Who we are
Our Engagement, Communication and Communities (ECC) team was established by GHD over twenty years ago and has played a significant and sustained leadership role in the growth and development of public participation in Australia, New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific Region, the United States, and Canada.
We work with clients who seek to manage risk and prepare communities for change by drawing on our broad experience and global network. We support the most challenging and complex projects by offering strategic advice and practical solutions.
We design strategies and deliver communications and engagement services across multiple markets including Water, Transport, Environment, and Energy & Resources. We draw on our technical capability to co-create with multi-discipline project teams and tailor solutions for our federal, state and local government clients, as well as multinational firms and corporations.
What we do
Strategic communication
government relations, strategic messaging
internal communication and change management, media relations, project / program interface management
Risk management
issues, reputation and risk management, outrage management, crisis communication, media, and public relations
Community
community consultation, events, focus groups, surveys, research, land access negotiations
Stakeholders
stakeholder engagement, plan and strategy development, stakeholder mapping and analysis
Digital engagement and online tools
digital platforms, social media, multimedia content, virtual reality, augmented reality, analytics and online optimisation, visualisation
Indigenous
dedicated expertise in Indigenous community engagement
Social research
social and economic impact assessment, social planning, community infrastructure needs assessment, social knowledge base research, community development
Workshops
workshop facilitation (online and in-person), meditation, training, and public presentations
Our value
In our highly connected and sophisticated world, project success is now most often driven by social acceptability. Building strong and effective relationships with project stakeholders, internal and external, as well as local communities is an integral to a project’s success. Our GHD teams ensure that the knowledge, perspectives and well-being of the communities concerned by a project are valued in a climate of trust, respect and transparency.
We identify potential project and reputational risks, and develop mitigation measures, and deliver services aligned to your scope, schedule and cost objectives to create lasting social and project benefits.
How we deliver
We ensure internal and external stakeholders views, as well as community sentiment are considered and integrated into the planning, design and delivery phrases of any project or large scale program of work.
Define
Identify and understand the issues, complexity, history and nuances of the project and the
desired outcomes and objectives.
Assess
Identify and assess the stakeholders (internal and/or external) – determine their level of interest, influence,
key issues, demographics, and drivers
Design
Define the engagement plan – tools, techniques, timings, and tactics. Determine how information
and data will be captured and analysed.
Execute
Undertake the communication and engagement activities – blending traditional and digital techniques.
Analyse
government relations, strategic messaging
Collate, interpret and analyse the information and data gathered. Prepare reports and other deliverables.
Report
Publish findings, evaluate participation outcomes and final report back to client.
We are guided by the Core Values and Code of Ethics of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), of which GHD is a founding member. Identifying appropriate engagement levels and selecting aligned communication and engagement tools leads to better data-driven decision making.
Below are your key contacts for Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability
The Level Crossing Removal Authority has been working with GHD’s Stakeholder Engagement team since 2016. The GHD team have partnered closely with us, and have been working side by side with our team on wide ranging services including on the ground engagement, in-house communications support, media advisory support and developing targeted stakeholder engagement strategies. With their quality outputs and continuing commitment, GHD is one of our trusted advisors.
Melissa Horne
Director, Strategic Communications, Level Crossing Removal Authority
