Handbook for transition : communication.
Date: 2024-07-25
Institutions: Directorate-General for Energy
Subjects: EU initiative, EU regional policy, Silesia province, coal industry, communication skills, industrial region, knowledge transfer, regional economy

Handbook for Transition

Communication

Contact: secretariat@coalregions.eu

Author: Adrienne Kotler

Contributors: Helen Franzen, Aleksandra Jasinka, Aleksander 
Szpor, with invaluable contributions from the Region 
Transition Unit team, Regional Development and Transition 
Department, Marshal’s Office of the Silesian Voivodeship

February 2024

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Directorate-General for Energy 
Directorate B – ENER.B1. – Consumers, Local Initiatives, Just Transition
Unit B.1 - Consumers, Local Initiatives, Just Transition

EC-ENER-JUST-TRANSITION@ec.europa.eu

European Commission  
B-1049 Brussels 

PDF 

ISBN: 978-92-68-18250-5  

    doi: 10.2833/32082 

MJ-05-24-512-EN-N

Manuscript completed in February 2024
1st edition
This document should not be considered as representative of the European Commission’s official position. 
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2024

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Table of contents

Background 

Why transition communication? 

Background: just transition in Silesia 

Approach to Just Transition Communication in Silesia 

Guiding principles 

Communications objectives for the Marshal’s Office 

Achieving these objectives  

Framework to Create a Communications Strategy 

Introduction, communications objectives, and approach 

Target audiences 

Communications activities 

4. Planning, resources, monitoring, and evaluation 

Tips for Effective Transition Communication 

Best Practices 

Best practice: awareness-raising among children 

Best practice: seeking project proposals from community members 

Best practice: connecting the government and community members 

Best practice: establishing a culture of direct democracy 

Learning from past mistakes: coordination among stakeholders  

Best practice: continuous communication 

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Disclaimer

The document does not represent the views of the European Commission nor can the Commission be held responsible for any use which 
may be made of the information contained herein.

4

Background

Through the three-year process of developing Silesia’s 
Territorial Just Transition Plan with diverse regional 
stakeholders, the Marshal’s Office of the Silesian 
Voivodeship identified the need to strengthen its just 
transition communication and dissemination. This is a 
common challenge faced by many coal, peat, lignite, 
and oil shale regions (“coal+ regions”). Namely: many 
entities such as trade unions, NGOs, municipalities, 
and researchers are engaged in regional just transition 
activities, projects, and decisions; however, general 
inhabitants have little awareness of their region’s just 
transition work.

This Handbook aims to help the Marshal’s Office to 
further develop its just transition communication, 
and better equip its partner organisations with the 
information and tools needed for them to communicate 
just transition updates to (and from) the wider public. It 
has, however, been written to be relevant and applicable 
for diverse just transition stakeholders and coal+ regions. 
As such, any coal+ region looking to strengthen just 
transition communication can derive benefits from its 
contents.

How other regions can use this document

The third chapter of this Handbook, “Framework to 
Create a Communications Strategy”, lays out the 
structure of a communications strategy, alongside 
guiding questions to help any region to fill in this 
structure to create a communications strategy of your 
own. Furthermore, chapter five, “Best Practices”, draws 
on the expertise held by the community of European 
coal+ regions to inspire all regions seeking to improve 
their transition communication.

Why transition communication?

Effective communication enhances transparency, 
connects just transition processes to people’s daily 
lives, and thereby builds trust in the transition process. 
Transitions will only be truly just if all impacted 
community members are aware of, and able to weigh-in 
on, its many facets. Communities must be aware of the 
vast structural changes required to transition away from 
coal – what will change, why, and how this will impact 
them. Otherwise, the transition risks alienating people, 
sowing dissent, or ‘leaving people behind’. That is where 
effective transition communication comes in.

Effective transition communication makes key information 
and milestones clear and easily accessible for all, 
and ensures consistency in the information provided. 
Community members must be able to understand what 
‘just transition’ means, and why it is needed. Furthermore, 
while information dissemination from authorities to 

communities is a crucial component of transition 
communication, there must also be effective mechanisms 
that facilitate communication from community members 
to the policy-setting and regulating authority.

Background: just transition in Silesia

Silesia, located in southern Poland, is largest coal mining 
region in Europe, with about 63,000 employees directly 
working in the coal sector.1 It is characterised by hard coal 
harvested through underground mining. 

Silesia is the most populated and urbanised region in 
Poland, with the heaviest mining sub-regions located 
near to the region’s capital city of Katowice. While mining 
continues to play an important role in the regional 
economy, its gradual decline is apparent throughout 
Silesia. Since the 1990s, mines have been modernised 
to improve productivity, the least productive mines have 
closed, and the region has accelerated its just transition 
plans. At its peak in 1979, Silesia mined 201 Mt of 
coal, and directly employed 367,000 people. Today, the 
amount of coal produced has almost quartered compared 
to that peak number, and the number of people directly 
employed in the sector is down fivefold.

Just transition in Silesia is spearheaded by the Marshal’s 
Office for the Silesian Voivodeship, headquartered in 
Katowice. Transition is guided by the region’s Green 
Silesia strategy and Territorial Just Transition Plan. 

A Regional Council for the Just Transition of the Silesian 
Voivodeship (Regional Council), formerly the Regional 
Team for Just Transition of the Silesian Voivodeship, 
was established in April 2023 to ensure that all relevant 
stakeholders have an avenue to shape transition. The 
Regional Council members represent municipalities, 
the central government, the regional government, trade 
unions, local business and commerce, science and 
research, non-governmental organisations, and cultural 
heritage. The Regional Council has an advisory and 
coordinating role in the transition, and monitors the 
efficient and effective implementation of the EU’s Just 
Transition Fund in Silesia.

In addition, the Regional Observatory of the Transition 
Process (ROPT)2 project brought together the Marshal’s 
Office, the Central Mining Institute – National Research 
Institute, the Mining Chamber of Industry and Commerce, 
and the Miners’ Trade Union in Poland to conduct work 
across three modules: research, participation, and 
implementation. The ROPT supports and improves 
management of the region’s socio-economic transition 
process.

1.  This introduction to Silesia is drawn primarily from work conducted by the Initiative 

for Coal Regions in Transition and the Marshal’s Office for the Silesian Voivodeship in 
2020; Regional Profile and Transformation Options Framework. Additional details and 
statistics were directly provided by the Marshal’s Office in November 2023.
2.  This acronym is based on the Polish “Regionalne obserwatorium procesu 

transformacji”

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F I G U R E   1 :   S I M P L I F I E D   V I S U A L I S A T I O N   O F   T H E   T R A N S F O R M A T I O N   O P T I O N S   F R A M E W O R K

Source: Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition

In 2022, the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition and 
the Marshal’s Office released a ‘Transformation Options 
Framework’, which provides guidance on how to identify 
and consider options for transformation of brownfield 
sites in the context of just transition. Given just how 
many stakeholders are relevant to, and impacted by, just 
transition processes, most of this guidance document 
was dedicated to stakeholder engagement and 
consultation.

There are many ways to understand the relatedness 
and distinctions between stakeholder engagement and 
communication. Both require two-way exchange between 
decision-makers and other actors, but to various degrees. 
Stakeholder engagement puts more emphasis on getting 
inputs from stakeholders to decision-makers; however, 
this is only possible if transparent communications has 
established trust and a well-informed public. By contrast, 
communication emphasises disseminating information 
from decision-makers to the public; however, effective 
communications must also make it easy for groups to 
share their inputs with decision-makers.

