Stakeholder management can be a challenge, you often need to juggle between positive and negative groups or individuals.
A logical way to build good relationships, especially when communicating with a difficult stakeholder, is by using techniques learnt on our Internationally acclaimed Think on Your Feet®:
Stay calm:
– Acknowledge the stakeholder.
– Let them vent if they need to.
Ask closed questions:
– Get to the facts.
– Give yourself time to think.
Let them know you are listening:
– Restate the facts to ensure clarity.
Finally use a Plan to lead to a solution.
Think on Your Feet® attendees have a number of Plans to choose from:
– A Pendulum Plan offers a potential win-win for all.
– A Triangle Plan could objectively define three options.
– And throw in a Benefits Plan to explain what your solution can do for your client, not what it can do for you.
And if you don’t know how to handle the complaint, don’t give an explanation that shifts the blame onto somebody else. Instead, use a Clock Plan to create a plan of action to take care of the complaint.
Want to understand what these ‘plans’ are?
Find out more about how Think on Your Feet® helps you to communicate with impact.
Learn more about stakeholder management:
- Engage, manage and influence your stakeholders with our Stakeholder Engagement (including Simulation)™.
- Read our article: Selling your ideas: stakeholder communication.
