Stakeholder communication planning
Jinfo Blog

By Scott Brown

Abstract

In the first article in this series on stakeholders, we explored how to identify and prioritise stakeholders in the organisation. In this article, we examine the different ways to connect with stakeholders, both formally and informally, and discuss our stakeholders’ needs in more depth. We then provide a lightweight framework for developing a stakeholder communications plan.

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In the first article in this series on stakeholders, we explored how to identify, conceptualise, and prioritise stakeholders in the organisation – no matter whether you work in a library setting, or in an internal communications department, training department or another part of the organisation. Now that you’ve identified and prioritised your stakeholders, what’s the next step?

In this article, we look at ways to connect with stakeholders formally and informally, and we consider a framework for developing a stakeholder communications plan. Before you dive into the details of how to connect with your stakeholders, let’s look more deeply at your stakeholders’ concerns.

In the first article, we identified that stakeholders are concerned about:

• Return on Investment (ROI)
• Information on the impact of your services and resources: how are you making the organisation better? How do your services specifically make other employees’ jobs more efficient, informed and productive?
• Understanding of how your services help meet organisational goals: how are your services and resources helping achieve departmental goals? Organisational goals?  

You'll need to re-frame your “value proposition” in terms of your stakeholders’ needs. In almost any organisation your stakeholders have goals around one or more of the following:

• Revenue
• Cost savings and/or reduction
• Better and/or more strategic decision-making
• Increased productivity.

Depending on your organisation, there may be additional goals. Your task is to find out your stakeholders’ goals and concerns. What makes them look good? What do they care about? How are they trying to meet their goals, be successful and please their executives?

Once you know their concerns and goals, you can re-frame your services and resources in the light of those goals. For example:

• Revenue
• Cost savings
• Better decision-making.

Connecting with your stakeholders effectively means meeting them where they are, and being open and flexible to the opportunities to connect. You can think of connection opportunities in formal and informal ways. Formal examples include:

• Scheduling quarterly meetings with executives
• Quarterly or annual reports
• Scheduling a short presentation to a staff meeting of a stakeholder department
• Setting up an assigned relationship.

There are also many informal opportunities to look for including promotion announcements and offsite meetings.

The aims of a communication tactics plan are to map out the stakeholders you want to connect with and to match stakeholder audiences with the appropriate communication medium and messaging.

In the next article, we’ll look in more detail at speaking the language of your stakeholders and how to communicate more effectively with your stakeholders as you carry out your plan.

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This is a short article on a topic addressed in greater detail as a longer FUMSI Article.  FUMSI Subscribers can log in to MyShop at FreePint to view the full article. If you are not yet a FUMSI Subscriber, request more information now>>

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