Since the Marshal’s Office and the Initiative for Coal 
Regions in Transition have already developed an easy-to-
use and detailed framework for engaging stakeholders, 
and given that the Regional Council and ROPT provide 
strong bases for stakeholder engagement, this Handbook 
focuses on communication. Nonetheless, it refers to 
ways that communications can make two-way exchange 
easier and stronger, and provides tips for opening-up 
channels of communication from actors to decision-
makers.

These must be understood in the context of the channels 
that Silesia currently has at its disposal. The Marshal’s 
Office has a dedicated just transition website (https://
transformacja.slaskie.pl/), which serves as the main 
platform for the public to access transition information. 
It includes information about the TJTP, Regional Council, 
and ROPT, among other things. This is complemented by 
the official website of the region (http://slaskie.pl) and 
by the website for the regional operational (funding) 
programme “European Funds for Silesia 2021-2027” 
(http://funduszeue.slaskie.pl/).

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATIONApproach to Just Transition 
Communication in Silesia

The just transition is a long and complex process that 
involves changes not only in a region’s economy, but also 
in its very identity. This makes communication about its 
progress challenging, but also crucially important. To be 
effective, all communication must stem from guiding 
principles, and work to achieve core objectives set by the 
region.

Guiding principles

During a fact-finding mission to Silesia in April 2023, 
representatives from the Marshal’s Office and from the 
Secretariat of the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition 
met with the: Central Mining Institute – National Research 
Institute; City of Jastrzębie-Zdrój; City of Katowice; City 
of Rydułtowy; City of Rybnik; CRIS – Civil Initiatives 
Development Centre; Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa 
S.A.; Katowickie Inwestycje S.A.; Municipal Council of 
Czerwionka-Leszczyny; Mining Chamber of Trade and 
Industry; Polish Green Network; Trade Union of Miners; 
and the Union of Municipalities and Districts of the 
Western Subregion of Silesia.

Through conversations, consensus emerged that 
transition communication in Silesia must be guided by 
the following core principles: 

•  honesty, 
•  being concrete and specific, 
•  demonstrating effects/impacts, 
•  meaningfully including both short- and long-term 

outlooks.

Communications objectives for the Marshal’s 
Office

Guided by the above principles, the Marshal’s Office aims 
to:

• 

•  make it easy and common for the public to be 
aware of Silesia’s just transition progress and 
projects; 
strengthen the lines of communication that connect 
the wider public to the Marshal’s Office; and to
•  equip key partners to be able to act as multipliers, 
disseminating transition updates to their wider 
publics.

6

Achieving these objectives 

The aforementioned objectives will be accomplished by:

1.  Assessing the situation – an evaluation of who 
is currently working on transition communication 
(organisations), which channels are being used, 
what is and is not working for regional stakeholders, 
what stakeholders would like to see instead, and 
what should thus change, why, and for whom.

 ‒ This has begun within the framework of 
START technical assistance; with START 
support, the Marshal’s Office conducted 
a communications needs assessment 
survey and a review of their just transition 
website, which is the region’s main transition 
communication channel.

2.  Creating a transition communication strategy 
– Framework to Create a Communications Strategy 
of this handbook provides a framework that can 
be used to create a communications strategy. 
The Marshal’s Office plans to make use of this 
framework to create a strategy for transition 
communication in Silesia, which will, among other 
things, include key messages that transition 
stakeholders can use to discuss Silesia’s transition, 
and to respond to frequently asked questions.

3.  Equipping multipliers – as demonstrated by the 

Regional Council and ROPT, the Marshal’s Office has 
strong relationships with several crucial transition 
partners, including trade unions, municipalities, 
regional chambers, NGOs, and more. Through 
trainings, guidance, briefings, key messages, and 
tools, the region hopes to equip these organisations 
and other key players (e.g., local government 
associations) to be able to act as ambassadors and 
multipliers, sharing transition updates to and from 
their wider communities.

4.  Monitoring and evaluating progress – these 

efforts will have to be monitored closely, so that the 
Marshal’s Office and its partners can assess what 
should be continued, stopped, or started. Monitoring 
and evaluation should also celebrate successes 
and recognise progress to energise and inspire. 
Some mechanisms that can be used to conduct 
this monitoring and evaluation are outlined in 
Framework to Create a Communications Strategy.

The Marshal’s Office will take responsibility for creating, 
monitoring, and acting as guardians of the region’s 
overarching just transition communications strategy, 
maintaining a bird’s-eye perspective of just transition 
updates, and offering multipliers and the public a place 
to ask questions. After all, communication on a personal 
and direct level – including messaging regarding how 
transition will impact people personally, and why they 
should be invested in just transition – will be crucial to 
reach overall communications goals.

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Introduction, communications objectives, and 
approach

Communications strategies must be guided and driven 
by clear overarching objectives, and an agreed upon 
approach to reach those objectives. These objectives 
should be defined in collaborative ways, to ensure that 
they accurately capture the needs and interests of all 
partners who will be disseminating information, and of all 
key audiences that information must reach. 

An example of this process is laid out in the first two 
chapters of this document – namely, a fact-finding 
mission brought together an external perspective (the 
START team), the main implementing organisation (the 
Marshal’s Office), and several important partners who 
together discussed communicating Silesia’s just transition 
until consensus developed regarding the overarching 
principles that should guide all transition communication.

This section is often also complemented by background 
information regarding the team that will be implementing 
the strategy. This background should include basic 
definitions of commonly used terms (e.g. ‘just transition’), 
context about the organisational players (e.g. the 
Marshal’s Office, ROPT, Regional Council, etc.), and may 
also feature information about the roles that different 
staff/departments will fulfil in implementing the strategy 
– also this final point about staff roles may be better 
placed in the strategy’s section on “Planning, resources, 
and evaluation”.

Framework to Create a 
Communications Strategy

As described above, a core step that is needed to 
achieve transition communication goals is crafting 
a communications strategy. The process of creating 
such a strategy assembles key information, including 
about target audiences and their needs. A good 
communications strategy then makes it easy for the 
implementing organisation (in this case, the Marshal’s 
Office) and their partners (e.g., the Regional Council 
members) to execute effective communication 
campaigns and dissemination activities. It provides, for 
example, key messages that are ready to be copied, 
pasted, and shared widely, and identifies channels that 
can be used to effectively share these messages.

The following framework is not, in and of itself, a 
communications strategy. Rather, it poses questions and 
provides a guiding template, which any organisation 
can use to craft their own communications strategy. As 
such, it can not only be applied by the Marshal’s Office 
in Silesia, but can also be shared with their partners and 
with other regions to support them in creating strategies 
of their own.

The framework is divided into several sections, each of 
which represents one component of a communications 
strategy. Each section provides some information about 
why this component is important, how to gather key 
information, and a template that can be filled in.

This framework groups the main components of a 
communications strategy into four main sections:

1. 

Introduction, communications objectives, and 
approach

2.  Target audiences

3.  Communications activities

4.  Planning, resources, monitoring and evaluation

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION8

T A B L E   1 :   T E M P L A T E   T O   C R E A T E   T H E   “ I N T R O D U C T I O N ,   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S   O B J E C T I V E S ,   A N D 

A P P R O A C H ”   S E C T I O N   O F   A   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S   S T R A T E G Y .   T H E   L E F T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   Q U E S T I O N S 

T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G ;   T H E   R I G H T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   E X A M P L E S   T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G   W I T H 

S I L E S I A   I N   M I N D .

Context
What geographic area does this strategy 
focus on? What basic facts do people 
have to know to understand transition 
communication in this context (e.g., 
phase out timelines, key players)? Which 
organisation is writing this strategy? Which 
organisation(s) will implement it?

