Social licence does not happen by accident. It is built systematically, stage by stage, through communications that is guided by a clear framework. We work across organisations operating in complex environments where legitimacy is constantly earned and contested. Mining companies in communities with a history of environmental damage. Development programmes in spaces where trust in institutions is fragile. Corporations are entering markets where they have no established relationships. In every case, the path to sustainable operations is the same: you must earn social licence through communications that is credible, consistent, and community-centred.
Why Most Organisations Fail Here
This is where most organisations fail. They communicate reactively. They respond to criticism. They defend decisions already made. They publish information they think is important, not the information communities actually need. This approach is exhausting, and it does not work. Reactive communications is always one step behind. By the time you respond to criticism, the narrative is set. By the time you defend a decision, doubt has taken root.
Introducing the SLIC Framework
We built the SLIC Framework to change that. SLIC stands for Scan, Leverage, Implement, and Calibrate. It is the methodology we use in every engagement.
Scan is the discovery phase. We do not assume we know what matters to your community. We listen. We observe. We identify the stakeholders, the concerns, the incentives, and the communication channels that actually work in your context. This is not a survey. It is immersion.
Leverage is about building on strength. We identify the assets you already have: relationships that work, messages that land, proof points that communities trust. We build the communications strategy on those assets, not against them.
Implement is execution with rigour. We design communication campaigns, manage media relations, coordinate stakeholder dialogue, and measure impact every step. We maintain consistency across channels and time. We show up. We follow through.
Calibrate is the refinement phase. We monitor how communities are responding. We adjust messaging if it is not landing. We amplify what is working. We do not set communications on autopilot.
Why This Framework Works
Social licence is fragile. It requires sustained attention, genuine listening, and the courage to change approach when the data says you should. The SLIC Framework is the system that makes this sustainable. It prevents the reactive trap. It ensures that communications is strategic, not defensive. It builds relationships before they are needed.
Organisations that follow SLIC operate with discipline. They know who their key stakeholders are. They know what messages matter to those stakeholders. They know how those stakeholders prefer to receive information. They know what success looks like, and they measure it.
This is not complicated. It is systematic. And it works.
