As you talk with stakeholders around your company, make sure that you are listening hard. One technique is summarizing in your own words. When you get it right, this convinces the stakeholder that you empathize. When you get it wrong, you give them an opportunity to correct your misunderstanding.
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For example, you could say, “It sounds like you’d like to help, but your blocker is that you don’t have enough people on your team to do the work, is that right?” Summarizing can also work at home with your teenagers. See Chapter 3 in our new book, Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders, for more help with stakeholder interviews.
Roadmap Talk and Workshop
Coach Phil Hornby will lead a talk and a workshop at the Roadmaps Conference in Belgrade, Serbia, September 26 and 28. Roadmaps: the Key to Great Product Decisions and How to Create Your Best Roadmap! Register.