For example:
A transition communications strategy for Silesia should briefly 
overview: the status of just transition (max. 1 page); the key 
organisations and players (max. 1 page); and the different Marshal’s 
Office departments working on just transition (1 paragraph). See 
Background in this document for inspiration.
In addition, this section should present a simple table that outlines 
the organisation’s current communications Strengths, Weaknesses, 
Opportunities, and Threats (i.e., a SWOT analysis).

Objectives
What is the goal of this strategy? If 
implemented perfectly, what would it 
accomplish?

Approach
Broadly: what guiding principles will 
shape your communications? Specifically: 
what are the overarching points that you 
will follow (i.e., your ‘approach’) to reach 
those? And, given your resources, expertise, 
partners, describe the general steps you will 
follow to creating communication outputs.

For example:
See the three objectives outlined in Approach to Just Transition 
Communication in Silesia, above.

For example:
Refer to the guiding principles and approach sub-sections in 
Approach to Just Transition Communication in Silesia for inspiration. 
In response to the final guiding question – the steps to create 
communication outputs – consider how you will get information 
and translate that into outputs. For example, imagine Silesia got 
funding from the Just Transition Mechanism to implement a project. 
This news could be shared in a number of formats: (1) a long-form, 
official announcement, (2) a more approachable format, such as 
a video interview with a member of the Marshal’s Office staff 
announcing that this project was funded, and (3) a short output like 
a social media post sharing the announcement.

Example of a ‘Communications Objectives and Approach’ section
For example, the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition’s own communications strategy defines the overarching 
objectives to: amplify regions’ voices; and facilitate the transfer of knowledge from the EU to regions, and 
amongst regions. It defines two main steps to be followed to achieve those objectives (accompanied by 
detailed explanations and sub-steps): reaching audiences by supporting the development of knowledge 
products to ensure they are accessible and disseminating these via newsletters, social media, multipliers, 
etc.; and sharing voices of regions through recorded video interviews, events, short web articles, and quotes 
shared on social media. The content creation model for the Initiative involves first producing long-form ‘pillar 
content’ (e.g., a toolkit, event session, etc.), then translating it first into a more digestible format (e.g., news 
article, shorter edited video recording), and second into a teaser suitable for social media (e.g., key quote, 
1-minute clip).

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION9

Target audiences

Different people, organisations, and bodies have different 
ways of communicating, knowledge about the topic, and 
use different channels. Communication is, therefore, most 
effective when it is tailored to a target audience’s profile. 

A first step to creating communication outputs must be 
defining exactly which audiences should be targeted 
specifically. Once those audiences are identified, you can 
think about which channels they use, what background 
knowledge they have already, and use that information 
to make decisions about key messages and techniques to 
reach them.

In defining target audiences, ask yourself who you 
most want to see your outputs. If you share an update, 
resource, news, or announcement, who would you most 

want to receive that update? In answering this question, 
consider both who is crucial to successful just transition, 
and whether those groups are best reached by you. For 
example, individual miners are at the heart of transition! 
However, they probably have much stronger day-to-
day relationships with their union leaders, municipal 
representatives, and community associations than 
with the Marshal’s Office. As such, even though it is 
essential that they receive news about just transition in 
Silesia, they may not be a primary target audience for 
the Marshal’s Office. Groups that either might be better 
reached by other stakeholders (e.g., miners), or are ‘good 
to reach’ but perhaps not as essential to successful 
transition in Silesia (e.g., other EU coal+ regions) are 
classified as secondary and tertiary target audiences, 
respectively.

Additional context on target groups in Silesia and how to reach them

Transition stakeholders in the Silesian Voivodeship include, in particular: residents of 64 mining communes/municipalities, 
representatives of local governments, miners, owners and employees of mining-related companies, self-governed groups 
of employers and chambers of commerce, universities and research institutions, business environment institutions, 
industry trade unions, and local non-governmental organisations.

The most important target group, which transition communication should primarily consider, is the group that will 
experience its negative socio-economic consequences to the greatest extent, i.e. inhabitants of mining communes/
municipalities, especially employees of hard coal mines and companies dependent on the mining sector.

This group can be further distinguished based on their varying degrees of knowledge about the energy transition process 
in the region. This knowledge will impact the language and messaging used to convey information about the transition 
process (e.g. current situation, current challenges, planned activities, types of support offered). It is necessary to use 
differentiated messaging (see Table 3: Template to create the “key messages” section of a communications strategy), 
taking into account the characteristics of specific target groups (age, level of education, place of residence, information 
needs) and how they encounter information (social media, website, e-mail, information and promotion campaign, 
workshops, etc. – see Table 4: Template to create the “communication channels” section of a communications strategy).

Overall, communication should make it clear that the energy transition process is a planned and well-thought-out process 
based on a long-term strategy, which aims to bring about specific, measurable benefits to the inhabitants of the province, 
such as improving quality of life in the region. This message should be developed in such a way that it reaches the 
unconvinced, responding to pre-conceived ideas resulting from previous negative experiences related to the restructuring 
of the mining industry in the Silesian Voivodeship (e.g., in the 1990s).

Messaging must also respond to anxieties related to change and job loss, and alleviate fears about the future. To do 
so, messaging must be reliable (true, honest, based on facts), consistent (contradictory messages should be avoided), 
and should capture recipients’ attention (arouses interest). Communication activities, based on reliable and complete 
information, can frame the transformation processes as rife with opportunities for the economy and the inhabitants of 
the province, and can indicate the need to take appropriate measures to limit potential adverse phenomena.

Moreover, in the Silesian Voivodeship, where the mining industry plays a key role, it is important to address young people, 
especially as they make decisions regarding their education in light of a legacy of inheriting a profession in mining from 
generation to generation (grandfather-father-son).

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T A B L E   2 :   T E M P L A T E   T O   C R E A T E   T H E   “ T A R G E T   A U D I E N C E S ”   S E C T I O N   O F   A   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S 

S T R A T E G Y .   T H E   L E F T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   Q U E S T I O N S   T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G ;   T H E   R I G H T   C O L U M N 

C O N T A I N S   E X A M P L E S   W I T H   S I L E S I A   I N   M I N D .

Primary target audience
If you could only reach one group, who 
would you want this to be, and why? Think 
about specifically the information that you 
can share – some groups that are central to 
just transition may not be best reached by 
you. What specifically do you have to say? 
Who needs to hear that information?

For example:
The Marshal’s Office in Silesia has good relationships with regional 
stakeholders via the Regional Council, the ROPT, and thanks to long 
stakeholder engagement processes developed and refined over the 
years. On the other hand, it is not in as close daily contact with the 
general public (when compared, for example, to municipalities or 
community associations). As such, it would likely make most sense 
for the Marshal’s Office’s primary target audience to be potential 
multiplier organisations, including municipalities, trade union 
representatives, NGOs, academic institutions, etc.

Secondary target audience
What other groups would be great to 
reach? Think about people more indirectly 
connected to you or to the transition 
process, who would benefit from hearing 
your updates.

For example:
The Marshal’s Office’s secondary target audience may be 
groups like miners and entrepreneurs in Silesia. While trade 
union representatives, chambers of commerce, and community 
associations may have more direct lines of contact with these 
groups, the Marshal’s Office still represents them, and should work 
to reach them.

Tertiary target audience
Which groups would you consider to 
be good to reach, even if not essential? 
Consider broadening your geography or 
scope to answer this question.

For example:
Silesia is well-connected to other EU regions and to the European 
Commission’s just transition efforts. It may not be essential 
(for successful transition) that these groups receive regular 
communications updates from Silesia, but it would certainly be an 
added benefit for the region, and for European coal+ regions writ 
large. As such, these could be suitable tertiary target audiences.

