The document outlines the process of engaging key actors in the participatory market systems development (PMSD) process by identifying actors, understanding their incentives, and maintaining their interest. It provides guidelines, training materials, and case studies to help practitioners effectively engage these actors through strategic communication and relationship-building. Key tips include gathering insights on each actor's motivations and ensuring that inviting them feels beneficial to them.

1. Step 5: Engaging Key
Actors
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2. Summary
In the Engaging Key Actors step you will
Engaging Key Actors
discover how to develop and implement a
strategy to convince market actors to join
the process of PMSD.
The step helps you to understand the actors
that you want to engage, devise ‘hooks’
based on their incentives to attract them,
and find ways to keep them interested even
when things are not going to plan.
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3. Rationale
The engaging key actors stage will allow
Engaging Key Actors
you to:
• Learn how to use power, relevance and
influence to determine who the key actors are
• Identify the systemic issues affecting the key
actors
• Understand the incentives that drive the key
actors, and learn how to harness these to hook
them into the PMSD process
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4. Top Tips
• Gather information and insights on each actor you want
Engaging Key Actors
to engage so that you can understand their incentives
and motivations; design your invitations accordingly
• When inviting actors, remember that almost anything
can be a hook or a detractor. Think about who delivers
the message, who is hosting the meeting, and so on
• Build relationships first: If the actors you want to engage
understand your objectives and respect you, it will be
much easier to get them involved
• You will know you’ve prepared a great hook when it
feels that you are doing the market actor a favour by
inviting them, not the other way around
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5. Guidelines
Download a detailed set of notes describing
Engaging Key Actors
our past experiences, recommendations and
action points on how to uncover the perfect
incentives and motivations that will engage key
actors into the PMSD process.
• Step 5 Guidelines – Engaging Key Actors
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6. Training
Before you start training practitioners
Engaging Key Actors
on how to facilitate workshops, make
sure you have covered the Facilitation Skills
and Attitudes module.
This module enables participants to be more
confident and competent in putting the tools
and principles of PMSD into practice.
• Facilitation Skills Training Materials – Facilitator Guide
• Facilitation Skills Training Materials – Slides
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7. Training
Download training materials that can be used
Engaging Key Actors
in workshops to train practitioners in how to
engage key actors, through games, exercises
and discussions.
• Step 5 Training Materials – Facilitator Guide
• Step 5 Training Materials – Slides
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8. Templates
Download the templates from the engaging
Engaging Key Actors
key actors guidelines:
• Step 5 Template – Engaging Key Actors
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9. Case Studies
Read case studies of how other projects have
Engaging Key Actors
engaged key actors:
• Making Markets Work in Bangladesh
• Transforming Livestock Markets in Zimbabwe
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10. The Roadmap
1 Market System Selection
2 Preliminary Mapping and Analysis
Engaging Key Actors
3 Strategic Design and Planning
4 Empowering Marginalised Actors
5 Engaging Key Actors
6 Participatory Market Mapping
7 Participatory Planning
8 Facilitating Change
9 Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
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10 Communicating Evidence for Uptake