Stakeholders are individuals or groups that have an active interest in an organization. Stakeholders and stakeholder groups typically include employees, vendors, communities, government agencies, customers, investors, and lenders. Different stakeholders have different interests, attitudes, and priorities. Effective communication ensures that they receive relevant information and develop a positive attitude to your organization in the scenario.
As the regional marketing director of a theme park, you are in the process of designing a phased marketing strategy for reopening all parks after a safety incident. You have already helped other marketing directors understand the importance of having a good marketing mix to inspire customer loyalty; now help them with a stakeholder communication plan. Develop a communication plan that will ensure stakeholders understand the steps the organization is taking to benefit them.
Three aspects to consider for effective stakeholder communication are the interest of stakeholders in the organization, the impact of the reopening decision on stakeholders, and the relevance of information going to stakeholders.
Prompt
Complete the communication plan for the stakeholders of the organization in the course scenario. Refer to the Exemplar Communication Grid for an example of how the template can be used.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
- Identify the three key stakeholders (a minimum of one internal and two external groups) in the reopening of the park and describe each stakeholder’s interest in the organization.
- Internal Stakeholders
- Employees
- Departments
- Management
- External Stakeholders
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Lenders
- Communities
- Use the Communication Grid Template to complete this step.
- Internal Stakeholders
- Identify and analyze the information about each stakeholder group and their need for communication. Use the Communication Grid Template to complete this step. Consider the following points:
- Assessment of the impact on stakeholder (low, medium, or high) and explain why.
- Information needs and communication methods of the stakeholder
- Identify two crisis communication methods for communicating with stakeholders.
- What forms of communication can be used to quickly communicate with internal stakeholder groups?
- What forms of communication can be used to communicate with external stakeholder groups?
What to Submit
Submit a 1- to 2-page Word document, which includes your responses and the completed Communication Grid Template, using double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Your completed Communication Grid Template should be included within your paper, following the Introduction. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on style.
Module Two Communication Plan Rubric
| Criteria | Exemplary (100%) | Proficient (90%) | Needs Improvement (70%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stakeholders and Interest of Stakeholders in Park Reopening | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Identifies three key stakeholder groups (one internal and two external) for the park reopening; identifies and describes the interest of the stakeholder groups in the park reopening and defines the motivations for this interest | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include identifying the three key stakeholders that are most affected by the reopening of the park, articulating the interest of each stakeholder depending upon their role in the park reopening, and identifying at least one motivation that is driving the interest of the identified stakeholder groups | Does not attempt criterion | 20 |
| Impact on Stakeholders | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Assesses the impact of park reopening on the stakeholders, on a scale of low, medium, or high, and explains why | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include assessing how each stakeholder is affected by the reopening and identifying the intensity of the impact on each stakeholder groups as low, medium, or high | Does not attempt criterion | 25 |
| Information Needs and Communication Methods of the Stakeholders | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Identifies the specific information needed by stakeholders given their interest in the park’s reopening, and identifies the communication methods for each | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include analyzing the specific communications needs of the affected stakeholder groups based on their interest and identifying information needs for stakeholders | Does not attempt criterion | 25 |
| Crisis Communication Methods | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Identifies and describes one crisis communication method each for both internal and external stakeholder groups | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with error or omissions; areas for improvement should include determining the need for communication for both internal and external stakeholder groups and identifying effective crisis communication method | Does not attempt criterion | 20 |
| Articulation of Response | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstrating an understanding of audience and purpose | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, negatively impacting readability | Submission has critical errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, preventing understanding of ideas | 10 |
| Total: | 100% | ||||