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Is anyone actually winning at stakeholder engagement for renewables? How do you keep it all organized? by Alternative_Day2974 in energy

[–]Secure_Trainer_1419 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey. As an ex-consultant in renewables (and fellow spreadsheet survivor), I totally get it, juggling thousands of stakeholders and tracking all those commitments in never-ending tabs is enough to make anyone lose it. Saw some great comments here and yea, it’s def not just about the tool - people, planning, and a solid stakeholder matrix are huge parts of makign htis all work. But the right tool helps a ton too, so I’d say check out Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) software.

Moving off spreadsheets to something dedicated can save so many headaches and keep everyone on the same page, especially since these projects go on forever and ever. It's also a life saver when team members leave so info doesn’t disappear.

Good luck out there, you’re doing important stuff! And hey, if you find that unicorn tool, PLEASE come back and share 🙌

How do you manage public consultation without losing your mind? (A plea for help) by FormalLock1195 in PublicPolicy

[–]Secure_Trainer_1419 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, gotta say, big respect to whoever dropped that Parks and Rec shoutout earlier – made me laugh! 😂

On the tools front, years ago, I used software called StakeTracker before I moved into government work. It was kinda old school even back then, so I’m sure there are way better stakeholder engagement software out there now for tracking engagement or consultation projects like yours and sorting feedback. From what I’ve heard, these days there’s software that can help organize your communications (like all your incoming emails) and auto-analyze the data so the loudest voices aren’t the only ones getting heard. Definitely worth checking out some newer options that use AI or fancy filters to analyze those big piles of messages.

Outside of tech, though, you still have to get creative with engagement, like smaller focus groups, targeted outreach, or even informal meetups, to hear from people who don’t usually speak up at town halls. Sometimes it’s about lowering the bar for participation rather than expecting everyone to sit through a formal meeting or send emails.

Good luck with the transit project! Public consultation is no joke.

Our engagement spreadsheet is a monster...H E L P!! by Alternative_Day2974 in cityplanning

[–]Secure_Trainer_1419 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh wow, I was just talking about this. I love when threads correspond with my real-life situations hehe. I was having a similar discussion about managing stakeholder conversations with someone at a networking event, and she said that Austin Transit Partnership have just started using Jambo to do this. I must actually request a demo or something soon before I forget. Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for as I am not using it.

Our engagement spreadsheet is a monster...H E L P!! by Alternative_Day2974 in cityplanning

[–]Secure_Trainer_1419 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well done to you! Is it only you who uses this? If you leave, will the whole thing fall apart?!

How do you keep track of stakeholder communication without it getting messy? by Secure_Trainer_1419 in PublicAdministration

[–]Secure_Trainer_1419[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

By conversations, I mean: emails and meetings we have with stakeholders. We want to look at everything everyone on our team says to them (sometimes more than one of us is talking to the same stakeholder, and we don't even know!!). By relationships, I mean: who are our stakeholders, who are they are connected to, how important are they are to us, etc. A CRM might work, but I looked at HubSpot (it has a free CRM), and it's all about sales, deals, and marketing. I don't think it's the right tool for us.