Stakeholders are individuals and groups that will be affected in some significant way by a situation, project, or organisation. They can be affected by the outcome, the process, or both.

Not all stakeholders have the same stake. Most situations/interventions/projects have a wide range of stakeholders, some more influential than others. For example, some stakeholders benefit from the outcome, some are involved in the process, some resource it, others are interested in (particular aspects of) the process or the outcomes. When engaging with the stakeholders, it can be beneficial to recognise the level of interest and influence each stakeholder has on the project/situation.

The aim of stakeholder mapping is to create a visual representation of the stakeholders, paying attention to their level of interest and their importance/influence to the situation/project/organisation. This mapping is often used in the process of finding appropriate ways to communicate and engage with the different stakeholders.

To develop a Stakeholder Map (eg. onion/shell diagram), first identify the levels of engagement. For example:

Layer 1: The core - Who are the stakeholders closely involved in the creation of the project (/situation/product/…)? (eg. internal project team, decision makers, consultants…)

Layer 3: The network - Who are the stakeholders who interact/work with the project? (eg. subject matter experts, external collaborators, partner organisations, suppliers, speakers…)

Layer 2: The community - Who are the stakeholders directly affected by the project, whose work/life is/will be impacted by the outcome of the project (eg. participants, users, audience)

Layer 4: The wider environment - Who are the stakeholders able to connect the project to a wider context/ecosystem and can spawn/amplify/scale its reach? (eg. media, policy makers, sector, industry, non-human entities…)

Once the layers are identified discuss, per layer:

• what is the aim for engaging with these stakeholders? how are/will they be involved?
  • (eg. collaboration, dissemination, participation, inspiration…)

• what, when and how to communicate with these stakeholders?
  • (eg. what should these stakeholders know about, which methods and communication tools to use, timing of communication)