Example of a ‘Target Audiences’ section

The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition’s own communications strategy defines primary and secondary target 
audiences. The primary audience is made up of transition implementers (public authorities, regional economic 
bodies, energy utilities, coal mining companies, trade unions, etc.), and direct influencers (trade unions, NGOs, energy 
consultancies, European institutions, research institutions, etc.). The secondary audience is made up of those that are not 
directly engaged in the Initiative, but are affected by transition (entrepreneurs in coal+ regions, local residents in coal+ 
regions, etc.), or have another reason why they may be interested in Initiative updates (media outlets in coal+ regions, 
general public outside of coal+ regions). Finally, our tertiary audience includes just transition stakeholders outside of the 
EU, with whom we share information and compare experiences from the EU and from countries and regions globally.

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Communications activities

Once you have target audiences identified, it is time 
to plan the communications activities you will use to 
reach these audiences. This includes planning the key 
messages you want to communicate to your target 
audiences, and the activities you can pursue to share 
those messages with each audience. Attention must also 
be paid to how the public is able to reach you.

In this section of your communications strategy, you 
should outline key messages that distil your core points 
and messages. These messages and their wording 
should be reviewed thoroughly (including by partners) 
so that they are ready to be shared widely, and to be 
directly copied and used in both your and your partners’ 
communication outputs. This is an opportunity for 
stakeholder engagement and co-creating key messages 
alongside partners.

The key messages should consider how to best reach 
your target audiences. Consider the benefits and impacts 
of just transition on each audience, and tailor your key 
messages to their specific needs and interests.

It is crucial to develop key messages with your core 
principles in mind (in the case of Silesia, these principles 
were described above as: honesty, being concrete and 
specific, demonstrating impacts, and addressing both 
the short- and long-term). While it is important to also 
acknowledge the real challenges of transition, positivity 
can be powerful in developing key messages. Consider 
the benefits that different target audiences may derive 
from just transition, such as public health improvements 
and more diverse economic opportunities.

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T A B L E   3 :   T E M P L A T E   T O   C R E A T E   T H E   “ K E Y   M E S S A G E S ”   S E C T I O N   O F   A   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S   S T R A T E G Y . 

T H E   L E F T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   Q U E S T I O N S   T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G ;   T H E   R I G H T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S 

E X A M P L E S   W I T H   S I L E S I A   I N   M I N D .

Overarching points
Consider your primary target audience. 
What are three overarching points that you 
want them to hear?

For example:
To reach their communication objectives, Silesia may want their 
three overarching points to include: (1) Silesia is actively designing 
and implementing just transition projects; (2) the Marshal’s Office 
leads these efforts; (3) Key partners work with the Marshal’s Office

For example:
Each of the three proposed ‘overarching points’ can be translated 
into sentences that are ready to be copied and used widely. 
The first point, for example, can lead to: 

•  Silesia will not just survive the energy transition, but will 
thrive in its wake by seizing opportunities to diversify the 
regional economy.

•  Different parts of Silesia have unique expertise that are being 

developed to bring new jobs.

•  Silesia uses external funding and support to put in place 

projects that ensure that energy transition is just.

The second to:

•  If you have questions about Silesia’s just transition, start by 

checking the Marshal’s Office website and channels.
•  Let’s work together – community members and the 

Marshal’s Office – to ensure Silesia’s transition is just for all.

The third to:

•  Through Regional Council and ROPT, just transition 

decisions are made in consultation with trade unions, NGOs, 
municipalities, and researchers.

For example:
Silesia could convene a workshop for ROPT and Regional Council 
members, during which a facilitated discussion helps refine the key 
messages so that they are ready for any multiplier organisation to 
pick-up and use.

Key messages
Consider your guiding principles (e.g. 
honesty, being concrete and specific, 
demonstrating impacts). For each of your 
overarching points, write 1-3 sentences 
that communicate this overarching point, 
while centring your guiding principles.

Message validation
Consider your secondary and tertiary target 
audiences. Are there any key messages 
you want to add for them? Share your 
draft widely with partners, stakeholders, 
external reviewers to ask them to review, 
edit and validate your key messages. Get 
them to consider: ‘can I directly copy these 
messages and use them in my work? If 
not, what has to change to make them 
useable?’

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION1 3

Example of a ‘Key Messages’ section

The following are key messages outlined by the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition, and used in the Initiative’s 
outputs.

Ensuring 
coal+ regions 
thrive

Unique 
regional 
transitions

The goal is not that coal+ regions only survive the energy transition, but that they benefit from 
new opportunities that it brings.

The Initiative facilitates networking amongst regions and nurtures the exchange of best 
practices and contacts to foster a community of regions with relationships that can aid their 
transition journeys.

Not all communities will be affected equally by energy transition. EU coal+ regions need unique 
support and resources to be able to face the disproportionate challenges that transition poses.

Not all regions are the same: they have different needs, strengths, and face unique challenges in 
the context of energy transition. This means that regional transitions must be locally tailored.

The Initiative develops tailored tools and products specific to each region, which inspire and 
inform processes in all areas.

Engaging all 
stakeholders

Transition demands working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including utilities, the 
coal sector, and trade unions. Local communities, NGOs, workers, and trade unions are key just 
transition actors.

Energy transition involves a range of areas, such as employment, reskilling, air quality, 
environmental rehabilitation, economic diversification, and technology. Voices from all these 
sectors need to be part of transition discussions.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION1 4

Some examples of what this mix of communication 
outputs could include are:

• 

Traditional media – Regular press articles/releases 
throughout the year on different themes and topics, 
linking back to a central just transition website.
•  Social Media – Social media posts that follow the 
theme of articles/press releases. Social media 
posts to include pictures and videos to increase 
engagement.

•  Paid social media advertising – most social media 
outlets allow you to pay to sponsor posts so that 
they reach a larger or more specific demographic; 
this is often an affordable and worthwhile option.
•  Videos – Short videos are very popular and useable 
across channels (e.g., website, social media, to 
open in-person events). A video summary that 
communicates the overall vision for regional 
transition can be embedded on a website 
homepage and used widely.
Informational posters/billboards – traditional form 
of advertising that can be put up nearby or at sites 
of transformation.

• 

•  Biannual workshops – for multiplier organisations 

with key comms messages and tools.

Organisations must use a mix of communication 
channels to then get these messages out. In this case, 
a ‘channel’ means the place you are sharing your 
messages; ‘channels’ can, for example, include your 
organisational website, different social media channels 
(Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), newsletters, traditional 
press, workshops, town hall meetings, and video feeds.

Consider using a mix of broader and more targeted 
channels. Broader communications activities could 
include general awareness-raising campaigns, and 
messages shared using traditional media, advertising, 
or social media. More targeted communication includes 
connecting face-to-face with smaller stakeholder groups 
– a process that is key to communicating effectively and 
building trust in the transition process. This must be done 
in close cooperation with key stakeholders, partners, 
and multipliers, many of whom can take broader key 
messages, and help translate those into face-to-face 
interactions with impacted communities.

It will be important to use a mix of different 
communications channels, considering which ones are 
best to reach your target audiences. For example, some 
audiences may follow local news outlets and social 
media feeds, while others may turn to European outlets 
to get their updates. A needs assessment survey, like the 
one that the Marshal’s Office conducted in mid-2023, can 
help you determine which channels to prioritise to reach 
different audience groups.

Keep in mind that different types of content work best on 
different channels. For example, social media is ideal for 
short statements paired with an image or video. On the 
other hand, local news outlets are great places to share 
longer interviews or opinion pieces.

