SEO Communicating and Influencing Behaviour Statements

SEO application guidance

Build a focused Communicating and Influencing statement around the exact criteria, your personal judgement and a result that proves the effect of your actions.

What is Communicating and Influencing?

Communicating and Influencing is about making information clear, purposeful and useful to different audiences.

At SEO level, a strong example should show that you can choose the right channel and style, communicate honestly, check understanding and handle important or difficult messages respectfully. The scale should be a defined service, project, team or workstream where your own judgement is visible, while recognising the authority of senior leaders and specialist colleagues.

The assessor should be able to trace the official criteria through your actions. Mentioning the behaviour or repeating the wording does not prove it.

What are the SEO Communicating and Influencing criteria?

Official SEO/SEO Success Profiles criteria

Your evidence should make every criterion visible through something you personally understood, decided, communicated, changed or achieved.

Criterion 1
“communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner – choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact”
Show why you chose a particular style and how it improved understanding or impact.
Criterion 2
“encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness”
Explain how the channel mix improved access, speed or value for money.
Criterion 3
“ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs”
State what the communication needed the audience to understand, decide or do.
Criterion 4
“share information as appropriate and check understanding”
Show what information was appropriate to share and how you checked understanding.
Criterion 5
“show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same”
Demonstrate credible energy that helped others engage with the work without hiding difficulties.
Criterion 6
“ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests”
Use a sensitive or contested message and show respect for different interests.

How to structure a 250-word statement

Use Situation, Task, Action and Result as an editing structure. Do not write the labels into the application unless the vacancy asks for them. Keep the setup short and make the action section carry the Communicating and Influencing evidence.

Situation

Set the context quickly. Name the service, project, risk or change and why it mattered.

Task

Make your responsibility and decision authority clear. Avoid hiding behind the team.

Action

Use most of the word count here. Show how you choose the right channel and style, communicate honestly, check understanding and handle important or difficult messages respectfully.

Result

Prove the outcome with credible measures, service impact, reduced risk, learning or sustained change.

Members can unlock the complete SEO Communicating and Influencing scoring method below, followed by three full statements close to 250 words, detailed explanations of why they work and a final criterion check.

Join our careers service to read more...

If everyone knew the best tricks and tips then they would no longer work! That is why the best guidance is for members only.

Subscribe to open the locked section on this page and get access to the full Civil Service Careers premium library.

Get help with applications, interviews, behaviours, personal statements, CVs, tests, workplace problems, promotions, and career decisions, all written for people who want a better result.

Subscribe

Already subscribed? Log in