Box"5:"Three"secrets"of"successful"stakeholder"engagement" # As#part#of#the#British#Academy#funded#Involved#project,#I#recently# investigated#over#24#projects#in#20#different#countries#in#which# researchers#worked#with#stakeholders,#in#an#attempt#to#work#out# the#most#important#factors#that#enabled#those#processes#to# achieve#their#goals.#Three#things#emerged#from#our#analysis#that# were#more#important#than#anything#else:# • Represent#all#the#relevant#stakeholders;# • Get#a#professional#facilitator#to#help#you#manage#power# dynamics#between#stakeholders;#and## • Empower#stakeholders#with#information#and#decisionB making#power,#so#they#can#meaningfully#participate#in#your# research.# # The#groups#that#got#these#three#things#right#weren’t#only#more# likely#to#achieve#the#goals#they#had#established#together,#they# were#also#more#likely#to#report#having#learned#and#gained#trust#in# the#other#participants#as#a#result#of#their#experience.#The#networks# and#alliances#that#can#arise#from#such#interaction#may#yield# impacts#many#years#after#your#initial#work#together.##
" " "" " I"also"believe"that"a"few"tips"and"tricks"as"a"facilitator"can"go"a"long"way"if"you"don’t" have"a"lot"of"experience."Although"there"is"no"substitute"for"experience"in"this"game," having"a"Plan"B"(and"C)"and"a"few"ways"of"dealing"with"challenging"individuals"can" turn"a"scary"situation"into"a"productive"and"enjoyable"event"for"everyone."Section"4" provides"lots"of"practical"advice"on"facilitating"workshops"with"stakeholders."" " Similarly,"knowledge"brokers"and"intermediaries"can"help"facilitate"dialogue." Knowledge"brokers"work"like"bridges"between"disparate"social"networks"and"can" significantly"speed"up"the"process"of"gaining"trust."Effective"knowledge"brokers"are" typically"wellZknown"and"trusted"by"many"different"groups,"and"have"an"interest"in"
41"