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T A B L E   4 :   T E M P L A T E   T O   C R E A T E   T H E   “ C O M M U N I C A T I O N   C H A N N E L S ”   S E C T I O N   O F   A   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S 

S T R A T E G Y .   T H E   L E F T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   Q U E S T I O N S   T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G ;   T H E   R I G H T   C O L U M N 

C O N T A I N S   E X A M P L E S   W I T H   S I L E S I A   I N   M I N D .

Broad channels: digital
What online channels do your target 
audiences use, through which you could 
share broad messages? What forms of 
content suit that channel well?

For example:
The needs assessment that Silesia conducted showed that their 
secondary target audience is present on social media (Facebook) 
and uses local internet portals, while their primary audience prefers 
to use the Marshal’s Office website. 
Social media is best served by short messages, complemented by 
engaging images or video clips, regular posting, and a well-thought 
through schedule (Facebook can accommodate daily posts). Local 
portals are good places to place digital advertisements (e.g., to 
promote upcoming workshops), and one-paragraph summaries. 
The Marshal’s Office’s own website can be used for longer articles, 
and as a hub that uses approachable language to clearly lay out 
transition updates.

Broad channels: physical
What physical, printed outputs would 
your target audiences use and respond 
to, through which you could share broad 
messages? What forms of content suit that 
channel well?

For example:
Billboards can be put up near sights that are undergoing 
transformation (e.g., the Historic Ignacy Mine, Katowicki HUB in 
Nikiszowiec, etc.) to make it visible that just transition projects are 
ongoing (always with a QR-code that links to the transformation 
website).

Targeted channels: digital
What online channels do your target 
audiences use, through which you could 
directly communicate with them? What 
forms of content suit that channel well?

Targeted channels: physical
What physical channels would your target 
audiences use and respond to, through 
which you can directly communicate with 
them? What forms of content suit that 
channel well?

For example:
The needs assessment that Silesia conducted showed that their 
primary target audience is interested in receiving direct emails with 
updates, as well as attending online meetings, workshops, seminars.

For example:
The needs assessment that Silesia conducted showed that 
their primary target audience is interested in joining seminars, 
study visits, workshops, and receiving specialised just transition 
communication consulting.

Example of a ‘Communication Channels’ section

The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition’s own communications strategy identifies channels, and content that will be 
featured on each. This includes:

•  Website: Overview of the Initiative and its activities, more detailed landing pages for events, database of 

knowledge products, etc.

•  Social media: Short posts with images to announce the release of knowledge products, promote events, share short 

versions of new videos (under 2-minutes), live event coverage, quotes, etc.

•  Newsletter: Inviting headlines and short (1-2 sentence blurbs) link to longer articles that highlight key outputs, 

events, knowledge from sister initiatives, and feature interviews with (and spotlights on) coal+ regions.

•  Press: Articles written for the CRiT newsletter can be shared with media partners for further uptake; amplify coal+ 

voices by pitching representatives as media interviewees.

•  Videos: Long-form interviews to highlight voices of coal+ regions, short clips with key quotes for social media, 

promotional video that introduces the Initiative as a whole, recorded event sessions.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION1 6

For your communication to be clear, it is crucial that not 
only are your messages consistent (see section: Key 
Messages), but so too is your visual identity. By using 
a consistent logo, font, colour scheme, and writing tone 
across all your communication activities, you ensure that 
all official outputs are easily recognisable as yours. This 
builds trust, and improves transparency and clarity.

In this section of the communications strategy, work with 
a professional designer to define your visual identity. 
When possible, explain your rationale – in other words, 
explain if you have chosen specific colours, fonts, or 
imagery to convey a specific message. Then, create 
“branding guidelines” (a professional designer can also 
support in this) that explains how to use the visual 
identity.

It is also important to note here what channels are 
available for the public to communicate with you. Two-
way communication is crucial to a successful transition, 
which leaves no one behind, and which all impacted 
parties feel ownership over. Other coal regions advise 
considering the following:

• 

It must be easy for the public to reach you 
directly. For example:

 ‒ You can set-up a central email address 
that people can contact specifically with 
questions and suggestions related to the just 
transition, which is actively monitored and 
advertised clearly on your website;

 ‒ You can set-up regular office hours (e.g. once 
per month), when members of the Marshal’s 
Office (or the equivalent body) commit to 
being available for people to drop-in and ask 
questions;

 ‒ Your website can clearly define which staff 
work on what projects, so that it is easy for 
people to know to whom they can direct their 
questions.

•  People should be able to predict and plan when 

they will reach you. In other words:

 ‒ Meetings should be organised repeatedly 
and on a regular basis (e.g. every two 
months) so that local people are better able 
to arrange their schedules and attend. As 
they attend multiple meetings, people will 
begin to get to know the presenters and 
representatives of the region, establishing 
a relationship that opens the door for better 
two-way communication.

• 

It must be clear how you will use and apply their 
inputs. For example:

 ‒ You can cultivate opportunities for decisions 
to be shaped directly by local inputs, and 
can open consultation rounds by explicitly 
outlining what decisions are already ‘set in 
stone’, and which are still open for discussion.

For additional guidance on strengthening relationships 
with stakeholders and the public, consult the 
aforementioned Transformation Options Framework.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION1 7

T A B L E   5 :   T E M P L A T E   T O   C R E A T E   T H E   “ V I S U A L   I D E N T I T Y ”   S E C T I O N   O F   A   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S   S T R A T E G Y . 

T H E   L E F T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   Q U E S T I O N S   T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G ;   T H E   R I G H T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S 

E X A M P L E S   W I T H   S I L E S I A   I N   M I N D .

Assessing the situation
What logos, colours, fonts, and style are 
currently used to communicate transition 
updates? Are these consistent? If someone 
were to see a report or article, would they 
be able to quickly assess based on the 
visual identity that it is an official output 
from your team?

Creating a visual identity
What main colours (2-3) can be 
used to distinguish your work? What 
complementary (1-2) colours can be used 
when needed? What do you want to convey 
with your logo, and what versions do you 
need (e.g. horizontal, square, Polish, English, 
etc.)? What font do you use across your 
work?

Branding guidelines
What rules do your staff have to follow to 
make sure that they are sticking to your 
visual identity? Who is allowed to use your 
logo, and when should it be used? What 
language conventions should staff follow 
(e.g. regional dialects, spelling, formal or 
informal tone)?

For example:
ROPT , the Silesia Voivodeship, and the Regional Transition all have 
different logos, which use different colours and fonts. These should, 
of course, not all be identical. But, if they all use the same colours 
and fonts, then it will be easier to quickly recognise when a just 
transition update is coming from an official source.

For example:
Work with a professional designer to shape your visual identity, 
including key colours, several logo types, and font choice. Collect all 
this information in a common document or folder that is accessible 
by all your staff and partners.

For example:
All communications outputs (reports, webpages, videos, billboards) 
should include your logo, use your key font, and use your main 
colours. Your logo should only be used on outputs from your 
organisation. All staff should follow a unified set of writing 
conventions.

Example of a ‘Visual Identity’ section

This material can, for example, include: 

The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition’s branding 
guidelines explain that the Initiative uses the general 
European Commission font, so that it is visually clear 
that this is a European Commission Initiative. It has two 
primary colours: the European Commission blue, as well 
as a complementary orange. Writing uses UK English 
spelling, no jargon, but assumes basic level of knowledge 
about transition in Europe. All outputs feature the 
European Commission logo.

Finally, all this information can be used to create a suite 
of promotional material that can be brought to events, 
shared with partners, and made available on your 
website. This material should not be technical, dense, 
or too detailed. Rather, it can serve as an entry point for 
audiences that clarifies overarching messages and facts. 

