Change doesn't start with talking

Major societal changes do not arise simply by better informing people. They require a systemic perspective, research, design, new narratives, behavioral interventions, collaboration, imagination, and room to experiment. That is why MICA, in collaboration with the Transformational Media research group at NHL Stenden, is exploring a different role for communication: not communicating about change, but using communication as part of the change itself. 

From the energy transition and the circular economy to positive health and digitalization: major societal changes require more than just a good plan or a technical solution. They require people to think and act differently, organizations to collaborate differently, and new perspectives on what is possible. That is exactly where a new approach to communication begins for us. 

That is why, together with the Transformational Media research group at NHL Stenden and Firda, we are developing a new, practice-oriented approach that brings together scientific knowledge and real-world practice. We translate insights from research into concrete interventions, formats, and methods. We don’t test these in a theoretical setting, but right in the midst of real-world transition challenges. What motivates people to take action? Where does resistance arise? What helps people develop new perspectives? And how do we make visible and measurable the actual impact of an intervention? We continually feed what we learn from this back into our approach. Step by step, this leads to a methodology that can be applied to various societal transitions.