A stakeholder discovery interview is about listening more than talking, so you will have productive conversations in the future. Start with high-level questions to develop context and put your stakeholder at ease. They should be open-ended, like “tell me about” or “what’s challenging about...” Plan 5 minutes for every topic, and make a careful list in advance.
Here are some sample questions:
Subscribe to my weekly Nano-letter:
What’s top-of-mind for you right now?
What does success look like for you and your team?
What’s challenging about meeting your metrics?
We have a full list in Chapter 2, People, from Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders.
Watch
Product Culture coach Melissa Appel discusses how empathy and curiosity are essential to understanding stakeholders.
Watch this clip on YouTube or book a virtual coaching session here.
Read
Product Culture coach Phil Hornby recommends The Growth Equation by Andy Budd. “It’s the book product people want their founders to read. It creates a playbook for a growth trajectory.” More thoughts and photos from Product Culture on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.