The Importance of a Clear Narrative

The language you would use with a friendly stranger to describe your work should be the same you use with a client or employer, at least until you know how well they understand your area of work.?

Those who build and maintain relationships with individuals and organisations to create supportive policy environments for those they represent can themselves often find it difficult to explain what they do to the uninitiated.?

This can range from awkward conversations with friends or when meeting new people, through to a potential employer or client not fully understanding the actual value you have and will be able to deliver.?

Unlike being a doctor or architect (my original training), there is no common understanding in society for the job of a Public or External Affairs Manager - the former focusing more on the political with the latter taking on more elements of the broader fields of public relations, corporate affairs and communications.?

Government Affairs is typically more narrow in focus but with the benefit that its name makes it straightforward for the average person to grasp (as such we will focus here on the former two). All three can also be involved in ‘lobbying’ activities, but that is an interrelationship to explore another day.?

A lack of role models

You’re unlikely to see the role of Public Affairs Manager featured in the latest hit sitcom or major movie.

Trying to find a young boy or girl who wants to be an External Affairs Manager when they grow up is also essentially futile. Basically, ask ten people on the street what these professionals do and you’ll probably get a different answer every time.?

Further alienating such professionals from mainstream stereotypes is that career progression is more likely to be through changing organisations than being promoted internally. This may be seen by others as uncommitted or even flippant, but more often than not is merely a byproduct of the very small or even single-person nature of most PA/EA teams.?

Career paths typified by such diagonal moves are made more opaque given job titles are rarely consistent between roles or organisations. In my career alone I have worked in the field as a Public Policy Associate, National Policy Advisor, State Manager, External Affairs Manager, and Public Affairs Manager.?

It can be hard to teach someone to be good at understanding and developing strategic relationships, with it being uncommon for someone to have formal education in the space. Those with objectively relevant degrees (in my experience at least) are more likely to have studied subjects such as public policy, communications, public relations, or even political science. Others have come from entirely separate fields after finding they have an aptitude for the work.?

The competing professional types?

While most are somewhere in between, Public Affairs especially is typified by two general types of professional: 1) those who come with a vast index of contacts which they rely on heavily to achieve any outcomes, and 2) those more adept at quickly understanding a given new subject as well as the policies and processes they need to influence.?

Those more inclined towards type #1 will be most likely to describe their job and the skills they bring to a role or project by who they know, and their ease of being able to access elected officials. For example “I have Politician X’s personal number in my phone.”

Professionals more like type #2 will have a far greater focus on assessing the situation and then determining avenues for influence that rely less on personal networks. They are also much less inclined to name drop.?

To the uninitiated, an individual like type #1 may seem like the best suited, but anyone who relies on personal contacts too heavily can find themselves struggling. For example, when the party of government changes, they want or need to move to a new jurisdiction, or the subject matter evolves too quickly.?

Both types are, of course, simplifications but are important to note as they show how a Public or External Affairs professional will seek to deliver value. This then shapes how easy (or not) it can be to describe what they do, with type #1 likely finding it easier to convey despite most professions being more like type #2.?

Similarly, an audience only exposed to one type may be unaware that they do not fully understand the value of the other.

Demonstrating your value with a clear narrative?

Obtaining (and having longevity in) a Public or External Affairs role or contract relies on demonstrating a clear skill set that will deliver value to the organisation or project.

It can be hard to get work in the first place if they expect you to have stayed in the same organisation for an extended period, held specifically named previous roles, or even to name-drop key personal contacts in the application, interview or tender process.?

To overcome these barriers, having a strong and clear narrative can help a professional obtain a role, or an agency land their preferred client. Getting it right though is far from simple.?

You need to be able to explain your experience, the value you can help deliver, and your approach to doing so.?

The pub/playground test

As you never know where your audience’s experience or expectations may differ from your own, the way you describe your career should be simple and straightforward. Understandable by fellow professionals and the uninitiated alike.?

Think about how you would describe what you do if you found yourself at a friend’s barbecue, in a pub or with a fellow parent at a playground. That is, imagine you are describing your work to a friendly stranger until you know better.

You wouldn’t jump straight into jargon when talking to someone at a house party, so why would you do that with a prospective client? They may think your reference to upstream versus downstream decision-making is some awkward invitation to go kayaking.?

Finding your thread, telling your story

Fortunately, my work has typically focused on the same general subject matter of urban and transport infrastructure, but many others in public and external affairs prefer or have been forced by circumstance to jump between seemingly unrelated topics.?

While having a particular focus can help give you a clear narrative, more important is to ensure you have a clear thread that ties your experience together when you are describing it to someone.?

This is about storytelling, telling a clear story of how you have delivered value before and how you will again.

This may be tied to your work, your family, or something else entirely, but what matters most is telling a story that makes sense from beginning to end.?

Most importantly, if you want someone to understand the value you can offer then they need to understand where you are coming from and what you bring to the table. It should be unique to your experience, easy to follow, reflect the kinds of work you wish to do, and the contributions you are hoping to make through your work.?

Your goal should be to make them want to be part of your narrative and them a part of yours.?

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