Someone recently came for advice on how to design an effective communication plan to manage a new project. A good place to start is to draw up a stakeholder map. This is a map of people, groups and organisations who might be interested in your project. For instance, a list of stakeholders for a medium-sized charity might have politicians (local and national), journalists (local, regional and national), think tanks, local community groups, staff, volunteers, donors and funders.
A stakeholder map has an axis for interest – the level of interest someone has in the project because it’ll either impact on them; and another for influence – the level of influence or power an individual has in shaping the project and it’s direction.
Someone’s position on the grid shows you the type of interaction and communication that would be helpful to success.
High Influence, High Interest: These are the people you must fully engage and make the greatest efforts to satisfy. They are “key players”. Regular communications and face-to-face meetings are a must either 121 or as a group.
High Influence, Low Interest: Keep satisfied but not so much that they become bored with your message. You may need their help in the future.
Low Influence, High Interest: Collect feedback from this group to make sure that no new issues are coming up. Tailor your communications to their needs. They’re often essential to the detail and success of the plan. Often in-house.
Low Influence, Low Interest: People who simply need to be kept informed. Don’t bore them with excessive communication.
If you are interested in digging deeper on this subject then it’s worth having a look at:
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Creative Public Affairs 