•  A general PowerPoint-type presentation that 

• 

presents the overall mission and vision for just 
transition in Silesia, key just transition messages, a 
transition timeline, examples of transition projects 
in the region, and opportunities for different groups.
Leaflets or flyers that share the same information 
that is in the presentation, but in the form of a flyer. 
To fit this other format, information may have to be 
presented slightly differently (e.g., with paragraphs 
instead of bullet points, with fewer images, etc.)
•  A video and an e-book that can be shared widely 

that introduces Silesia’s key just transition 
messages.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION1 8

T A B L E   6 :   T E M P L A T E   T O   C R E A T E   T H E   “ P R O M O T I O N A L   M A T E R I A L S ”   S E C T I O N   O F   A   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S 

S T R A T E G Y .   T H E   L E F T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   Q U E S T I O N S   T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G ;   T H E   R I G H T   C O L U M N 

C O N T A I N S   E X A M P L E S   W I T H   S I L E S I A   I N   M I N D .

Promotional material options
What physical and digital formats would 
my target audience use? Are these varied 
enough that they are suitable for diverse 
audiences and situations?

Tailoring messaging
How should material be presented 
differently in the different promotion 
documents?

For example:
A PowerPoint-type presentation, flyer (available in print and 
digitally), and a video can all be used to present the same 
information, but will reach different key groups.

For example:
A PowerPoint-type presentation should use short, bullet points, 
and as little text as possible. It can make use of tables or graphs, 
and plenty of images. A flyer is generally shorter, uses full (but 
simple!) sentences, and may not be as well-suited to tables and 
graphs. Videos do best if they include footage of actual people. For 
example, the key information can be shared via an interview with a 
regional official.

4. Planning, resources, monitoring, and 
evaluation

Your communications strategy will only be effective if it 
is properly monitored, and backed by adequate financial 
and human resources.

The first step to monitoring the strategy is establishing 
quantitative key performance indicators (i.e. KPIs). 
These will have to be updated iteratively as your 
communications channels mature, and you gain a better 
sense of ambitious, but realistic targets.

First, go through all other sections of the communications 
strategy to gather a comprehensive list of what you will 
deliver. For now, the list can be only a list, such as:

•  Digital: website, Facebook, videos, email 

• 

newsletters, online meetings
In-person: billboards, in-person workshops, 
attending external events

•  Other: press articles, media campaigns

Next, gather the data you already have, spanning both 
data about your outputs (e.g., number of Facebook posts 
per month, number of newsletter emails sent per year, 
number of in-person workshops hosted per year, etc.), 
as well as engagement with your outputs (e.g., average 
number of website visitors per month, average number of 
‘engagements’ on Facebook per month, current number of 
newsletter subscribers, average number of stakeholders 
who attend a transition workshop per year, etc.).

Now, based on the data you currently have and your 
aspirations to grow your audience, set quantitative goals 
for each item (digital, in-person, other) listed above. 
Where relevant, set both an output goal (e.g., number 
of videos you will produce in the next year) and an 
engagement goal (e.g., average number of views per 
video). These targets should be measured and assessed 
annually. It is often helpful to keep a spreadsheet where 
staff can track activity and engagement throughout the 
year to reduce the workload at the end of the year.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION1 9

T A B L E   7 :   T E M P L A T E   T O   C R E A T E   T H E   “ K P I S ”   S E C T I O N   O F   A   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S   S T R A T E G Y .   T H E   L E F T 

C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   Q U E S T I O N S   T O   G U I D E   Y O U R   T H I N K I N G ;   T H E   R I G H T   C O L U M N   C O N T A I N S   E X A M P L E S 

W I T H   S I L E S I A   I N   M I N D .

Upcoming communications work
If you look ahead to the next year, what will 
communications work will Silesia do online? 
What about in-person? Is there other 
communications work that you foresee (or 
hope to execute) that doesn’t neatly fit into 
one of those categories?

For example:
The Marshal’s Office in Silesia may make use of:

•  Digital: Facebook, website, blog, videos, email newsletters, 

online meetings

•  In-person: organising a conference, workshop, seminar; 

attending an external conference, workshop, seminar to present 
just transition topics; producing flyers, billboards;

•  Other: press releases, media articles, media campaigns

Setting goals for upcoming work
What data already exists that can kind your 
goals? How many people do you currently 
reach? Based on your staff capacity, 
how much can you produce of each 
communications output?

For example:
Exact KPIs are hard to set without consulting existing data on reach 
and outputs. However, the Marshal’s Office in Silesia may choose to 
set goals for (and measure):

•  Facebook followers, number of posts, average engagement per 

month

•  Average website visitors per month
•  Number of videos produced per year, average views per video
•  Number of newsletters sent per year, number of subscribers, 

average number of ‘opens’

•  Number of online workshops organised, total number of 

participants in an online workshop per year

•  Number of in-person workshops or trainings held per year, 

number of attendees per year

•  Number of articles printed in local media per year

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION2 0

Example of a ‘KPIs’ table

Type of 
activity

Communications 
activity

Output goal

Social media 
(Facebook)

# posts per month

Digital

Website

--

Engagement goal(s)

# followers
# engagements per month

average visitors per month

Videos

# produced per year

average views per video

Workshops 
(organised)

# people engaged via workshops per 
year

total number of in-person workshop 
participants per year

In-person

External events 
(attended)

# people reached at external events 
per year (at which Silesia’s transition 
was explicitly presented)

number of people potentially reached 
per year at external events

Billboards

# information billboards designed 
and installed per year

Other

Media articles

# articles in local media that pick-up 
just transition news shared by the 
Marshal’s Office

--

--

Now that you have an outlook regarding what you will 
deliver in the upcoming year, it is important to map these 
activities in a timeline and/or Gantt chart. Map out what 
you will do when, such as when you plan to publish each 
of the videos you will create, when you will host each 
online event, when your re-vamped website will go live, 
etc.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION2 1

Year

Jan.

Feb. Mar. Apr. May

Jun.

Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec

GENERAL
Review website structure

Launch new website structure

Monitor KPIs

Update communications strategy

CONTENT
CREATION
Send a newsletter

Press article

VIDEO
Launch new promotional video

Conduct video interview

Publish video interview

Short video clips (for social media)

F I G U R E   2 :   E X A M P L E   G A N T T   C H A R T ,   L O O S E L Y   I N S P I R E D   B Y   A   S I M P L I F I E D   V E R S I O N   O F   T H E   G A N T T 

C H A R T   U S E D   B Y   T H E   I N I T I A T I V E   F O R   C O A L   R E G I O N S   I N   T R A N S I T I O N ’ S   C O M M U N I C A T I O N S   T E A M

Finally, your communications strategy should close 
with a series of Annexes with more detailed guidance 
and information, as needed. Annexes could include, for 
example:

•  Editorial guidelines with basic guidelines to help 

staff write content, such as the tone and language 
conventions you use across your communications
•  Editing guidelines that explain why editing writing 
is so important, and how to edit your own posts, as 
well as peers’ content

•  Social media best practices
•  Media best practices that go into interacting with 

press

•  Style Guide that fleshes out your visual identity 

section in more detail

Executing this work will require adequate human and 
financial resources. In this section of the communications 
strategy, map out the different communications roles, 
and how these roles will be shared within the Marshal’s 
Office (and with external contributors, where applicable). 
In the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition’s case, 
for example, the communications strategy states that 
one expert works on developing content and narratives 
(messaging, writing, proofreading, strategising), while 
another focuses on visuals and layout (graphic design, 
video production, branding). The Marshal’s Office will, 
in particular, have to clearly outline how the transition 
team and communications team will work together, 
divide roles, and generate content. This is also a section 
in which you can list communications points of contact in 
Silesian municipalities, or peer coal+ regions. 

