Communicating and Influencing is one of the 9 Civil Service behaviours forming part of the Success Profiles framework. It is a vital behaviour or competency required in most roles from AA/AO, EO, HEO, SEO and up to senior posts including G7/6 and beyond.

So just what is Communicating and Influencing and what does it mean?

In this article we analyse this competency in detail, we make it easy to understand and we give you some sample questions along with how to answer plus you get a great 250 word STAR statement for inspiration.

What is the Communicating and Influencing Civil Service Behaviour?

Communicating and Influencing is one of the most popular competencies and is common to a broad range of roles and organisations.

The formal civil service definition is:

Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.

Put into simple terms, Communicating and Influencing involves:

• Getting your message across in a way that is understood by your audience and is persuasive and accurate
• Choosing the most appropriate method to communicate whether simply drafting an email, making a phone call or writing a detailed report, crafting policy  or giving a presentation to a large audience
• Ensuring your message has a clear purpose and is effective in terms of impact and results

In your everyday interactions with colleagues, managers and your team you use a combination of verbal and non-verbal communication skills in order to understand, persuade and convey your message.

What Does Communicating and Influencing Mean?

Whether you realise it or not you are using your Communicating and Influencing skills constantly both inside and outside of work. Staying in touch, making requests, giving instructions, talking through options and decisions, all the simple actions in our lives involve being able to listen, understand and respond.

We use our Communication skills to build rapport with others and to get results.

1. Being able to communicate clearly, honestly and concisely both orally and in writing in a persuasive and accurate way.
2. On a practical level, Communicating and Influencing is about delivering your message in a way that your audience clearly understands.
3. A major part is being able to take the views of other people into consideration and using your skills to persuade them of the value of your ideas.
4. For senior posts, it means introducing new and more effective ways of communicating, perhaps using digital resources whilst getting value for money.

Communicating and Influencing Interview Questions

Here are a small selection of competency based interview questions related to Communicating and Influencing taken from the InterviewGold online training system.

How would you answer?

• Talk me through a time where you used your communication skills effectively resulting in a successful outcome.
• Describe a time when you successfully conveyed your ideas to an audience who were unfamiliar with the subject matter.
• Tell me about a time when you had to communicate complex technical information to a client. What was the situation, what approach did you take and what was the result?
• What strategies have you implemented to improve internal communication in your department or team?
• Talk us through the most challenging experience you had when communicating. How did you overcome the challenge?

How to Demonstrate Effective Communicating and Influencing Behaviour

Communication skills are essential in almost all roles and your application and interview are perfect opportunities to display yours. Whether you realise it or not you are using your Communicating and Influencing skills constantly both inside and outside of work.

Here are 3 key points to include in your answers which will demonstrate the communicating and influence behaviour.

1. Show you understand the importance. To be able to communicate and influence effectively, you must first be aware of and to understand the significance of it.

2. Know your message. Before you communicate a message to others, it is essential to know exactly what your message is and what you want to achieve from it.

3. Choose the most relevant platform. Once you are clear on what your message is and what you are trying to achieve from it, you need to select the best form of communication. Think about the type of message and the audience you are communicating to and hoping to influence.

Communicating and Influencing Examples

In order to answer questions successfully you will have to think of examples of when you were effective in communicating and influencing, either in the workplace or outside.

There will be untold scenarios where you have used your communicating and influencing skills and your answer must include an example which is complex and relevant. Show an understanding of good communication and an ability to communicate and influence at all levels.

Effective communication and influencing can be displayed in many forms and here are some potential scenarios to help refresh your memory when choosing your examples.

• In the past, when have you communicated complex information clearly, in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, perhaps in a written report or verbally?
• Have you given a presentation to a group of people and dealt with questions?
• Have you presented technical or complex information to a non-technical group and made it easy to understand?
• Did you persuade others to accept your point of view, perhaps getting buy-in for your recommendations?

Sample STAR 250 Word Statement for Communicating and Influencing

This is tailored for a Civil Service Executive Officer (EO) post. Get statements and answers fully personalised to you and your level covering all Civil Service level from AA/AO right up to G6.

A word of warning, some departments such as the Department of Transport ask specifically not to use the STAR formula when creating your answer. However, others suggest using it as a way to formulate your response. Our advice is to refer to the careers page of the department or your application process for clarity.

How to get your target Civil Service job with InterviewGold

The InterviewGold online interview training platform covers Civil Service interviews, Success Profiles and behaviours in detail. It is designed to rapidly bring your interview skills up to date and help you answer brilliantly whether on an application, in an interview or during an assessment centre.

Here are just some of the ways in which InterviewGold will help you succeed in your Civil Service interview.

• Our advanced Answer Builder will create TAILOR MADE answers to any question for application and interview.
• Practice with Civil Service blended, technical and strengths mock interviews with likely questions.
• Use the expertly written and detailed STAR sample interview answer templates both 250 words and longer to guide you.
• Detailed personal statements and answers for behaviour and suitability statements.
• Expert lessons covering the 9 Civil Service behaviours, examples to choose and what to say.
• Learn how to give a brilliant presentation.
• Review your performance with the powerful webcam recorder module and repeat until perfect.