How Do You Talk to Stakeholders to Get Useful Feedback, Buy-In, and Insights Without Losing Focus?

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    "body": "Managing stakeholders is one of the trickiest parts of product management. Not because stakeholders are difficult people, but because they have wildly different levels of influence, needs, and understanding of the product process. One-size-fits-all communication doesn't work - and trying to treat all feedback equally can pull your focus in damaging ways.\n\nIn this article, we'll explore different types of stakeholders and brainstorm effective ways to talk to each group without losing control of your priorities.\n\nWe'll use one consistent example throughout: **launching a mobile app that complements an existing SaaS desktop software**.\n\n## Stakeholder Archetypes (and How to Handle Them)"
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    "body": "**1. The Decision Maker**  \n*Role:* C-level execs, VPs, Heads of Department.  \n*Power Level:* High. Can change your roadmap instantly.  \n*Mindset:* Strategic, high-level, often impatient for impact.\n\n**How to Talk to Them:**\n\n* **Frame conversations around business impact and KPIs:** Focus on the broad aims of the app: expanding customer reach, increasing engagement, staying competitive. Avoid diving into UX flows or technical architecture unless asked. Getting into technical detail often invites stakeholders to engage in areas where they may not have deep expertise, which can lead to confusion, inappropriate suggestions, or unnecessary hangups over aspects they don't fully understand. Moreover, these stakeholders are extremely busy; they rely on you and your immediate team to manage the details. Their focus must stay on bigger strategic outcomes, allowing them to make fast, informed decisions without being dragged into minutiae.\n* **Come prepared with 2-3 options, not open-ended problems:** Decision Makers want to move fast and make informed decisions without solving operational puzzles. Coming to them with structured options - such as different timelines, resourcing models, or rollout strategies - allows them to focus on choosing the best strategic fit rather than building solutions from scratch. It also positions you as a trusted leader capable of thinking through complex issues on their behalf.\n* **Summarise details, only deep-diving when necessary:** Cover ongoing needs like App Store maintenance, user support, and update cycles. Keep discussions strategic. Conversations with Decision Makers usually have to be short and to the point, which is why you should always come with a clear agenda. Sticking to the agenda ensures you cover the most important topics first and avoid drifting into unnecessary technical or operational discussions that can dilute your message and waste time.\n\n**Scenario Focus (Example Speech):**\n\"We see an opportunity to launch a companion mobile app that could increase customer retention by 15-20%. Based on initial scoping, we’d need about 3-6 months to design and build the app, assuming we allocate one developer, one designer, and part-time QA support. We'd also need to factor in an ongoing support budget for updates and App Store compliance. I'd like your input on which of two launch approaches you'd prefer: a closed beta first or a public MVP?\"\n\n**2. The Influencer**  \n*Role:* Director-level, Principal designers/engineers, respected veterans.  \n*Power Level:* Medium-High.  \n*Mindset:* Strategic contributor who wants to shape direction without owning final decisions.\n\n**How to Talk to Them:**\n\n* **Treat their opinions seriously:** Engage them early during scoping discussions. Influencers often hold critical knowledge - technical limitations, upcoming initiatives, or operational blockers - that could fundamentally change your plans. Their input can prevent rework and missed dependencies. Beyond logistics, having an Influencer's buy-in can dramatically smooth all future conversations, as others will defer to their opinion.\n* **Show your thinking process:** Influencers want to understand the reasoning behind decisions, not just the conclusions. Sharing your approach - assumptions, trade-offs, rationale - creates shared ownership and strengthens their trust in your leadership. It signals that you value them as a partner, not just a reviewer.\n* **Keep them in the loop:** Offering early drafts, sketches, or evolving plans shows that you welcome their strategic feedback. Influencers often have deep domain knowledge that, if utilised well, can improve outcomes significantly. Letting them see their fingerprints on the end result strengthens alignment. Personal Example: When I joined a new organisation with zero social credit, I immersed myself in a complex project and anticipated detailed questions from a highly influential Head of Department. Because I came prepared with thoughtful answers - even outside my immediate scope - she quickly became an ally, while other PMs found her difficult to win over. Respect their influence; it's a force multiplier when earned.