What is stakeholder collaboration?
Stakeholder collaboration involves engaging and working with individuals or groups interested in your project or organization.
These stakeholders can be classified as either 'internal' or 'external'.
Internal stakeholders refer to those within your organization, including senior leaders and team members.
External stakeholders may include your target audience or consumers, regulatory bodies, partner organizations, or any other third parties that have a vested interest in your organization.
How to collaborate effectively with stakeholders
Research your stakeholders: Understanding who you are working with is critical to collaborating effectively.
Identify what is at stake for each stakeholder: Different stakeholders will be involved with your organization for different reasons. Identify their roles and motivations so that you can use this information to your advantage.
Learn each stakeholder’s 'language': Communicating effectively with stakeholders is linked to their motivations.
Set specific expectations for everyone: Once you know who stakeholders are, what they want, and how to talk to them, you can better articulate your expectations for their involvement.
Show how stakeholder input is put to work and utilized: Stakeholders can become frustrated if they don’t feel 'heard', so helping stakeholders to see how their input was incorporated — or even why it was rejected — is essential. It makes them an active part of decision-making without letting them make any final decisions.