Participation without excuses: everyone can be reached

Are there really difficult target groups? Or are we making it too easy for ourselves? That is the topic of the session by Beaumont, a communications consultancy, during the event ' The Power of Participation & Communication '. Babbage is organizing this event specifically for communications professionals within the (semi-)government sector. An inspiring day where we zoom in together on participation in all its facets. Read more here about the plenary session with the experts from Beaumont!

Plenary session – Participation without excuses: everyone is reachable.

What are we going to do? Many communication professionals struggle with the question: how do you engage target groups that seem 'hard to reach'? But are those target groups really that difficult, or does the problem lie with our approach?

In this interactive session we will analyze what a difficult target group is, where participation often goes wrong and what you can do. We will discuss successful and failed participation examples and discover what really works.
With the Communication Canvas that Beaumont uses, we analyze behavioral questions behind the assignment and strategies with impact. In addition, we introduce a serious game who makes complicated topics discussable in an accessible way.

What to expect?

• Provocative statements: Why are some groups called 'hard to reach'?
• Lessons Learned: What works and what goes wrong?
• From 'out of the box' to 'inside the box': Understand your target audience and break through assumptions.
• Practical tools: The Communication Canvas and a serious game as a conversation tool.
• Getting started: We discuss what really works in practice.

Core message: 'Hard-to-reach target groups do not exist, but participation that fails does. It is time to critically examine our way of communicating. Don't make things more difficult than necessary, just do it!'

About Beaumont:

Beaumont Communicatie & Management – ​​Strategic communications agency with a keen eye for social issues and participation. We connect people, organizations and policy with well-considered communication approaches and creative strategies. With expertise in environmental communication, participation and stakeholder management, we help our clients to clearly communicate complex themes and create support. Together we work on impactful solutions that really make a difference.

About the speakers

Linda Troost is Managing Partner and Senior Communications Advisor, specializing in participation and community communication. With extensive experience in complex processes and administrative dynamics, she knows how to translate strategies into effective participation approaches. Decisive, collaborative, and results-oriented.

Adil Lachhab is a Junior Communications Advisor and expert in diversity and inclusion, with a background in journalism and political science. He connects people and helps bridge differences through effective communication. Experienced in organizing meetings, facilitating discussions, and utilizing campaigns and social media to strengthen broad participation and inclusion.

Edith van Beek is Project Leader Communication and Creation. A creative thinker and facilitator with Design Thinking as her natural working method, she connects strategy with execution and translates ideas into concrete steps. With energy and sharpness, she guides teams towards strong solutions, always with an eye for collaboration and impact.

Don't want to miss this session of Beaumont? Then come to The Power of Participation & Communication on Tuesday 20 May 2025!

Program The Power of Participation & Communication