This University of Oxford blog summarises a report by Dr Caitlin Hafferty that provides ten research-led recommendations that translate into practical choices about how to engage stakeholders well. It is particularly useful when you are dealing with different levels of power, competing incentives, and different definitions of “success”. The report that is summarised:
- Gives clear principles that translate into engagement design decisions
- Reinforces the need for clarity of purpose (why engage, with whom, and for what)
- Highlights reciprocity and trust as practical necessities, not “nice-to-haves”
- Helps reduce the risk of tokenistic engagement and mismanaged expectations
“I learned that I can make the most impact with being sincerely interested in the full persons who are present before me. What are their interests? What do they dislike the most? We go day to day without actually seeing people as entire human beings. It is seeing and appreciating all of who someone is that gets that person to feel seen. And imagine how being seen can be empowering and how empowered people can change the world.”
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What will you take forward?
One thing to consider: What is the real purpose of your stakeholder engagement, and who must be involved in it to be meaningful?
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