This is an activity to use in a training that helps participants to think through how their organization is perceived by other stakeholders.

1. Word
Cloud
Activity
and
Handout
Explain
the
purpose
of
the
session:
o “Market
systems
practitioners
(i.e.
project
staff
and
consultants)
often
struggle
with
how
to
position
themselves
to
different
audiences
or
stakeholders.
They
frame
their
work
as
the
M4P
approach
even
when
private
sector
or
govt
actors
do
not
relate
to
this
perspective
at
all.
We
want
to
start
seeing
how
to
position
ourselves
to
the
private
sector,
govt
or
other
stakeholders
in
a
way
that
makes
business
sense
to
the
other
stakeholders.
In
essence,
this
is
about
understanding
how
to
brand
what
you
are
doing
as
a
market
facilitator
to
different
audiences,
and
how
to
create
accurate
perceptions
to
different
market
actors.”
• Hand
out
Word
Cloud
pic
(1
per
group
–
extra
copies
get
given
to
individuals
at
end
of
session)
o Word
Clouds
generally
summarize
the
descriptor
words
used
by
stakeholders
to
describe
something.
Those
words
used
most
often
appear
in
larger
text
in
the
cloud.
(There
are
various
online
sites
that
you
can
use
to
create
these.)”
o
“In
this
case
we
want
to
use
Word
Clouds
to
show
how
different
market
actors
might
describe
a
market
facilitator.”
o
“In
small
groups
of
about
3
people
each,
discuss:
What
words
do
you
want
stakeholders
(outside
of
a
project
team)
to
use
when
describing
the
role
they
see
you
playing
as
an
organization?”
o
About
5
min
later
ask:
“Now
I
want
you
to
think
about
if
these
words
or
phrases
would
change
if
they
were
different
types
of
stakeholders,
eg
Development
practitioners,
Government,
Private
Sector.”
Debrief:
o
Talk
about:
o How
should
different
stakeholder
groups
should
see
the
project
role.
o This
relates
to
brand
awareness
and
perception
issues
around
messaging
to
different
actors.
Examples
include:
o
Private
sector:
In
the
ideas
business;
innovative
ideas;
new
business
models;
Network
brokering;
strategic
business
model
input;
new
relationships;
new
networks
o
Government:
transparency
initiatives,
advocacy
ideas;
participatory;
evidence-­‐based
o
Development:
Innovative
development
strategies;
making
markets
work
for
the
poor;
capacity
building;
market
systems;
evidence-­‐based

2. Trainers’
note:
If
there
happen
to
be
private
sector
firms
in
the
room
then
ask
them
if
they
have
the
same
perception
of
all
development
orgs
and
what
it
is.
Explain
that:
-­‐
The
development
org’s
effectiveness
as
a
market
facilitator
can
be,
in
part,
assessed
by
the
perception
that
the
various
stakeholder
groups
have
of
their
role.
If
the
private
sector,
for
example,
consider
the
development
org
to
be
a
“donor”
this
might
signal
an
ineffective
market
facilitator.
-­‐
Development
Practitioners
may
be
aware
of
the
development
orgs
intentional
influence
in
programming
on
market-­‐systems
development.
If
the
development
orgs
is
effective
as
a
market
facilitator,
the
government
actors
and
private
sector
firms
would
not
necessarily
be
aware
of
market-­‐system
approach
terminology
or
the
broader
objective
in
this
area.
Instead,
a
government
entity
may
rather
be
focused
on
the
development
org’s
role
in
supporting
it
to
be
a
more
transparent
body.
A
private
sector
firm
may
be
more
aware
of
the
development
org’s
role
in
providing
innovative
business
models
to
expand
their
business.
It
could
well
harm
the
development
org’s
subtle
market
facilitation
approach
by
talking
to
these
actors
directly
about
market-­‐systems
development
or
M4P
approaches
or
expecting
to
hear
terminology
related
to
these
from
their
surveys
or
interviews.
-­‐
HOW
MUCH
DO
YOU
WANT
THE
PRIVATE
SECTOR
TO
IDENTIFY
YOU
AS
A
DONOR
VERSUS
A
MARKET
FACILITATOR?
Facilitate
without
putting
a
value
judgement
on
what
an
organization
decides.