You’re struggling to connect with stakeholders. What’s the best way to get their attention?

1 Know your audience

The first step is to know who you’re talking to and what they care about. Different stakeholders may have different goals, perspectives, and backgrounds. For example, a client may be more interested in the business outcomes, a manager may be more concerned about the budget and timeline, and a user may be more focused on the usability and functionality. To tailor your message to your audience, you need to do some research and analysis. Find out what their needs, problems, and motivations are. Learn about their domain knowledge, technical skills, and preferred communication styles. And identify any potential gaps, conflicts, or misunderstandings between you and them.

2 Use storytelling techniques

The second step is to use storytelling techniques to make your information architecture more engaging and persuasive. Storytelling is a powerful way to connect with your stakeholders emotionally, intellectually, and visually. It can help you explain the context, purpose, and benefits of your information architecture. It can also help you illustrate the user journey, the information flow, and the design decisions. To craft a compelling story, you need to have a clear structure, a strong hook, and a relevant message. You also need to use appropriate language, tone, and visuals. And you need to balance the level of detail, complexity, and abstraction.

3 Choose the right tools

The third step is to choose the right tools to present your information architecture to your stakeholders. Depending on your audience, your goals, and your stage of the project, you may need different types of tools to communicate your ideas. For example, you may use sketches, wireframes, or prototypes to show the layout, navigation, and interaction of your information architecture. You may use sitemaps, content inventories, or taxonomies to show the structure, hierarchy, and relationships of your information. And you may use personas, scenarios, or user testing to show the needs, behaviors, and feedback of your users. The key is to select the tools that are suitable, effective, and accessible for your stakeholders.

4 Solicit feedback

The fourth step is to solicit feedback from your stakeholders and incorporate it into your information architecture. Feedback is essential for validating, improving, and refining your ideas. It can also help you build trust, rapport, and collaboration with your stakeholders. To get useful feedback, you need to ask specific, open-ended, and constructive questions. You also need to listen actively, empathetically, and respectfully. And you need to acknowledge, address, and resolve any issues, concerns, or objections that arise. Remember that feedback is not a one-way street. It’s a dialogue that requires mutual understanding and compromise.

5 Educate and advocate

The fifth step is to educate and advocate for your information architecture and its value. Sometimes, your stakeholders may not be familiar with the concept, principles, and practices of information architecture. They may not realize how it affects the user experience, the content strategy, and the business goals. In that case, you need to educate them on what information architecture is, why it matters, and how it works. You also need to advocate for your information architecture and its benefits. You need to demonstrate how it meets the needs, expectations, and preferences of your stakeholders. And you need to show how it supports the vision, mission, and objectives of your project.

6 Follow up and follow through

The sixth step is to follow up and follow through with your stakeholders and your information architecture. Communication doesn’t end after you present your ideas. You need to keep in touch with your stakeholders and keep them updated on the progress, changes, and results of your information architecture. You also need to follow through with your information architecture and ensure that it is implemented, maintained, and evaluated properly. You need to monitor the performance, usability, and satisfaction of your information architecture. And you need to make adjustments, improvements, and enhancements as needed.