Successful organizations recognize that effective, two-way communications with key constituencies is central to maintaining their license to operate and earning their license to grow. Sustaining a healthy “stakeholder ecosystem” requires leaders with good communications skills, especially the ability to engage in dialogue not just monologue.
WPNT’s customized Stakeholder Engagement Training curriculum helps leaders prioritize their stakeholder groups and learn how to establish common ground. We give executives, subject matter experts, spokespersons, and third-party support personnel the skills needed to build support and mitigate opposition. Our philosophy involves an empathetic approach to stakeholders that puts their needs and concerns first. We define stakeholders as those individuals or groups who may be impacted by or interested in your organization’s activities. This includes special publics with the ability to positively or negatively influence your organization’s success. Clearly, the list begins with employees, customers, investors, and regulators. But the list also includes neighbors, family members, competitors, business partners, legislators, NGOs, contractors, suppliers, traditional media, social media, opinion leaders, and others.
Our programs put the principles of effective engagement into practice through extensive on-camera simulations and individual coaching and feedback. Depending upon your needs, on-camera exercises may include a private meeting with a ranking government official, discussions across the table with a city or regional council, an open house poster session with concerned neighbors, or a contentious town hall meeting with an aggrieved special interest group. Having worked on the front lines of stakeholder relations for decades, our skilled trainers bring real world experience to the learning environment.
Contact us to learn more about how you can strengthen your relationships with stakeholders in a manner that supports your organization’s key objectives.