It is important to ensure that someone is assigned 
the role of overseeing all communications across 
just transition in Silesia, who can be approached with 
questions regarding key messages, activities, branding, 
etc. 

Consult the Marshal’s Office budget and consider 
whether there will be a separate dedicated budget for 
communications work, or whether it will be embedded as 
part of existing activities and budgets.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION2 2

Tips for Effective Transition 
Communication

Once an organisation has laid out its objectives and 
created a comprehensive strategy to reach those, 
day-to-day communication and dissemination must 
begin. Organisations should ideally hire qualified 
communications professionals both to write a 
communications strategy, and to do the daily work 
of strategy implementation and monitoring. A set of 
overarching tips can help to guide this work.

The tips that follow come from a variety sources. Unless 
otherwise specified, they are based on the START team’s 
professional experience; in other cases, the tips come 
from a “Communication Playbook” published by the 
European Union’s Climate-neutral and Smart Cities 
Mission and the associated NetZeroCities project.

Implementing a communications strategy requires tasks 
including establishing channels (e.g. website, blog, social 
media feeds), regularly crafting content to share on those 
channels, and developing promotional material. The 
following tips can help support success.

Newsworthiness: The most important thing to keep in 
mind when designing communication and dissemination 
campaigns and outputs is: why would someone care 
about this? Ask yourself this question before writing a 
piece of news, sending a social media post, designing a 
flyer, etc. If you put out content that is not newsworthy, 
your audience will stop paying attention to your 
update. However, by keeping your target audience in 
mind, it is always possible to find an interesting ‘hook’ 
that is relevant to them. For example, imagine that 
the Marshal’s Office hosted a workshop as part of the 
ROPT. A news article that communicates only ‘the 
Marshal’s Office hosted a workshop, this was the list 
of speakers, this was the agenda’ is unlikely to be seen 
as newsworthy to readers. However, a news article that 
describes some of the most interest take-aways from the 
workshop discussion, some inspiring or key quotes, and 
the agreed-upon next steps would be highly relevant to 
the Marshal’s Office’s target audiences. 

Using narratives: As described by the Cities Mission, 
stories tend to be more effective at inspiring action 
and generating support, especially when compared to 
technical reports. Data and facts should still be a part 
of your messaging, but consider ways to convey that 
message in a narrative format. For example, if you are 
reporting on a recent event, think about presenting the 
arch of the event, and including inspiring quotes that 
were shared by speakers and participants.

Honesty: Silesian stakeholders were unanimous in 
affirming the need for honest communication. Being 
transparent and as concrete/specific as possible in 
messaging builds invaluable trust. A strong basis of trust 
makes it easier for people to celebrate wins without 
being sceptical of good news, and may make it easier 
to navigate challenges. Furthermore, if you accidentally 
publish something that is false, be honest about this 
error.

Celebrating wins and being transparent about 
challenges: Just transition is complex and full of 
challenges; but, regions are making real progress 
towards a just and sustainable future. It is important that 
transition communication highlights both realities. This is 
affirmed by the Cities Mission, who advise being honest 
and positive about changes.

Easy contact: One way to foster trust among 
organisations and their audiences is to make it easy 
and clear for audiences to contact you. Set-up a 
general email address (e.g., JustTransition[at]silesia.pl / 
transformacja[at]slaskie.pl) that is monitored daily, and 
which people can reach out to with questions. Ensure that 
their emails are read, and that people receive meaningful 
responses. Similarly, share a phone number that people 
can call to ask questions about transition in the region.

Considering the real people at the heart of 
transition: As articulated by the Cities Mission, your 
transition “is about people”. Your work and messages 
will be more relatable, understandable, and memorable 
if they are tied to actual people, rather than abstract 
concepts (like the amount of money invested in transition 
projects). This also extends to the visuals you use – when 
possible, use images that depict people; this can include 
featuring people in photos about specific transition 
projects, and including staff pictures on your website.

Focusing on the local… and linking to the global: 
The Cities Mission points out that focusing on local 
challenges, solutions, and realities will resonate best 
with your communities. This means homing in on 
Silesia’s goals and challenges, using local examples and 
imagery. While this should be the focus of day-to-day 
communication, overarching campaigns can also draw 
linkages to European and global endeavours to show: 
(1) that Silesia is not alone in its transition, and (2) that 
regional actions fit into a wider, global picture.

Diversity of channels, including in-person: Generally 
speaking, direct, in-person exchange is often the 
most impactful. It is important to consider and foster 
opportunities for direct discussions with locals. However, 
it is also worth considering that different members of the 

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION2 3

public will have varied abilities to attend and engage in 
in-person discussions (like workshops, town hall meetings, 
public fora, etc.). As such, the same messages should 
always be conveyed in multiple different ways, such as 
in a video, on social media, in a printed flyer, and at a live 
workshop.

When the Just Transition Platform’s Horizontal Working 
Group surveyed its community to ask about their 
experiences with transition communication, almost 
70% of respondents reported that it was ‘helpful’ or 
‘very helpful’ to receive information in-person!

Consistency: There are often several different 
organisations involved in leading just transition projects 
and processes, such as different levels of governments, 
private investors, associations, etc. Ensure that all 
these bodies are using consistent messaging to avoid 
confusion. One way to support consistency in messaging 
is to provide communications guidelines, key messages, 
and products to partners for them to use.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION2 4

Best Practices

Examples:

Through interviews and research, guided by word-of-
mouth recommendations, the START team collected 
some examples of best practices in just transition 
communication that can inspire similar work – or be 
directly replicated – in Silesia and other coal+ regions. 

Interviews were flexible, but roughly guided by the 
following main questions:

•  Do you think that wider public in your region 

generally knows about your just transition work? If 
so, how do you stay in conversation with them? 

 ‒ Do you directly disseminate updates 
to the public, or do you rely on other 
multiplier or partner organisations to act as 
intermediaries?

 ‒ Do you provide other organisations (like 

municipalities, NGOs, etc.) with tools to help 
them communicate just transition updates to 
the public? 

•  Do you have an example – either from your own 

region, or one you’ve heard about from elsewhere 
– of a successful communications action or 
campaign? 

•  How do you recommend that coal+ regions 

maintain two-way communication, so that they 
can share updates with the public, but also 
meaningfully engage and listen to the public’s 
inputs? 

Best practice: awareness-raising among 
children

Northern Hungary (HU)

The Eszterházy Károly Katolikus Egyetem (EKKE) 
university, which hosts the region of Northern Hungary’s 
Coal Commission Secretariat, is known for its expertise 
in pedagogical education. This expertise, paired with 
very good relationships with local primary schools, 
has enabled them to develop diverse and impactful 
communication activities for children.

Their experience has shown that children bring the 
lessons they learn in school home, and can therefore act 
as important multipliers in communities. Furthermore, 
when children are aware of climate change and just 
transition, they are more likely to also become aware of, 
and interested in, pursuing jobs and skills opportunities 
outside of mining.

Green Week games: The university has now hosted two 
annual Green Weeks, which involve a series of events to 
raise climate awareness among kids, with primary school 
children as the main target group. This is mainly done 
through games. For example, the university created a life-
sized board game, in which the children themselves act 
as the board game pieces. They receive questions about 
climate change targeted to their age group, and move 
through the game by rolling huge dice and answering 
questions correctly. There is also a Kahoot! game for 
older children.

