Stakeholder interview reflection framework

• currently specific to stakeholder interviews (might get broadened a bit)

Stakeholder Interview Reflection Framework

Purpose

This framework provides a structured approach to reflecting on past stakeholder interview experiences before embarking on new research. Regular reflection using these questions can help improve both interview content and process, leading to more valuable insights and better stakeholder relationships over time.

When to Use

• Before planning a new round of stakeholder interviews
• After completing a project that involved stakeholder research
• During a personal development review of your research skills
• When training new team members in stakeholder engagement

Reflection Questions

Content & Insights

1. What surprising content insights emerged from previous interviews that significantly impacted the project direction? Consider unexpected needs, priorities, or constraints that stakeholders revealed.
2. What unexpected methodological discovery yielded the most valuable learning for how you conduct stakeholder research? Reflect on techniques, formats, or approaches that proved unexpectedly effective or ineffective.
3. Which questions consistently led to the most insightful responses, and which ones typically fell flat? Analyze your question bank to identify patterns of question effectiveness across different stakeholder types.
4. How effectively did I create psychological safety for stakeholders to share honest, potentially unpopular opinions? Evaluate techniques that encouraged or inhibited candid feedback.

Process & Method

5. What patterns of miscommunication or misunderstanding occurred, and how can I prevent them this time? Identify recurring communication issues, whether related to terminology, medium, or interpersonal dynamics.
6. How well did I balance letting stakeholders speak freely versus guiding the conversation to cover critical topics? Assess your interviewing discipline and flexibility across different interview contexts.
7. What preparation before interviews proved most valuable, and what preparation was unnecessary? Review your pre-interview research process to optimize future preparation time.
8. How effectively did I capture and analyze the data from previous interviews? What could be improved? Evaluate your documentation methods, analysis approach, and insight synthesis process.

Impact & Implementation

9. Which stakeholders were initially reluctant to share, and what techniques helped them open up? Consider how different engagement strategies worked with various stakeholder personality types.
10. In what ways did my own biases or expectations influence how I conducted interviews or interpreted responses? Reflect honestly on where your preconceptions may have affected the research outcomes.
11. How well did the insights from previous interviews translate into actionable strategy, and what prevented other insights from being implemented? Analyze the connection between research findings and project outcomes, identifying barriers to insight utilization.

Next Steps

After reflection, document specific actions you'll take to improve your next round of stakeholder interviews based on these insights.