Consultation, communication, and stakeholder analysis

Covering Assessment Criterion 3.3 from 5CO01, this video addresses the processes through which people professionals consult and engage with internal customers to understand their needs. The content examines what structured consultation looks like in practice, including the conditions that make consultation genuine rather than performative, the role of timescales and decision-making stages, and how people practice demonstrates that input has shaped outcomes. Alongside consultation design, the video considers communication approaches, including channel selection relative to message type, the use of plain language over HR jargon, and the distinction between broadcasting information and creating two-way dialogue.

Stakeholder analysis forms a significant portion of the video, with the power-interest grid examined as a tool for mapping internal customers by influence and interest and for prioritising engagement accordingly. The video looks at how to identify the distinct concerns of different stakeholder groups — such as a finance director's focus on cost control and compliance versus employees' concerns about fairness and implementation — and how those perspectives shape the approach taken to engagement. The point that stakeholder positions shift over time, requiring ongoing review rather than a single mapping exercise, is also addressed directly.

The video draws these threads together around the relationship between consultation timing, communication design, and stakeholder prioritisation, treating each as interconnected rather than separate activities. Needs analysis and the importance of regular liaison with stakeholders sit within this framing, as does monitoring engagement over time to ensure approaches remain appropriate as organisational circumstances and relationships evolve.