Resolving conflicts
THOSE WHO HAVE AN INTEREST
Every major public or private sector project has advocates and critics. That these parties also speak out is nothing new. Standing up for one’s interests is routine practice in a democracy. What is new these days is that we have more media and platforms available to this end than ever before. This leads on occasion to believing that “perceived” majorities are easy to mobilise. As a result, not only major projects but even smaller conflicts quickly become a public event that must be sensitively managed by means of communication.
“BCC has provided communication consulting services in the delicate area of interest representation for over three decades now. Be it airport expansion, climate protection projects, large construction sites or municipal self-determination, we seek and we find solutions. And if the situation demands, we don’t shy away from democratic disputes either. In our work, we rely on communication tools geared to the job at hand. These range, for example, from exploiting the public sounding board through press work and social media communication, through to conceiving and holding informational events and directing our communication specifically to the target group and also to coaching the actors involved. From stakeholder analysis to finding solutions in moderation processes. From game theory to mediation.
Transparent communication is the key to broadly conveying information about extensive, long-term public projects. Such communication designed with the target group in mind is thus an essential component in gaining partners and investors, sensitising external opinion leaders to projects and positively convincing stakeholders. Consequently, especially when it comes to urban development and infrastructure projects, we get citizens involved, using citizen participation opportunities, expert panels and a wide range of information and dialogue media. In such a way, we keep the discourse on a factual level and channel critical voices. On a basis of respect for the concerns in question, we maintain a good relationship of trust with relevant decision-makers in politics and administration. BCC has the contact network required and keeps politically relevant topics on its radar screen.