Stakeholder engagement: A beginners guide

If you're new to Public Affairs and stakeholder engagement, it might be hard to know where to start or how to approach stakeholders. In this blog post, we break down the key steps and factors to consider when you are looking to get your first stakeholder interactions.

Key takeaways for successful stakeholder engagement:

• Define your objective: Never seek a meeting without a clear "why" and a specific goal for what you want to achieve or change.
• Master the timing: Increase your success rate by using "hooks" such as current news, parliamentary questions, or social media activity to make your outreach relevant.
• Be concise and professional: Respect the stakeholder's time by keeping your initial outreach short and your arguments data-driven.
• Listen to learn: Use meetings as a two-way street. Provide expert value and listen for political roadblocks and areas of common ground.
• Prioritize the follow-up: The real impact happens after the meeting. Deliver promised materials promptly and maintain the relationship through relevant updates.

Define Your Strategic Objective

Those new to Public Affairs and advocacy often believe that it's important to have meetings with stakeholders - and it is. But only if you have done your research and planning.

A common mistake for newcomers is to view "getting a meeting" as the end goal. A meeting is a tool, not a result. Before you pick up the phone or draft an email, you must be crystal clear on your "why" - why do you want to contact this specific stakeholder and what do you hope to get out of it.

So ask yourself: What are you looking to achieve? What do you want to change? Or what would you like to avoid changing?

When planning your activities and outreach, you also have to consider who the relevant stakeholders are. Should you look at the national level - or is your time better spent on local stakeholders? This, of course, depends on your areas of interest and your objectives.

Lastly, give some thought to why it is in the interests of the stakeholder to talk to you. Being successful in Public Affairs is also about solving the problem of your stakeholders before you solve your own. 

Mastering Timing and Political Hooks

Timing is of utmost importance when it comes to Public Affairs, and stakeholder interactions are no exception. In fact, timing can be the difference between a read email and a deleted one. While you can reach out anytime, your chances of success increase significantly if you have a hook - either general or personal. 

A general hook is for instance if a topic is trending in the news right now. This is a matter of hitting the spirit of the times. It can also be a matter of finding the right spot in the political annual wheel; i.e. when political negotiations are approaching. Taking action when a proposal is ready for vote in parliament is too late and will almost certainly not change the opinion of the stakeholders or the end result. 

A personal hook is specific for the individual stakeholder; for instance, if they asked a question about the topic or something related in parliament or if they posted about the issue on social media. This is always a good way in, as the stakeholder has already shown personal interest in the agenda. 

Being able to tie your outreach to one of these types of hook can make all the difference. 

How to Reach Out Effectively

It might feel like you are overstepping a boundary - especially if you're not used to being in touch with political stakeholders - but it is perfectly acceptable to reach out to a politician to introduce your cause and suggest a meeting, even if you don't know them or haven't met them before. To politicians, this is a central part of their job - they are elected to represent society and in order to best do this, they also need to understand the impact their decisions have for people and businesses. 

You should of course respect that politicians are busy people and not waste their time, so make sure your inquiry is serious and well-considered.

While it's tempting to share all one's information and good arguments right away, it is better to keep the first point of contact short and to-the-point. Present one or two key arguments and save the rest for later. 

Lastly, don't give up if you do not get a reply right away. Treat it as any other professional enquiry and allow a brief, polite follow up, if you have not heard back within a week or so. If you haven't already done so, the follow up can be a good time to loop in their secretary or assistant. This also increases the likelihood of a reply.

Conducting the Stakeholder Meeting

If you manage to secure a meeting, remember that it's a conversation, not a lecture. Make sure to spend a good amount of time in the meeting on listening. You should leave the meeting more informed than you came, so use the chance to learn about the honest opinion of the stakeholder as well as how they see things progressing from here. What are their concerns? Who else are they talking to? What political roadblocks do they see?

You are - most likely - an expert on your field, and you know a lot more than what can be shared in a short meeting. So the hard part is to make sure to only share what is important for the stakeholder to know and what is relevant to make your case. Never forget that Public Affairs is a two-way street. You aren't just asking for a favor; you are providing them with expertise, data, or a perspective from the "real world" that helps them do their job better. So make sure you pull your weight of the bargain and provide them with something valuable. 

Based on what you hear from them and what you know, you can begin to find common ground. What are the areas where your goals align with their political agenda, and how can you help each other going forward? 

Lastly, usual professional conduct of course also applies here: Be on time, be well-prepared, and don't overstay your welcome. It can be a good idea to offer a one pager - in hard copy or forwarded digitally to the stakeholder afterwards. This allows them to focus on the conversation instead of taking notes. Also, make sure to end with concrete next steps, so everyone is aligned on them.

From Meeting to Partnership

The meeting is just the beginning, and it cannot be stressed enough: Following up on the interaction is of utmost importance. While you might think that the most important part was the meeting, it is often the follow up that makes the actual difference. 

Send a brief email within a day thanking the stakeholder for their time, summarizing what you agreed upon, and deliver on promises. Often during the meeting, relevant additional information - like new data, a case study, or a legal briefing - was promised. Make sure to send this while your talk is still top of mind for the stakeholder. This also shows that you are a reliable and helpful contact. 

If disagreements or scepticism were uncovered during the meeting, your follow up should make sure to address this directly. Whether it is with additional data or arguments, you should avoid just repeating the original talking points. 

Lastly, building stakeholder relationships is an ongoing process. Don't just reach out when you need something. Stay in touch regularly - but always keep it relevant: Share an article, congratulate them on an achievement, or offer your help. This builds up the relationship over time and keeps the door open for the future.