Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
This domain tests whether communication is planned, tailored and evidenced rather than improvised. Engagement is two-way: the test is whether stakeholders can influence decisions, not merely receive updates.
Engagement essentials
- Identify stakeholders by influence, interest and impact, then record what each needs to decide or do.
- Analyse using a power/interest grid: high power/high interest need close partnership; high power/low interest need concise assurance; low power/high interest need regular information and channels for input.
- Plan message, channel, frequency, owner and feedback mechanism.
- Escalate through agreed routes and timescales, with facts and options.
- Record decisions and commitments so that communication has a trail.
Worked example
A finance director has high power and low interest; a frontline team has low power and high interest. Reasoning: the director gets a one-page monthly summary of cost, risk and decisions needed; the team gets weekly updates and a route to raise issues. Sending both the same 30-slide deck fails both audiences: it overloads one and under-serves the other. The plan should state who receives what, when, and how their response is captured.
Traps
- Confusing informing with engaging.
- Burying bad news in a status report.
- Using one channel for every audience.
- No feedback loop, so engagement is assumed.
- Communication plans with no owner or date.
- Escalating problems without options or evidence.