Bridging Perspectives: Communicating Among Diverse Stakeholders in Climate Action

Join the conversation at the South Central Climate Resilience Forum, Dallas, Texas from April 2-4 2024

Climate change conversations can be emotionally charged. ADelta Impact is helping people and organizations navigate these conversations and build a sense of community through our Bridging Perspectives: Communicating Among Diverse Stakeholders in Climate Action workshop.

As part of the 2024 South Central Climate Resilience Forum, held in Dallas, Texas at the Kay Baily Hutchison Convention Center, from April 2-4, ADelta Impact is leading important climate collaboration efforts and solutions.

“Productive communication keeps society moving forward and requires both talking and listening to find common ground,” asserts Nancy Salisbury, CEO at ADelta Impact and workshop co-leader. “Effective climate action conversations lead to the solutions we need to create healthier and more resilient communities, businesses, and schools.”

Workshop participants will explore outreach, engagement, and listening strategies tailored to engage multiple stakeholders in climate resiliency efforts. Recognizing the power of inclusive dialogue, this workshop focuses on fostering effective communication across varied viewpoints, empowering participants to navigate complexities, and driving collaborative climate initiatives.

“The goal of our Bridging Perspectives workshop is to open the space for constructive two-way conversations to create a more sustainable future,” states Sylvie Guillon, a Partner at ADelta Impact and workshop co-leader. “This region is experiencing significant effects of climate change and we’re here to help create communication pathways to climate-resilient solutions across cities, states, organizations, and industries.” 

Key Learning Opportunities

Our workshop aims to empower individuals to bridge communication gaps and advance collaborative efforts for impactful climate action. Four objectives will be addressed:

1. Foster Inclusive Dialogue: Cultivate a safe and inclusive space for stakeholders from various backgrounds—government, businesses, communities, academia, NGOs—to share perspectives, experiences, and concerns related to climate action.

2. Encourage Mutual Understanding: Utilize interactive exercises and storytelling activities to facilitate a deeper understanding of diverse stakeholder viewpoints and challenges.

3. Co-Create Climate Initiatives: Facilitate collaborative sessions encouraging stakeholders to ideate, brainstorm, and co-create actionable climate initiatives that integrate diverse perspectives and interests.

4. Build Consensus: Facilitate discussions on conflict resolution and consensus-building strategies, empower participants to find common ground, and align diverse perspectives toward actionable climate solutions.

Participants will leave the workshop with enhanced communication skills, an understanding of diverse stakeholder needs, and actionable strategies for effective engagement. The focus is on equipping individuals with interactive skills to bridge communication gaps and foster collaborative efforts for impactful climate action.

About the South Central Climate Resilience Forum

The South Central Climate Resilience Forum represents a diverse region – ranging from the waving prairies of Oklahoma and Kansas to the coastal beaches and bayous of Texas and Louisiana. From large urban cities like Dallas, Houston, and Austin to small rural communities, from agriculture and ranching to tourism and hospitality. The region also has hurricanes, heat domes, and snowpocalypse-style winter storms and climate change making many of these extreme events even worse.

The development of the South Central Climate Resilience Forum is led by a collaborative group of academic institutions, municipalities, federal agencies, and organizations. This list includes the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, Adaptation International, South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, North Central Texas Council of Governments, City of Dallas, City of Austin, USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub, Texas A&M University, Texas Sea Grant, University of Texas at Austin, Louisiana State University, Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, City of Fayetteville, Arkansas, City of Oklahoma City, City of Yukon, Oklahoma, and The Nature Conservancy, Texas Chapter.

The keynote address will be given by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, the chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy, a distinguished professor at Texas Tech University, and the author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. 

Registration for the South Central Climate Resilience Forum is at: https://www.sccrf.org/registration