A stakeholder discussion guide helps you get the most out of conversations with key decision-makers in your organization. Let's explore how to create and use these guides effectively.
What are internal stakeholder interviews?
Internal stakeholder interviews are structured conversations with people inside your organization who influence, make decisions about, or are affected by your product or service. Think of them as reconnaissance missions - they help you understand the landscape before diving into user research.
Who are stakeholders?
Stakeholders can include:
- Product managers who shape the product roadmap
- Engineers who build the features
- Sales teams who talk to customers daily
- Marketing teams who position the product
- Customer support teams who handle user problems
- Leadership teams who set strategic direction
- Subject matter experts who provide specialized knowledge
Why do a stakeholder interview?
Stakeholder interviews serve multiple crucial purposes. First, they help you understand the different (and sometimes competing) perspectives and priorities across your organization. You might discover that while the product team prioritizes user experience, the sales team focuses on feature parity with competitors.
These interviews also help you identify assumptions and potential blind spots. Maybe everyone "knows" something about your users, but nobody can point to data supporting that belief. Or perhaps different teams have conflicting views about what users want.
Beyond gathering information, stakeholder interviews help build relationships and get buy-in for your research plans. When stakeholders feel heard early in the process, they're more likely to support and act on your research findings later.
When should you do them?
The start of a new project is the ideal time for stakeholder interviews, but they're valuable in many situations. When joining a new team or organization, these interviews help you understand the context and history you're stepping into. Before planning major research initiatives, stakeholder interviews ensure your research addresses real business needs.
They're also valuable when you sense misalignment about product direction or during strategic planning cycles. The insights from these interviews can help bridge gaps between teams and create shared understanding.
How does a stakeholder discussion guide help?
A well-crafted stakeholder discussion guide is your roadmap for these important conversations. It ensures you cover all crucial topics while maintaining enough flexibility to explore unexpected insights. Unlike a rigid script, a good discussion guide helps you steer the conversation while allowing natural flow.
The guide helps you ask questions consistently across different interviews, making it easier to spot patterns and conflicts in perspectives. It also helps you manage time effectively - crucial when interviewing busy executives or team leads.
Most importantly, a stakeholder discussion guide keeps you focused on your goals. It's easy to get sidetracked in these conversations, especially when interviewing passionate stakeholders. The guide helps you gather the information you need while respecting everyone's time.
Examples of stakeholder interview questions
Here are key questions to include in your stakeholder discussion guide:
Role and Context:
- "What's your role in relation to this project?"
- "How long have you been involved?"
- "What are your main responsibilities?"
Goals and Success Metrics:
- "What does success look like for this project?"
- "What metrics matter most to you?"
- "What are your team's key objectives?"
Current Understanding:
- "What do you already know about our users?"
- "What assumptions are we making?"
- "What previous research exists?"
Concerns and Constraints:
- "What challenges do you anticipate?"
- "What constraints should we consider?"
- "What risks worry you most?"
Information Needs:
- "What questions do you need answered?"
- "What decisions will this research inform?"
- "What information would help you most?"
For more discusion guide question examples, visit our question bank here.
How to conduct a stakeholder interview (with discussion guide)
Preparation is key to successful stakeholder interviews. Start by customizing your stakeholder discussion guide for each person you'll talk to. While core questions might stay the same, you'll want to adjust based on each stakeholder's role and expertise.
Before each interview, research the stakeholder's background and recent work. Review relevant documents or data they've shared. This helps you ask more informed questions and shows respect for their time.
During the interview, focus on building rapport while staying on track. Start with easier questions about their role and gradually move to more complex topics. Use silence effectively - often stakeholders will fill a pause with valuable additional information.
Take detailed notes or record the session (with permission). Pay attention to not just what they say, but how they say it. Does their tone change when discussing certain topics? Do they seem passionate about particular issues? These cues can be as valuable as their words.
Using the insights
After your interviews, analyze your notes to identify patterns and themes. Look for:
- Areas of agreement and conflict between stakeholders
- Gaps in current understanding
- Unstated assumptions
- Political dynamics that might affect your work
- Opportunities for quick wins
Create a synthesis document that maps out key findings. This might include:
- Stakeholder priorities and concerns
- Organizational constraints
- Success metrics for different teams
- Existing research or data sources
- Key decisions that need research support
Use these insights to shape your research plan. Reference stakeholder input when presenting your research approach - this shows you've listened and helps build buy-in.
Conclusion
A thoughtful stakeholder discussion guide is your key to successful stakeholder interviews. It helps you gather consistent, actionable insights while building strong relationships with decision-makers. Remember that your guide should evolve based on what you learn - update it as you discover new important questions or better ways to phrase existing ones.
The best stakeholder interviews feel like natural conversations while gathering structured insights. They help you understand not just what different teams need, but why they need it. This deeper understanding helps you design research that truly serves your organization's goals.
Take time to practice with your discussion guide before real stakeholder interviews. This helps you internalize the flow and identify questions that might need clarification. The more comfortable you are with your guide, the better you can focus on listening and building relationships during the actual interviews.
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