Before we end...

The presented methods are only a small part of the more than 100 different approaches that exist. We will not go and present more of them as the objective of this chapter is not necessarily to train you in becoming an expert in stakeholder engagement but more to present you with different creative tools of communicating and interacting with your stakeholders. Our intention was more on opening you and your organisation into being more participative in your interaction with different stakeholders that you are working with, be them your staff, your beneficiaries, your target groups, donors, local authorities or any other entity or person with which you will be interacting in the future. Moreover, we wanted you to see that communication with stakeholders can be more creative and engaging than how is usually considered to be.

By using this new attitude as a starting point, the notions acquired until now about communication but also different resources that are freely and widely available on the Internet, we think that you will not only be able to engage your stakeholders more but you will also improve the quality of your projects, as you will be able to adapt them better to the environment in which you are working and to the needs of the people you are working with.

As said before, the main thing we are hoping you have learned by reading this chapter is that in the development and implementation of your projects is not only useful but also necessary to stay in close connection to your stakeholders, to consult with them and to engage them in each of the steps you will take. As seen, this can be a very simple and effective process by using the right tools.