Adaptation is a social process which requires change. For many people and communities this can be difficult and can cause grief and fear responses which if not managed properly can act as barriers to action. This requires thinking beyond simple communication into complex engagement that is context and task specific. It requires understanding what informs responses to adaptation and how to manage these responses through communication in a way that promotes understanding and agency to act.

Using case studies, this presentation will examine communication during the adaptation process and highlight how change management and innovation tools and methods can be used during these different phases to achieve effective communication. It will also examine areas of resistance and show how established phsychology frameworks can be used to assist the development of communication strategies that allow for movement through grief and fear into ownership and action.