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Date
When you deliver a message to a stakeholder, the impact that it has on him or her can vary depending on the individual. The same person can react quite differently to similar messages at different times.
For example, let's say you need to advise two senior managers about a US$50,000 reversal in an expected project outcome. One manager had no idea there was a problem in the first place. The other manager heard through the grapevine that your project was facing a US$500,000 reversal.
For the manager who thought that everything was OK, US$50,000 is bad news. But since the other manager's perception was that a major disaster was looming, US$50,000 seems like good news.
There are several factors at play in this situation. One is certain peoples' perception of the work you are doing. The perception may be unrealistic, but it's real to the person holding it.
Where your message falls in the stream of information the person is dealing with also plays a role. If yours is the one bit of good news in a bad day, for instance, you may get a much warmer response than if your bit of good news is swamped by other spectacular events in other parts of the business.
The challenge of communicating with stakeholders is not knowing the perceptions they currently hold of you and your project. You also have no control over the other news he or she receives in a given day. The only solution is to listen carefully to the feedback from the stakeholder. Then try to put your message and the feedback in context and adjust accordingly.
It helps if you are in regular two-way communication with your key stakeholders and if you are tapped into their grapevine as well. By being connected you will be able to understand a little of the "ambient temperature." You can adjust the way you communicate and the timing of the communication to increase the chance of a successful outcome. Then expect the unexpected.
How much time do you spend thinking about the impact of key communications? What are some of the ways you've found success in communicating with stakeholders?
Posted
by
Lynda Bourne
on: May 05, 2011 12:11 PM |
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