You need to communicate with your stakeholders. How can you make sure they hear you?

1 Know your audience

Before you communicate with your stakeholders, you need to know who they are, what they care about, and what they expect from you. This will help you tailor your message to their needs, preferences, and perspectives. For example, if you are communicating with a technical stakeholder, you might want to use more data and details, while if you are communicating with a creative stakeholder, you might want to use more stories and visuals. You can also use different channels and formats depending on your audience, such as email, phone, video, or face-to-face.

2 Plan your message

Once you know your audience, you need to plan your message. You need to have a clear purpose, a main point, and a call to action. You also need to structure your message logically, using an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. You can use tools such as the RAP model (Reason, Action, Payoff) or the STAR model (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to help you organize your message. You also need to choose the right tone, style, and language for your message, avoiding jargon, slang, or ambiguity.

3 Deliver your message

After you plan your message, you need to deliver it. You need to use effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills to convey your message with confidence and clarity. For example, you need to use a strong voice, a clear pronunciation, and a natural pace. You also need to use eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions to show your interest and engagement. You also need to use visual aids, such as slides, charts, or images, to support your message and make it more memorable.

4 Listen to feedback

Communication is not a one-way process. You also need to listen to feedback from your stakeholders. Feedback is any response or reaction that you receive from your message, such as questions, comments, or suggestions. You need to listen actively and attentively to feedback, showing respect and empathy. You also need to ask open-ended questions, paraphrase, and summarize feedback to check your understanding and clarify any confusion. You also need to respond to feedback appropriately, thanking, acknowledging, or addressing it.

5 Follow up

The last step in communicating with your stakeholders is to follow up. You need to make sure that your message was received and understood correctly, and that any action or outcome was achieved. You also need to maintain the relationship and trust with your stakeholders, by keeping them informed, updated, and involved. You can use different methods to follow up, such as sending a thank-you note, a summary report, a reminder, or a progress update.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?