits

  Indepency of supply is seen as a main benefit, no pressure groups

 About 5.000 households are connected to the district hea/ng system

 Personal contacts rather than professional PR at the beginning  Awareness for high costs and technical problems

What happened?

 Projects evolved from the center of local society

 Seismicity is only a marginal topic

  Intensifying PR due to the necessity of selling geothermal

  Proudness for an innova/ve project

Case exam

ple


What is risk commnica:on?

3 | Key points for realisa:on

  Descrip/ons and informa/on should be qualita/ve rather than quan/ta/ve

  Risk communica/on is a management task

  Benefit is reducing the perceip/on of risk

  Risk communica/on needs a concept

  There has to be a risk management and a concept of how to react in crisis


Landau power plant: Leap of faith can quickly be used up

 No concept for crisis management before seismic events in 2009

 Only liYle rela/onship to popula/on due to focus on poli/cal stakeholders  Technical oriented communica/on

 No real confidence, but also no mistrust in geo x

 Besides of single persons, there is no big opposi/on  Posi/ve effect of media/on process in RP

 Risk management and crisis concept established

 Addi/onal borehole to restore profitability  Garden show as a great chance to improve image

Case exam

ple

Today?

Perspec:ves?


Phase 2: Two communicaton concepts

  First: Concept for Landau power plant and geo x with regard to the addi/onal borhole and the garden show 2014   Second: Concept for a new project in the Oberrheingraben





  The concep/on process works: Analysis and strategy lead „automa/cally“ to adequate measures

  The concept, its strategy and its realisa/on is inevitable dependend on the company owners and management

  In case of new, unknown projects, it is a challenge to analyse the local social context for the concept without be able to talk to the people

  Concepts can save money! For example: Usage of well established par/cipa/on processes

  It‘s hard work

What did we learn?


  Risk communica/on is oriented towards the needs and sorrows of the popula/on, not necessarily based on fact-‐oriented logic

  The goal of risk communica/on is...

  to demonstrate sense for responsibilty

  to get into conversa/on with each other

  build up trusaulness

  and telling a believable story

...not so much to convice with arguments

  Risk communica/on is not a informa/on campaign

  In the end, It‘s a ques/on of perspec/ve!

Conclusions


What we do and what we offer

Public rela:ons Events

Publica:ons Consul:ng


Thank you for your attention!

Marcus Brian

www.enerchange.de

Further information to the research project on www.pr-geothermie.de