Communicating Across Difference During the Energy Transition

We often assume that if people just had more information, they’d understand, but in contested environments, communication is rarely just about the facts.

Across the energy transition, many conversations are shaped by something much deeper — trust, identity, social dynamics, lived experience and whether people feel there’s an “us and them” divide.

In this episode of emPOWER, Wendy Agar speaks with Dr Rebecca Colvin from Australian National University about what’s really happening underneath community responses to change, and why even well-intentioned communication can land very differently depending on who’s hearing it.

Drawing on her research into the social dynamics of renewable energy conflict, Rebecca explores why people can look at the exact same landscape and see completely different things, how group identity shapes trust and decision-making, and why relationships matter far more than “perfect messaging.”

Together, Wendy and Rebecca unpack:

• Why conflict around renewable energy is often about far more than infrastructure
• The hidden role of identity, belonging and “us vs them” dynamics
• Why you can’t “out-data outrage”
• The communication mistakes organisations often make, even with good intentions
• What it means to “communicate like a cubist”
• Four practical strategies for communicating across difference in contested environments
• Why trust is built through relationships, not collateral

This episode is part of our Working in the Middle: Engagement on the Ground During the Energy Transition series, proudly supported by Powerlink Queensland.

If you work in engagement, government, renewable energy, infrastructure, leadership or community development, this conversation offers practical insights into how we navigate complexity, conflict and communication in a more human way.

Produced at ⁠The Podcast Boss⁠ ⁠podcast studio in Brisbane