Article by PDG Sarita McLean, Rotary Public Image Coordinator

With the number of channels now open for Rotarians to use to communicate with each other and the public, it is time that we conduct a thorough review of our internal systems. This will ensure that we communicate clearly and make the most efficient use of people’s time and energy and to avoid conflict and misunderstanding. With communication being one of our major risks we do need to manage this appropriately.

Let us first identify our stakeholders. Who are these stakeholders? Well, we have both internal and external stakeholders. It is important to identify them in order of importance. The Stakeholder Influence and Importance Analysis Matrix can be used for this. This will help us work out who we need to communicate with, what the communication is, the avenues of communication and how often we need to communicate with them.

A: High influence and importance

B: High importance but low influence

C: High influence and low importance

D: Low influence and low importance

Stakeholders Influence and Importance Analysis Matrix

Internal stakeholders will be involved in the communication process as opposed to external ones. Internal stakeholders include all Rotarians, District Leadership Teams, Club Leadership Teams, District Committees, Regional Committees and Rotary International. External stakeholders include media, general public, potential Rotarians, special interest groups, as well as the recipients of our service/ financial contributions.

Start by listing all your stakeholders. Good luck!