For stakeholder interviews, you want them to feel as relaxed as possible. One-on-one meetings are best. A notetaker (human or AI), while getting the most data down, violates this intimacy. Don’t.
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What to do about notes? I’ve seen it work in a variety of ways. Pen and paper are less intrusive; typing is efficient but less friendly. Some product people are good at summarizing right after. Friend Helen Saunders, CPO at StructureFlow, says, “I like to say up front that I’ll be taking a few notes to help me capture their inputs. If we are on video, I say that if I’m looking down or to the side then I’m writing in my notepad, so they don’t think I’ve lost interest.” See Chapter 2, in our new book, Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders, for more tips on stakeholder interviews.
Speak
Hear coach Melissa Appel on podcast Talking Roadmaps discussing How do you use a Roadmap to Align with Stakeholders?
Speak and Drink
Melissa will also be speaking on Secrets of Stakeholder Management in London’s product meetup, One Knight at the Pub. Thursday, August 8. Register.