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After slashing communications roles in Whitehall, ministers are reviewing their decision, not least because of the PR challenges arising from bad publicity over cuts. Carol Grant gives some advice on providing professional communications support. The freeze on public sector communication spend may be thawing. Health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has reinstated the £1m flu immunisation campaign, cancelled last year. The Cabinet secretary's review of support to the deputy prime minister has concluded that Nick Clegg needs his own PR chief. And the Department for Education is advertising for a £100,000 head of communications. What's shifted? Hospitals full of wheezing pensioners, high-profile outrage at cuts and Mr Clegg's journey from hero to zero have all demanded stronger reactive communications. More strategically, there is recognition that this is the year of implementation, not just of cuts but also of a raft of new policy commitments. Excellent public sector communications professionals will be in demand, if they are resilient, experienced change managers with a good strategic overview. As managerial posts are merged, this is a good time for those with the skills and experience to take on new areas of work. We organised a masterclass for communications professionals looking to move into corporate management roles. One speaker, Lorraine Langham, a former head of council communications and now director of corporate services at Ofsted, believes that to be in a more senior role, you have to understand the politics of the organisation. She says: ‘You should be able to answer the question, "What keeps my chief executive or leader awake at night?" and be able to help them to solve their problems.' Focus on outcomes rather than outputs and ensure your communication strategy is aligned to the organisation's business plan. You will need to be inherently strategic and evidence-based when talking to the board or cabinet. However, it's all too easy to lose credibility by failing to deliver on the small things as well as the large, particularly something which is important to the leader, so delivery is important. Alex Aiken, director of communications and strategy at Westminster City Council and another keynote speaker, stresses that relationships matter at this level. ‘Give consistently good advice,' he says. ‘Make sure you can be trusted to hold a confidence. ‘As a senior corporate manager, you're paid to have the resilience to always tell the truth, even if your leader or chief executive doesn't want to hear it. ‘Think carefully about how you phrase something you know will be hard for them to hear, and find ways of making any U-turn or difficult decision palatable. They may not like you for it, but they will respect you.' Mr Aiken also stresses the importance of helping others to imagine you in a higher role. As he succinctly puts it: ‘You will need to look more like an accountant than an advertising person. ‘Creativity is all very well, but when it comes to public sector communications, it's essential to evaluate the effectiveness of what you do to show how you are helping achieve the organisation's business goals.' Our third speaker, Hamish Davidson, a seasoned recruiter and now chairman of Entrepreneurs In Action, believes it's vital to ensure you have the right team members. He says: ‘Never delegate recruitment to anyone else. You stand or fall by the people you hire.' He also says that those who make it into corporate management are good communicators themselves. They speak at conferences, play a role in professional bodies, and give their point in relevant media stories and blogs. They have a network around them of kindred spirits, people who are honest and encouraging. One of best ways of moving up is to grow your portfolio from the inside. Seamless services blur the edges between once-distinct directorates, and it is not always obvious where a function – customer services, community engagement or change management, for example – should be placed. Offer to sit on corporate groups where a project has a natural fit with communications. Take on some of the workload and become an expert in the field. In time, you may even take on the new service. Finally, never stop learning. The communications toolbox is expanding, but many heads of communications are behind their ICT counterparts – and, indeed, many chief executives – in understanding the potential of digital communications. Some will get left behind. Choose mentors carefully and invest in a coach. Use your professional groups, the CIPR and LGCommunications, keep up-to-date by reading specialist magazines and blogs, and consider updating your skills through conferences and courses, including the new MA in strategic communications at Leeds University. This year is going to be a tough one, but also one with a high degree of change. And with change comes opportunity, so make sure you're well placed to take it. Carol Grant is a director of Public Select, a recruitment and development agency. This article is based on a guide on Moving up.

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WHITEHALL

Ministers take a rethink on public relations

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