Mastering Stakeholder Engagement

Advanced Strategies for Insightful Interviews

Introduction to Association Stakeholder Engagement

In today’s dynamic business landscape, understanding and engaging with stakeholders is not just beneficial; it’s essential for success. Stakeholders, ranging from customers and employees to shareholders and community members, hold the key to invaluable insights that can shape the future of an association. Based on 15 years of experience leading stakeholder engagements this guide offers the art of conducting effective stakeholder interviews, a critical component of stakeholder engagement, offering strategies to extract insights that can propel your association’s digital strategy forward.

Understanding Your Stakeholders

Before embarking on stakeholder interviews, it’s crucial to identify who your stakeholders are. They can be:

• Members: The end-users of your products or services.
• Former Members/Lapsed Members: Membership is often a continuum.
• Staff: The workforce driving your operations.
• Board of Directors: Leaders with directional influence in your association.
• Suppliers: Entities providing essential resources for your business.
• Regulators: Authorities overseeing industry compliance.
• Community Members: Local populations impacted by your business activities.
• NGOs: Non-governmental organizations with aligned interests or concerns.

Each group possesses unique perspectives and expectations, making it vital to approach them in a manner that resonates with their specific interests.

Setting Objectives for Stakeholder Interviews

Clear objectives form the foundation of productive stakeholder interviews. Whether you aim to understand stakeholder needs, gather feedback on a product or website design, or gauge service satisfaction, defining your goals sets the stage for meaningful conversations. In training user experience researchers, we have found the following format helpful:

1. State the Scope of the Conversation: Answer “why I am here” and “why I am speaking with you.” Link the conversation to organizational or engagement goals. For example, “We are here to discuss the digital transformation initiative…” Be ready to talk about the vision and goals of the engagement.
2. Allow Self-Introduction: Let the interviewee introduce themselves, regardless of your background knowledge of who they are.
3. Address Logistical Questions Upfront: Ask necessary logistical questions at the beginning, such as “May we record this conversation?”
4. Outline the Format of the Conversation: Explain, “We have X minutes to cover X questions.” Provide a basic structure upfront, even if the conversation intends to be open-ended or conversational.
5. Explain the Next Steps After the Q&A: Once the Q&A is complete, inform your stakeholders about the next steps. For example, “Thank you for participating in this digital transformation initiative… our next steps are… you will hear from the team by …”
6. Express Gratitude: Always thank your stakeholders. Whether they are executives, influencers, managers, or members, they are busy people who have taken the time to engage with you. Show appreciation for their participation.

This format ensures a structured, respectful, and effective stakeholder interview process.

Advanced Techniques in Developing Interview Questions

The key to insightful interviews lies in the questions you ask. Develop open-ended questions that encourage detailed responses. For example, instead of asking, “Are you satisfied with our product?” choose “What aspects of our product meet your needs, and what could be improved?”

When conducting user experience research for stakeholder engagement, watch out for wonky jargon. In your preparation, check for jargon and ensure you ask questions understandable to stakeholders who aren’t user research experts. Be specific and intentional in describing your approach, as user experience research differs from market research.

Prepare for unexpected turns. Most stakeholders will participate and cooperate, but occasionally, you might encounter someone with different objectives. Have a plan for stakeholders who might steer the agenda differently. This is more likely if the organization hasn’t regularly included stakeholders and influencers in engagements like yours. They might need to vent, express frustrations, or even criticize you, the process, or the organization. Be ready to de-escalate the conversation.

1. Stay Calm and Composed: Remain calm and composed, no matter the situation. This approach can calm others and set a professional tone.
2. Acknowledge Emotions: Recognize and validate the stakeholder’s emotions without judgment. Saying, “I can see this is important to you,” affirms their feelings.
3. Listen Actively: Allow stakeholders to express their concerns. Active listening shows respect and can often ease tension as they feel heard and understood.
4. Reframe the Issue: Help reframe problems or concerns in a way that acknowledges the stakeholder’s perspective but also steers the conversation toward constructive dialogue.
5. Use Neutral Language: Avoid confrontational or biased language. Stick to neutral terms and focus on facts.
6. Seek Common Ground: Look for areas of agreement or common interest to resolve differences.
7. Set Boundaries: Politely but firmly establish boundaries for acceptable behavior, ensuring respect for all opinions.
8. Offer a Break: Suggest a short break if tensions rise, allowing everyone time to cool down and gather their thoughts.
9. Redirect Focus: Gently guide the conversation back to the meeting’s objectives and agenda, reminding everyone of the common goal.
10. Involve a Mediator: In intense or personal conflicts, consider a neutral third party to mediate.
11. Document Concerns: Record the concerns raised and the steps taken to address them, showing your commitment to resolving issues.
12. Follow-Up: After the meeting, follow up with stakeholders to address unresolved issues and show ongoing commitment.
13. Adopt a ‘Yes, And’ Approach: When stakeholders make requests or ask questions like “Will we get X in this engagement?” avoid saying “No” outright. Instead, use a ‘yes, and’ approach to keep the conversation constructive and open.

Choosing the Right Interview Format

Selecting an appropriate format is crucial. While face-to-face interviews offer a personal touch, phone or online interviews can be more convenient for some stakeholders. Consider the preferences and availability of your stakeholders when deciding. When determining what approach you will take also consider how much time you have. If you opt for video conferencing allow extra time for your stakeholder to get set up, download the program, troubleshoot any issues, etc.

Communication Approach	Complexity Level
Direct Phone Calls	Easiest/Fastest
Call-In Numbers	Moderate
Video Conferencing	More Complex
Group Video Conferencing	Most Complex/Slowest

Conducting the Interviews

Moreover, effective interviews require more than just asking questions. They demand active listening, empathy, and the ability to create a comfortable environment for honest and open communication. Building rapport and showing genuine interest in stakeholder feedback is key. Make sure your interviewer is prepared to engage at the right level. For example, if interviewing executive staff, your interviewing team needs to be knowledgeable about what matters to a say a CTO, CMO, or CEO. Questions should be formulated and targeted at the right level depending on the interview. At times the success of an interview comes down to gravitas.

“Gravitas isn’t just about being serious; it’s about being seen as thoughtful, considered, and measured in an age of instant reactions. It’s the quality that lends leaders credibility, ensures their words are taken seriously, and their presence felt when they walk into a room.”

– Simon Sinek, British-American author and inspirational speaker.

Analyzing and Utilizing Interview Data

Post-interview, analyze the data to uncover patterns and insights. This analysis can inform decisions on product development, web design, service improvement, or business strategy adjustments. Perhaps surprisingly, even less structured stakeholder engagements can lead to objective/analytical outcomes. Using tools like a rainbow analysis chart can help your stakeholders better understand what their engagement means.

We have also found that gathering sentiments and quotes and affinity sorting them can be a powerful tool in influencing directional decisions. Often, stakeholder engagements lead to new insight and expose sentiment that otherwise may not have been exposed to association leadership.

Building Long-Term Stakeholder Relationships

Additionally, stakeholder interviews are not one-off interactions; they’re stepping stones to long-term relationships. Regularly engage with your stakeholders, update them on how their feedback is being used, and continue to seek their input. Especially if the scope of engagement is digital transformation your stakeholder group is a vital resource. They may later help identify additional association members or staff for additional discovery sessions, user research, and usability testing.

Stakeholder Engagement

Effective stakeholder interviews are a powerful tool in the arsenal of business strategies. They provide direct insights into the needs and expectations of those most integral to your business. By mastering these interviews, you can build stronger relationships, make informed decisions, and drive your business toward greater success.