This Oxford style debate half-day event, from the Stakeholder Engagement Focus Group (SEFG) stream of the APM People SIG, will seek to positively disrupt and challenge conventional thinking around stakeholder engagement.

Two teams will debate each motion placed in front of the ‘house’, one speaking for the motion and the other against it, in what promises to be an educational, knowledgeable, fun, and humorous time.

Motions on the day
The 1st motion to be tabled is ‘This house believes that stakeholder engagement is pointless’.
The 2nd motion will be created, and tabled, by an attendee on the day.

Come along and listen to the arguments, for and against, and then make a personal contribution by throwing your thoughts into the arena as well as the battles rage!

The APM Body of Knowledge, 7th edition, Section 3.1 Engaging stakeholders says, ‘There is wide agreement that understanding stakeholders – those influential, interested individuals and groups who are affected by projects, programmes or portfolios – is critical work.’

How accurate is that though nowadays? In this what will undoubtedly be a different, humorous, perhaps controversial, but factual, knowledge based and inspirational event, we shall seek to challenge and positively disrupt traditional thinking on stakeholder engagement.

Will tradition win over disruption? You will decide if you attend this half day Oxford style debate kindly being hosted for us by Solent University in Southampton.

Two motions will be debated on the day, the 1st being ‘This house believes that stakeholder engagement is pointless’. The 2nd motion will be determined from attendees on the day. Teams will put over their cases, for and against the motions, before those of us attending can also throw our thoughts into the mixing bowl, and subsequently decide whether the house does or does not believe them.

The 10 key principles of stakeholder engagement that were developed as a joint project between the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and APM, published in 2014, are identified as:

1. Communicate
2. Consult, early and often
3. Remember, they’re only human
4. Plan it!
5. Relationships are key
6. Simple, but not easy
7. Just part of managing risk
8. Compromise
9. Understand what success is
10. Take responsibility.

Are these all still relevant and worthy of our time being spent on them? Are all stakeholders still human (Principle 3) or, for example, does artificial intelligence (AI) play a stakeholder role nowadays? Endangered animals, and insects have been known to stop developments, so they are a stakeholder, aren’t they? Maybe they could be classed as silent or sleeping stakeholders (those affected but who can’t represent themselves)?

The SEFG are excited to put this event on and hope that the excitement is shared so that you decide to join us for this interactive gathering on Wednesday 17 May.

For more information and to book please visit the APM event page.