\n\n**Scenario Focus (Example Speech):**\n\"We’re proposing to prioritise a mobile app rollout. Here's the key rationale - customer behaviour trends, competitive pressure, and a mobile-first future. I've put together a rough feature list. I'd really value your take, especially on technical risks you foresee or architectural considerations we should factor into the MVP.\"\n\n**3. The Subject Matter Expert (SME)**  \n*Role:* Researchers, data analysts, compliance teams, legal, finance.  \n*Power Level:* Medium.  \n*Mindset:* Accuracy-focused, risk-aware, and detail-oriented.\n\n**How to Talk to Them:**\n\n* **Be detailed and precise:** Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) know their area inside out - whether it's finance, compliance, legal, or research. When you bring them vague or high-level requests, you waste their time and yours. Be specific. Ask exactly what you need to know and present concrete details. It respects their expertise and ensures you get the right answer the first time.\n* **Ask for input early:** SMEs often hold critical pieces of information that could materially affect your scope or approach. If you involve them too late, you risk major rework, compliance failures, or unbudgeted expenses. Engaging early allows you to bake their requirements into the foundation of your project, avoiding surprises that could derail you later.\n* **Learn their language:** Learning the basics of their world builds enormous goodwill. It signals you respect what they do, and it massively improves conversations. Staying on topic and using the right terms (e.g., \"PCI Compliance\" in finance, \"PII\" in legal discussions) lets SMEs engage more openly and productively. Personal tip: investing time outside of work to understand your stakeholders’ domains pays off hugely. I’ve studied marketing courses, read finance books like \"Finance for Dummies,\" and even worked a week in sales to learn how those teams operate. It bridges gaps, makes you a better partner, and dramatically speeds up collaboration.\n\n**Scenario Focus (Example Speech):** \"We're budgeting for the app's annual Apple Developer Program fee  and proposing procurement of 5 dedicated iOS/Android devices for internal testing. Could you confirm if these are manageable within the next quarter's budget? Also, if there are finance policies around app-related purchases we should factor in early, I'd appreciate your guidance.\"\n\n**4. The Enthusiastic Contributor**  \n*Role:* Sales, marketing, customer support reps.  \n*Power Level:* Low-Medium.  \n*Mindset:* User advocate, eager to help but can sometimes overgeneralise from anecdotal experiences.\n\n**How to Talk to Them:**\n\n* **Validate their input:** Engaging Support early ensures that you tap into the frontline view of customer pain points and questions. Support teams interact with customers daily and often have a keen sense of recurring issues or potential confusion points. Validating their input makes them feel respected and invested in the rollout, which also encourages their cooperation during launch.\n* **Funnel feedback into structured channels:** Without a structured system for collecting feedback, information will come in piecemeal through meetings, chats, and ad hoc conversations, making it hard to analyse. Centralising feedback into an intake form or designated channel helps you spot common themes, prioritise objectively, and ensure that no important input gets lost. It also trains contributors to focus their feedback within the framework you need. Importantly, once you act on their feedback, make sure to reach back out and close the loop. Letting contributors know that their feedback led to changes or improvements builds trust, encourages future collaboration, and reinforces that their voices genuinely matter.\n* **Focus on pattern recognition:** Not every piece of feedback is equally critical. Some issues may seem urgent but only affect a tiny subset of users. By systematically analysing feedback for volume and frequency, you prioritise changes that will benefit the greatest number of users, ensuring your team’s efforts deliver maximum impact without getting derailed by edge cases.\n\n**Scenario Focus (Example Speech):**\n\"We're working towards a Q3 mobile app launch. We’ll create a short training session for Support around key workflows, common troubleshooting questions, and update expectations. If you can start compiling common customer questions or concerns you anticipate around mobile access, it’ll really help us tailor the training material.\"\n\n**5. The Sideline Critic**  \n*Role:* Unofficial commentators.  \n*Power Level:* Low individually.  \n*Mindset:* Sceptical, emotionally reactive, enjoys challenging change initiatives.