How do you learn and improve from your stakeholder engagement and collaboration experiences and feedback?

1 Reflect on your purpose

Before, during, and after any stakeholder engagement and collaboration activity, ask yourself: what is the purpose of this interaction? What are the objectives, expectations, and outcomes that you and your stakeholders have? How do they align or differ? How can you communicate them clearly and respectfully? How can you measure and demonstrate your progress and impact? Reflection can help you clarify your intentions, align your actions, and evaluate your results.

2 Seek and give feedback

Feedback is a powerful tool for learning and improvement, but it can also be challenging to receive and offer. To make feedback more constructive and useful, you need to seek and give it regularly, openly, and respectfully. Ask your stakeholders for their opinions, suggestions, and concerns, and listen actively and empathetically. Express your appreciation, recognition, and support for their contributions, and share your own insights, questions, and challenges. Use feedback to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement, and to adjust your plans and strategies accordingly.

3 Experiment and adapt

Stakeholder engagement and collaboration are not linear or predictable processes; they involve uncertainty, complexity, and change. To cope with these dynamics, you need to be willing and able to experiment and adapt. Try out different methods, tools, and approaches to engage and collaborate with your stakeholders, and observe what works and what doesn't. Learn from your successes and failures, and use them to inform your next steps. Be flexible and responsive to changing needs, preferences, and contexts, and involve your stakeholders in co-creating solutions.

4 Build relationships

Stakeholder engagement and collaboration are not only about tasks and outcomes; they are also about relationships. To learn and improve from your experiences and feedback, you need to build trust, rapport, and mutual understanding with your stakeholders. Show genuine interest and curiosity in their perspectives, values, and goals, and respect their diversity and differences. Communicate clearly, honestly, and frequently, and avoid assumptions and conflicts. Recognize and appreciate their efforts and achievements, and celebrate your milestones and successes together.

5 Learn from others

You are not alone in your stakeholder engagement and collaboration journey; you can learn from the experiences and feedback of others who have faced similar or different situations. Seek out mentors, peers, or experts who can offer you guidance, advice, or support, and ask them how they engage and collaborate with their stakeholders. Join communities of practice, networks, or forums where you can exchange ideas, insights, and resources with other professionals. Attend workshops, courses, or events where you can acquire new knowledge, skills, or tools.

6 Keep a record

One of the best ways to learn and improve from your stakeholder engagement and collaboration experiences and feedback is to keep a record of them. Document your actions, decisions, results, and reflections, and review them periodically. Use a journal, a portfolio, a dashboard, or any other format that suits your needs and preferences. Keeping a record can help you track your progress, identify patterns and trends, and showcase your achievements. It can also help you plan your future actions, goals, and learning opportunities.

7 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?