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18th May 2021
During a project, it is inevitable that a large part of your role will be communicating with multiple stakeholders throughout the life of the project. AIPM’s 2021 Membership Survey shows just how important effective communication is, with the majority of respondents listing stakeholder communication as one of the top skills required to be a project manager today.
The key here is engagement, and in this article we provide a simple strategy to follow to effectively communicate with and influence your stakeholders.
So how can you get started with your stakeholder engagement strategy? In this section, we will look at three simple steps to enhance your communication and ensure the stakeholders to your project are on board.
Most project managers should be able to resonate with this phrase – “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it”. When it comes to engaging with stakeholders, it’s important to take the time to analyse your stakeholders and consider what kind of communication method would suit them best.
Remember, effective communication is about understanding others first, before being understood. As you analyse and begin to understand your stakeholders, you will gain valuable insights as to how to communicate and liaise with them.
For your project, think of all the different stakeholders involved. Now for each stakeholder, capture the following information:
Asking these simple questions will help provide insight into your stakeholders’ needs and will help adjust your communications to suit.
To be a sought after project manager, there are certain project management skills that are a must have – ensuring good communication with your stakeholders is one of them.
Once you have taken the time to analyse your stakeholders, the next step in your stakeholder engagement strategy will be ensuring you’re aligned. Before the project commences take the time to set up a meeting to discuss the core objectives of the project:
Going through the above points collectively can help build a culture of “What’s right, rather than who’s right”, which is a crucial factor in aligning stakeholders.
Communication with your stakeholders works best by establishing key touchpoints for communication. For instance, while some stakeholders such as the project team may need to be updated weekly through face to face or video conferencing meetings, others such as senior executives or managers may prefer less regular updates through a fortnightly email or newsletter update.
This will make your communication more intentional, and your stakeholders will know what to expect, which is a great way to boost their engagement. Here are some questions to ask yourself to ensure you establish the right kind of engagement strategy with your stakeholders.
When it comes to ensuring effective engagement with your stakeholders, tailoring communication to each individual or group is essential. When drafting your engagement strategy, also ensure there are avenues available for any issues or problems to be raised.
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