Bootstrap Communication & Stakeholder Relations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A stakeholder requests weekly status emails but your project uses a real-time Slack channel. What is the best approach?
- Ignore the request and keep Slack only
- Send weekly email summaries while keeping Slack active for the team (Correct answer)
- Switch the entire team to email to accommodate the stakeholder
- Tell the stakeholder to join Slack
Correct answer: Send weekly email summaries while keeping Slack active for the team
Adapting communication channels to meet individual stakeholder preferences while maintaining team efficiency is a best practice.
Question 2: During a sprint review, a key stakeholder is absent. What should you do?
- Skip the review and reschedule
- Proceed with the review and send the stakeholder a summary afterward (Correct answer)
- Cancel until all stakeholders can attend
- Record decisions as unofficial until the stakeholder approves
Correct answer: Proceed with the review and send the stakeholder a summary afterward
Sprint reviews should proceed on schedule; absent stakeholders should receive a recap to stay informed.
Question 3: What does 'active listening' mean in a stakeholder meeting context?
- Taking extensive written notes on everything said
- Reflecting back what was heard, asking clarifying questions, and confirming understanding (Correct answer)
- Staying quiet and letting stakeholders talk without interruption
- Recording the meeting for later transcription
Correct answer: Reflecting back what was heard, asking clarifying questions, and confirming understanding
Active listening involves engagement through reflection and clarification to ensure accurate understanding.
Question 4: A stakeholder escalates a concern directly to your manager without informing you first. What is the best initial response?
- Confront the stakeholder about bypassing you
- Ignore it since your manager will handle it
- Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand their concern and re-establish communication (Correct answer)
- Ask your manager to redirect all future communication through you
Correct answer: Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand their concern and re-establish communication
Re-engaging directly with the stakeholder to understand and address their concern prevents future escalations.
Question 5: Which communication technique is most effective when delivering bad news to stakeholders?
- Deliver it via email to avoid direct conflict
- Lead with the impact, then provide context and a mitigation plan (Correct answer)
- Bury it in a long report to soften the blow
- Wait until the situation improves before communicating
Correct answer: Lead with the impact, then provide context and a mitigation plan
Transparent, direct communication paired with a plan maintains stakeholder trust during setbacks.
Question 6: What is a stakeholder register primarily used for?
- Tracking project budget allocations
- Documenting stakeholder identities, interests, influence levels, and preferred communication methods (Correct answer)
- Recording meeting minutes
- Listing project risks associated with each stakeholder
Correct answer: Documenting stakeholder identities, interests, influence levels, and preferred communication methods
A stakeholder register centralizes information needed to effectively manage and communicate with each stakeholder.
Question 7: A high-influence, low-interest stakeholder is identified on your project. How should you primarily engage them?
- Involve them in every decision to leverage their influence
- Keep them satisfied with high-level updates and consult them only on major decisions (Correct answer)
- Ignore them since their interest is low
- Assign them a daily communication touchpoint
Correct answer: Keep them satisfied with high-level updates and consult them only on major decisions
High-influence, low-interest stakeholders should be kept satisfied without overwhelming them with detail.
Bootstrap Communication & Stakeholder Relations 2
A stakeholder requests weekly status emails but your project uses a real-time Slack channel.
What is the best approach?