Protests or Progress? Relating to Your Public in a Complicated World: A Crash Course in External Relations presented by Adam Hawkins

Program: Relating to Your Public in a Complicated World: A Crash Course in External Relations presented by Adam Hawkins, President, Global External Relations

Sponsor: Ruen Drilling Incorporated

Description: Ignoring your community can cost millions in delays and litigation. Across the globe, decision-makers are dialed into the public and reacting to mass support or opposition. Most modern mine developers understand the need to obtain the legal right to develop (permits, leases, title, etc.). The practices needed to obtain and maintain the buy-in and support from key stakeholders (known as, social license) to develop and sustain a project are often misunderstood and undervalued. So many times, projects are developed without a clear understanding of these important factors. This technical session will arm you with the tools you need to move support from your community in the right direction.

 During the session, we discuss what social license is and how to obtain and maintain it. This session also includes a section on quantifying social license activities to demonstrate how critical corporate social responsibility is to your bottom line.

 Key areas to be discussed:

• How will regulators and other decision-makers react to a very angry and engaged group of protestors?

• How will regulators react to elected officials influenced by public sentiment?

• Will your media coverage be balanced?

• How will your investors react to shifts in public perception?

• Are you prepared to handle the social license components during a crisis?

 The bottom line is that the right moves can shave months, if not years, off of bringing your project online. Properly executed outreach practices can help you reduce permitting time frames, appeals and other headaches. This session will demystify your interactions with the public and help you earn the hearts and minds of your community. We will cover how to:

 • Understand the importance of social license and the role it plays in mining.

• Gain a clear picture of real versus perceived risk and appropriately move public perception in the right direction.

• Properly message your project in a way that your stakeholders understand.

• What qualifies as a stakeholder?

• Who are your stakeholders?

• Are you talking to the right people?

• Prioritizing outreach and messaging to meet objectives.

• Understanding the importance of stakeholder inventory and outreach planning.

 This session is a crash course in stakeholder management. We will discuss how to identify stakeholders, understand their relationships to your project, and how to effectively manage your external relations resources in a manner that produces results.

Speaker Bio: Adam Hawkins, President, Global External Relations, Phoenix, AZ

Adam Hawkins is a leading authority when it comes to government relations and public affairs related to environmental and natural resources policy. Adam’s expertise is trusted and sought by global firms seeking effective guidance navigating complex regulatory, legislative, public policy and other challenges. Adam’s knowledge has proved invaluable for mining clients seeking to more effectively position their projects with the public. In addition to public policy work, Adam works with clients on how to effectively position their projects in the public arena, including how to identify key stakeholders, activate the community through conventional contact and social media, develop effective talking points that support communications efforts, as well as forge partnerships with key non- governmental organizations. This includes conducting analyses of critical permitting milestones and conforming outreach activities to the client's needs through a process known as stakeholder identification, mapping and prioritization. Hawkins frequently lectures on how to effectively obtain and maintain the support of the community – otherwise known as social license. Adam frequently works will pollsters to make sure that clients are asking the right questions. Hawkins helps his clients interpret this data and craft targeted messaging to influence the best outcomes. A fixture in the western states public affairs and lobbying community, Adam’s work has helped solve complicated issues for over a decade.