Drawing competition: As part of the last Green Week, 
the university organised a climate change-themed 
drawing competition, where children were invited to 
submit drawings related to different sub-topics, like water 
management and air pollution. This was a great success 
with a huge number of entries! Furthermore, it was 
paired with an additional learning opportunity. Namely, 
the winners won a study visit to the Mátra Power Plant, 
a lignite-fired power plant in the region. The university 
rented a bus, brought the winners to the plant, and used 
it to educate the children about how electricity generation 
works. They were impressed and inspired by seeing 
different components of the local energy story on-the-
ground.

Partnerships with schools: Thanks to strong ties with local 
primary schools, the Coal Commission Secretariat has 
the opportunity to visit schools and lead special lessons 
on climate change, which also make use of games. For 
example, they have a large drawing of a house, and 
pictures depicting things like photovoltaics and electric 
cars, and use these to lead a game and discussion about 
how electricity works.

Best practice: seeking project proposals from 
community members

The Midlands (IE)

Community members in coal+ regions are the experts 
in local conditions, contexts, and transition. Effective 
communication campaigns recognise this fact, and 
meaningfully partner with communities to make just 
transition decisions. Bidirectional communication (from 
decision makers to communities and from communities 
to decision-makers) improves transparency, builds trust, 
and ensures that transition projects will be accepted 
and locally-relevant, thereby making it more likely that 
transition will be a success.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION2 5

Best practice: establishing a culture of direct 
democracy

Pomorskie Voivodeship (PL)

Two-way communication – i.e., receiving inputs from 
locals – must be done thoughtfully, so that it is clear to 
locals how their inputs will be used and received. This 
builds trust and mitigates the risk that locals will have 
unrealistic expectations regarding the extent to which 
their opinions will shape final decisions. One way to do 
this is to establish opportunities for “direct democracy”, 
in which decisions are made based on the opinion of a 
majority of participants, and not (only) by government 
representatives. 

Example: 

Following protest and concerns from residents, 
meaningful stakeholder engagement processes were 
launched to steer decision-making around shale gas 
exploration in Poland. Around 2011-2012, the Marshal’s 
Office of the Pomorskie Voivodeship facilitated a 
communication and stakeholder engagement process, 
overseen by the Gdansk-based NGO Eco-Energy Solutions 
Foundation.

One of the activities carried out was the establishment 
of tripartite dialogues (among residents, authorities, 
investors) to collaboratively define the conditions under 
which shale gas extraction would be permissible. The 
dialogues resulted in social contracts being signed with 
project investors – these contracts included specific 
conditions that the investor would have to meet, in order 
to safeguard the needs of locals.

Additional activities included appointing an official in the 
district administration as the contact person for residents 
(see also the example above from the Midlands), and 
launching a public opinion survey. The survey was 
followed by a series of six monthly meetings. Before each 
meeting, residents themselves selected who they wanted 
to attend the meeting from a list of experts, allowing 
them to directly steer the conversation.

All of these steps, when viewed together, were seen as 
a success, bringing residents the ability to directly shape 
local decision-making.

Example:

Ireland has its own national Just Transition Fund (JTF), 
which actually predates the European Commission’s JTF. 
This national JTF provided support to projects across 
the Midlands – a historic peat harvesting region – in the 
wake of an accelerated phase-out of peat harvesting for 
energy generation.

The region decided to follow a Midlands Engagement 
Process3 to solicit project ideas from community 
members, which may benefit from the National JTF. The 
Midlands Engagement Process was among a suite of 
documents co-created with the START team. It provided 
case studies from across Europe and further afield to 
inspire impacted communities to propose projects for 
their region. The document was shared widely through 
existing regional networks, and provided inspiration to 
local players.

The Engagement Process resulted in the region receiving 
over 150 project concept notes. Of those, 101 progressed 
project proposals to the National JTF. Many of these 
received funding, and others were supported by the 
Midlands Regional Transition Team to further develop 
project concepts.

Best practice: connecting the government 
and community members

The Midlands (IE)

There is often too little direct exchange and opportunities 
for two-way communication between decision-makers 
planning just transitions, and those in the impacted 
communities. To combat this, governments can appoint 
(and must adequately fund) specific staff to act as direct 
conduits between the government, regional stakeholders, 
and impacted communities.

Example:

In 2019, the National Ministry of Environment, Climate 
and Communications in Ireland appointed a Just 
Transition Commissioner. The Commissioner provides 
a direct link between the government, regional 
stakeholders, and impacted communities. This has 
been very successful, with communities expressing 
appreciation that they have a direct line of contact to 
decision-makers. The Just Transition Commissioner also 
attends quarterly meetings of the Midlands Regional 
Transition Team. In other words, this point-of-contact is in 
a real position to communicate directly with community 
members, and then to influence processes at the 
decision-making level.

3.  The Midlands Engagement Process was among a suite of documents co-created with 
the START technical assistance team. Read it in full at: https://energy.ec.europa.eu/
system/files/2020-06/midlands_engagement_process_document_-_start_0.pdf.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATION2 6

Learning from past mistakes: coordination among stakeholders 

Pomorskie Voivodeship (PL) 

When a new nuclear power plant was planned to be constructed in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in 2009-
2011, the government, the investor, and to some degree the local authority took on parallel communication 
campaigns, and even parallel processes for selecting a location for the plant. As a result, communication was 
confusing; there was a lack of clarity regarding who should lead on communication and engagement, and who 
should be a participant in these processes; and even locals that participated in regional dialogues on the topic 
were often surprised by subsequent actions taken on by the government and the investor.

Lessons learnt: 
Just transition projects are often steered by a number of relevant actors. These actors must coordinate their 
communication and stakeholder engagement plans early and often. Furthermore, dialogues with locals must be 
transparent and upfront regarding next steps, and how local inputs will be taken-up to ensure that stakeholder 
engagement is effective, and does not foster distrust.

Best practice: continuous communication

Western Macedonia (GR) and Northern 
Hungary (HU)

All communications activities will only be optimally 
effective if they are continuous. Meetings, awareness-
raising campaigns, and other outreach cannot be one-
offs. Regularity builds trust and relationships, making 
it easier for transition communication to be two-way: 
with stakeholders sharing information to locals, and 
locals sharing feedback directly to decision-making 
stakeholders. 

Specific recommendations based on experiences in 
Western Macedonia and Northern Hungary:

Regularity: Meetings should be organised repeatedly and 
on a regular basis (e.g. every two months) so that local 
people are better able to arrange their schedules and 

attend. Furthermore, as they attend multiple meetings, 
people will begin to get to know the presenters and 
representatives of the region, establishing a relationship 
that opens the door for better two-way communication.

Easy contact: Key stakeholders, especially those leading 
or advising on just transition decision-making, must be 
easy to contact. This should include relationship-building 
(so that local people feel at ease to reach out). However, 
it also includes much simpler steps, like displaying 
(online and at their office reception) clear names, phone 
numbers, working hours, and email addresses for staff at 
bodies like the Marshal’s Office, who locals can reach out 
to with questions and concerns.

INITIATIVE FOR COAL REGIONS IN TRANSITIONHANDBOOK FOR TRANSITION COMMUNICATIONGETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE EU

In person
All over the European Union there are hundreds of Europe Direct centres. You can find the address of the centre nearest you 
online (european-union.europa.eu/contact-eu/meet-us_en).

On the phone or in writing
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 y by freephone: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (certain operators may charge for these calls), 
 y at the following standard number: +32 22999696, 
 y via the following form: european-union.europa.eu/contact-eu/write-us_en.

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Initiative for coal
regions in transition

The Initiative for coal regions in transition 
is led by the European Commission.

 ec.europa.eu/coal-regions-in-transition

 secretariat@coalregions.eu

 @Energy4Europe