How do you foster a culture of collaboration and learning among stakeholders who engage online?
Stakeholder engagement is a key skill for any project manager, leader, or communicator who wants to achieve successful outcomes and build trust with diverse groups of people. However, in today's digital world, many stakeholders are not physically present in the same location, but rather engage online through various platforms and tools. How do you foster a culture of collaboration and learning among stakeholders who engage online? Here are some tips and best practices to help you.
Before you start engaging with your stakeholders online, you need to understand who they are, what they care about, what their expectations and needs are, and how they prefer to communicate. You can use stakeholder analysis tools, such as surveys, interviews, or mapping, to identify and categorize your stakeholders based on their level of interest, influence, and impact on your project or initiative. This will help you tailor your online engagement strategy and choose the most appropriate platforms and methods to reach and involve them.
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Anita M.
Manager, Policy, Practice and Quality Assurance
In my experience, I find it useful to start with a smaller sample of my trusted stakeholders who are willing to give candid feedback in person. From there, I can develop a larger scale survey that will have some of industry’s input already within the survey as those trusted stakeholders would have informed the survey.
Depending on your stakeholder analysis, you may need to use different platforms and tools to engage your stakeholders online. For example, you may use email, social media, webinars, podcasts, blogs, newsletters, forums, or online surveys to share information, gather feedback, or solicit ideas. You may also use collaborative platforms, such as Google Docs, Trello, Slack, or Zoom, to facilitate teamwork, brainstorming, or decision making. Whatever platforms and tools you choose, make sure they are accessible, user-friendly, secure, and compatible with your stakeholders' preferences and devices.
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Anita M.
Manager, Policy, Practice and Quality Assurance
I agree but we have to remain careful about the amount of engagement we expect from our stakeholders. The burnout is real and no matter what tool you use to engage, it’s important to stay cognizant of the frequency of engagement.
To foster a culture of collaboration and learning among your stakeholders online, you need to establish clear goals and guidelines for your online engagement activities. For example, you may want to define the purpose, scope, and expected outcomes of your online engagement, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the participants, the frequency and duration of the interactions, the rules of conduct and etiquette, and the feedback mechanisms. You may also want to create a shared vision and values statement that reflects the common interests and aspirations of your stakeholders.
One of the challenges of online engagement is to keep your stakeholders motivated and interested in your project or initiative. To do this, you need to encourage participation and interaction among your stakeholders online. For example, you may want to use interactive features, such as polls, quizzes, games, or live chats, to stimulate engagement and feedback. You may also want to use incentives, such as recognition, rewards, or gamification, to acknowledge and appreciate your stakeholders' contributions. Moreover, you may want to use social media, hashtags, or online communities to create a sense of belonging and connection among your stakeholders.
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Anita M.
Manager, Policy, Practice and Quality Assurance
I agree, as long as that sense of belonging and connection is authentic and/or possibly organically cultivated. Most people are quick to recognize when something is fake and prepared just for the sake of creating a buzz and not deserving of a buzz and recognition.
Another challenge of online engagement is to ensure that your stakeholders have access to relevant and timely information about your project or initiative. To do this, you need to provide clear and consistent communication and updates to your stakeholders online. For example, you may want to use email, newsletters, blogs, or podcasts to inform your stakeholders about the progress, achievements, or challenges of your project or initiative. You may also want to use webinars, forums, or surveys to explain the rationale, benefits, or risks of your project or initiative. Furthermore, you may want to use collaborative platforms, such as Google Docs, Trello, or Slack, to share documents, data, or resources with your stakeholders.
The final tip to foster a culture of collaboration and learning among your stakeholders online is to learn from feedback and evaluation. You need to collect and analyze data and feedback from your online engagement activities to measure their effectiveness, impact, and satisfaction. You also need to use the data and feedback to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your online engagement strategy and to make adjustments and improvements as needed. Moreover, you need to share the results and lessons learned with your stakeholders and thank them for their participation and input.
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JAYANTA PRADHAN- SVP-Product Management-Crushing and Screening
Product Coach for 20x Growth🔷Providing affordable NXT-GEN solutions for 5000+ mid-Owners 🔷 Empowering 1million+ tech professionals globally 🔷Creating 2500+ industry-leaders 🔷Ex METSO, Ex SANDVIK, Ex TEREX, Ex L&T
To foster a culture of collaboration and learning, regularly collect feedback through surveys or direct comments after online engagements. Analyze this feedback to identify trends and areas for improvement, focusing on both positive aspects and areas needing enhancement. Share the results and actionable insights with stakeholders to show transparency and appreciation for their input. Implement changes based on feedback and keep stakeholders informed about how their contributions shape the engagement strategy.
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