Table 1.
Stakeholder engagement approaches, methods, and tools: definitions, explanations, and examples
| Approach | Method | Tool | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | An organizing framework used to establish and understand stakeholders’ roles in decision-making, as well as their roles in the conceptualization, conduct, and dissemination of research | A set of specific tools, techniques, and processes used to enact the ‘high-level’ purposes of engagement: Identify and convene stakeholders, create reciprocal relationships (level the playing field), engage in bidirectional communication, elicit perspectives, and make decisions over time and in partnership | A specific activity for gathering information, facilitating group discussion, brainstorming, etc. Different tools are often used in combination, and specific methods sometimes prescribe the use of specific tools alone or in combination |
| Explanation | Approaches provide an overarching framework or set of principles for engagement that help the researcher define the roles of stakeholders in the research process, but do not necessarily prescribe the use of any particular methods or tools | Methods include step-by-step procedures for engagement and often come in pre-existing packages of tools and process guidance, (e.g., Boot Camp Translation, citizen juries, Community Engagement Studio, etc.) though users may also customize packages of discrete tools and techniques that match your own needs and resources | Tools are not complete, standalone ways to accomplish the purposes of engagement, but are used in the context of a method for engagement. Researchers might select multiple tools to create a custom method that matches their specific needs and resources (e.g., a combination of surveys and facilitated discussions used as part of engagement efforts) |
| Placement in the webtool | Educational section | Method selection feature | Method selection feature |
| Examples |
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