\n\n**How to Talk to Them:**\n\n* **Stay polite but firm:** Always acknowledge feedback respectfully, even if you disagree. It's important not to dismiss Sideline Critics outright - they may surface genuine points worth considering. However, stay anchored to the strategic goals you’ve been tasked with and avoid being dragged into unproductive debates. Show that you’re listening, but keep conversations focused on moving forward.\n* **Redirect to decision criteria:** Help the critic understand *why* the decision was made by tying it back to broader business goals, user needs, or leadership priorities. For example: \"App development was prioritised because it directly supports our user growth strategy and addresses customer mobility demands.\" Being transparent about the reasoning can often diffuse frustration and help people see the bigger picture, even if they don’t fully agree.\n* **Avoid defensiveness:** It's tempting to argue or justify emotionally, but staying calm and objective strengthens your position. If you have a green light from leadership and a clear mandate, lean on that. Explain the rationale behind the decision confidently and clearly - not to argue, but to demonstrate that choices were made carefully. A calm, rational response can earn you respect, even from sceptics.\n\n**Scenario Focus (Example Speech):**\n\"Thanks for your thoughts - I get where you’re coming from about desktop still being strong. We’re basing this move on user research and market trends showing a growing expectation for mobile access. Our goal is to expand options without disrupting the core experience, not replace it.\"\n\n**6. The Passive Approver**  \n*Role:* Procurement, IT security, legal approvers.  \n*Power Level:* Medium when needed.  \n*Mindset:* Transactional, reactive, and compliance-focused rather than strategic.\n\n**How to Talk to Them:**\n\n* **Make approvals easy:** Submit concise security questionnaires for mobile app approvals.\n* **Follow up proactively:** Confirm timelines needed for app store agreements or licensing sign-offs.\n* **Offer summaries, not essays:** Provide only the critical legal, financial, or IT compliance highlights.\n\n**Scenario Focus (Example Speech):**\n\"Attached is the App Store agreement for procurement approval. The only vendor costs involved are the annual Apple fee and optional device procurement for testing. Please let me know if you need any additional documentation to complete the approval by end of next week so we stay on timeline.\"\n\n## Every Stakeholder is Different - Adapt Your Approach"
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    "body": "One of the key skills of a great product manager is the ability to flex their communication style depending on who they’re speaking with. Just like you wouldn't talk to a developer the same way you would talk to a customer support agent, you shouldn't talk to every stakeholder the same way either.\n\nSome stakeholders are incredibly busy and prefer quick, snappy messages - a short DM or one-pager suits them best. Others need a real conversation, where they feel heard, can ask questions, and feel part of shaping the outcome. Some stakeholders need lots of over-communication to stay engaged and reassured, while others appreciate minimal but targeted updates to avoid feeling overwhelmed.\n\nUnderstanding these personal preferences and flexing your style isn't \"being fake\" - it's being effective. The goal is to create a clear, comfortable environment for each stakeholder so they stay engaged and supportive. Sometimes that means sending a neatly crafted email; other times it means booking a coffee chat. Sometimes it means pulling together a formal presentation; sometimes it's a casual walk-and-talk update.\n\n> \"The best PMs invest in getting to know how each stakeholder likes to operate - and they adapt accordingly.\"\n\n## General Tips for Navigating Stakeholder Chaos\n\n* **Anchor to Strategy:** Always bring conversations back to product goals, user needs, and business outcomes. It shifts opinions from \"what I like\" to \"what we need.\"\n* **Set Expectations Early:** Let stakeholders know upfront how their feedback will be collected, considered, and (sometimes) deprioritised. Clear processes reduce disappointment later.\n* **Create Feedback Windows:** Gathering feedback during planned windows allows teams to focus without constant interruption and reduces last-minute derailing.\n* **Log and Prioritise Input:** Capture all feedback systematically but use structured prioritisation to filter signal from noise. Transparency matters - stakeholders should know their input was heard even if not implemented.\n* **Protect Your Focus:** Your roadmap must reflect strategic intent, not popularity contests. Saying \"no\" or \"not now\" respectfully is part of your job as a product manager.\n\nBy tailoring your approach to different stakeholder types, you can avoid being a ping-pong ball for conflicting requests. Clear communication, strategic framing, and a calm focus on the bigger picture are your best defence.\n\nComing soon: Templates for structuring stakeholder updates without burning yourself out!"
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