Best Practices For Stakeholder Feedback Sessions

How to Extract Information from Stakeholders 🎯 Getting accurate information from stakeholders can make or break your financial planning process. Each stakeholder speaks a completely different language and focuses on totally different metrics. The secret? Knowing exactly what to ask and how to ask it. ➡️ CEO CONVERSATIONS CEOs think big picture, so focus on strategic direction and vision. You want company strategies for next quarter, budget allocation expectations, risk tolerance levels, and market positioning goals. The money question: "What are the top 3 strategic priorities that should drive our Q4 planning?" ➡️ HEAD OF SALES Sales leaders live and breathe pipeline projections and customer acquisition costs. Get those sales pipeline projections, customer acquisition costs, territory performance data, and resource requirements for targets. My go-to approach: "What's the realistic revenue projection for Q4, and what support do you need?" ➡️ MARKETING DIRECTOR Marketing lives for lead generation and brand metrics. You need campaign performance metrics, lead generation forecasts, brand awareness initiatives, and marketing budget requirements. Hit them with: "How many qualified leads can marketing deliver to support the sales targets?" ➡️ HR MANAGER HR thinks talent and workforce planning 24/7. Grab headcount projections, recruitment timelines, employee retention rates, and training and development needs. Start here: "What's our hiring timeline to support the growth plan, and any retention concerns?" ➡️ ENGINEERING LEAD Engineering leaders obsess over product development roadmaps. Collect that product development roadmap, technical debt priorities, infrastructure requirements, and team capacity information. The must-ask question: "What features can be delivered by Q4, and what technical investments are critical?" ➡️ ACCOUNTING MANAGER Accounting thinks financial health and compliance every single day. Get cash flow projections, budget variance analysis, financial compliance requirements, and cost optimization opportunities. The essential question: "What's our cash flow outlook, and are there any financial constraints for our growth plans?" ➡️ UNIVERSAL BEST PRACTICES These six practices work with EVERY stakeholder: Be Specific: Ask for concrete numbers, dates, and measurable outcomes rather than vague commitments. Respect Their Time: Come prepared with focused questions and provide context upfront. Speak Their Language: Use terminology and metrics relevant to their department and priorities. Validate Understanding: Repeat back key points to ensure alignment and avoid miscommunication. Follow Up: Send summaries of key decisions and next steps within 24 hours. Close the Loop: Show how their input directly influences decisions and outcomes. === What's your approach to stakeholder communication? Share your best practices in the comments below 👇

A quiet stakeholder is a risk not a win If your stakeholder isn't giving feedback, it's a blind spot. Too often PMs assume silence means approval. No complaints? Must be aligned. No questions? Must be clear. No feedback? Must be fine. Wrong. Silence usually means disengagement, lack of clarity, or unvoiced concerns. Here's 3 things to do to tackle silence and ensure alignment: ☝ Pull quiet stakeholders in early and often Don't wait for silence to become a problem. Be proactive in asking for feedback in 1:1 settings. Sometimes the quietest team members become the biggest allies. ✌ Ask pointed + specific questions "Any thoughts?" is going to invite silence. "Do you foresee any downstream risk in X?" will get you real input. The devil is in the details. 🤟 Be on the lookout for passive misalignment Use nonverbal cues like body language. Take note of slow approvals or vague comments. These usually indicate something's off and you need to dig in. When a quiet stakeholder finally speaks up, it's usually too late to fix it without a cost. Proactive engagement beats reactive damage control. 🤙

Getting stakeholders to show up and stay engaged during Sprint Reviews can be a real challenge. But the Sprint Review is more than just a demo; it's your chance to gather feedback, validate direction, and build trust. If your reviews feel more like a monologue than a collaboration, Here are 8 practical ways to change that: Choose the Right Time & Day ↳ Avoid Monday mornings and peak meeting times. ↳ A time change alone can boost attendance and energy. Keep It Engaging ↳ Focus on high-impact features, not every minor bug fix. ↳ Only show low-priority items if stakeholders ask. Control the Discussion Flow ↳ Keep conversations focused and on-topic. ↳ Redirect deep dives to follow-up discussions outside the review. Let Stakeholders Participate Actively ↳ Invite them to test new features live during the review. ↳ This boosts ownership, engagement, and trust. Communicate the Purpose Clearly ↳ Share an agenda a day before the review. ↳ Outline Sprint goals, key demos, and decisions needed. Respect Stakeholders’ Time ↳ Not all stakeholders need to attend every review. ↳ Let them know when their input is optional. Encourage Conversations, Not Just Presentations ↳ Ask for feedback right after showcasing a feature. ↳ Engage senior stakeholders first to encourage others to speak up. Show That Feedback Matters ↳ Implement valuable suggestions quickly. ↳ Highlight changes based on past stakeholder feedback. When Sprint Reviews become interactive, focused, and valuable, stakeholders stop skipping them and start looking forward to them. What’s one thing you’ve done that actually got your stakeholders more involved in Sprint Reviews? Drop your experience or tip in the comments. ♻️ Repost to help others standout in their agile journey. ➕ Follow Dr. Francis Mbunya for more.