COMMUNICATION STRATEGY - FACTSHEET 3
Don’t just tell… SHOW !
In order to convince your stakeholders, you need evidence (proof). They won’t just take your word for it, and most of them probably
won’t have time to read long documents. Make their lives easier by showcasing the benefits of your project and engage with each
stakeholder by adapting to their specific interests.
The choice of tool you use depends on the result you are trying to highlight, and what you are asking of your stakeholder. As in all
good communications, you need a response from your stakeholder… so what will you ask for, and how will you ask for it?
How will I convince my stakeholder to engage with my project (participate, use my results, support my cause…)?
1 – List your results
2 – Create a system for collecting evidence from partners. Explain that you are their stakeholder and how this is a win-win!
3 – List and group evidence to support results
4 – Match stakeholders with results that are in both their interest and yours.
5 – Demonstrate win-win situation
6 – Approach stakeholder and measure success of request
7 – Adapt argumentation and/or evidence until objective is reached
8 – Make a case-study of how you convinced this stakeholder and circulate this to partners (including EU Programme)!
For each approach, you can use a combination of elements to prove effectiveness and impact, according to what you are trying to
achieve.
Result
General Economic,
Environmental or Social
benefits
Visual Proof
Project brochure, website, before and after
photos, good or bad practice in the field,
photos/videos of happy beneficiaries…
Hard Proof
Charts and tables (or infographics) showing
savings, job creations, tendencies,…
Management methods,
good practice
Highlights of the report (checklists, indicators
& other visual elements), summary of main
findings, report cover, diagrams…
“Test the method” training session/event +
analysis of user feedback…
Testimonial Proof
Quote by a stakeholder who has benefited
economically, environmentally, socially...
News reports about the success of a
beneficiary…
Users (ex. partners) being quoted as finding
the methods useful, practical, innovative…
Policy Change
Images of parliamentary discussion, NGO
findings, infographics, maps…
Innovation
Can the innovation (or people using it) be
Facts and figures (dates, quantities, impact…)
about the topic (number of votes,
projections…)
“Test the innovation” event, facts and figures
Interviews of stakeholders who support the
same views as the project and answer the
“WHY” question…
People saying what problem the innovation
FACTSHEET #MEDSEEJOINTEVENT – BLED, June 2014 – www.clayscommunications.eu
photographed or filmed?
Project Result
Who will benefit
(stakeholders)
about the need for the innovation…
What can be shown
(visual proof)
has solved (or will solve)
What can be
demonstrated
(hard proof)
What others can say
(testimonial proof)
FACTSHEET #MEDSEEJOINTEVENT – BLED, June 2014 – www.clayscommunications.eu
FACTSHEET #MEDSEEJOINTEVENT – BLED, June 2014 – www.clayscommunications.eu